T be , Conservative. 11
CLEM C. JONES OF BATTALION THREE.
[ Written by E. .T. Arnold , after reading the fa
mous sketch "Taking a Message to Garcia. " ]
During a fierce encounter before Jaro ,
Sergeant Clern C. Jones , of the Third
Battalion , Tennessee Regiment , made a
dash from the outposts across eight
hundred yards of open rice fields , forded
a river , seized a rebel standard , and re
turned unscathed with his trophy
through a hail of Mauser bullets from
the Filipino iutrenchments. It was the
most desperate deed of daring the war
has produced. A Cablegram from
Manila.
The famous article , "Taking a Mes
sage to Garcia , " has hardly reached the
length and breadth of our country before-
the daring act of Clem Jones , of Bat
talion Throe , Tennessee Regiment , adds
another event to our roll of honor. His
act strikes the writer with additional
force , because but a few months ago in
San Francisco ( where he then was ) the
Tennessee regiment arrived and pitched
camp at the Presidio , and by acts of
lawlessness , and even murder , obtained
a hard name in 'Frisco. The Kansas
boys arrived about the same time in
tatters , a study in lack of discipline and
preponderance of rags. Shabby civilian
clothes ecarce covered their burly ,
healthy bodies. So different , indeed ,
looked these betattered recruits from
Bleeding Kansas that when matching
up Market street , San Francisco , they
were openly laughed at. But Tennessee
and Kansas have been heard from nobly
and persistently when the Mausers
flew. First in the charge Funstou of
Kansas t Stotsenberg led these Kansas
heroes until he died. In life the boys
said he was the greatest martinet in the
United States army. When he dropped
dead before Malolos these boys wept on
the field of battle , and covering his body
with the colors of the regiment calmly
carried him from the hail of bullets
whistling around them. Feared and
even reviled in life ; honored and wept
for in death. The Kansas boys cannot
be judged by outward appearances ;
clothed as outcasts their acts were those
of heroes. The actions of a few Ten
nessee soldiers in San Francisco ( notably
drunken brawls and one murder ) cost a
stain upon the whole regiment , but on
the fields of the Philippines the Tennessee
boys wiped out the stains. The aggre
gate swept away the dishonor of the
minority , and now the dare-devil act of
Clem Jones forms the topic of discussion
wherever the roll of honor is referred to.
Deeds like this go down to glory ; they
stimulate in the present and provoke
emulation in the future.
Olem Jones is not cast in the outward
mold of a hero , judging from appear
auces , yet he made a dash for the out
posts across 800 yards of rice fields
Again appearances are often deceptive
Great acts of daring become even greate
vhen done on the spur of the moment
and as an object lesson of lack of fear ;
action to inspire confidence in others
iround the hero. Clem Jones "dashed
rom the outposts. " Note , he was even
hen among the leaders , the advance
Tiard entering the enemy's camp. That
position alone was one of danger , but it
lid not satisfy Jones. He wanted to
give a moral setback to the Filipinos and
nspire added bravery to his comrades.
Ho did it openly across half-a-inile of
rice fields nnd forded a river. Mauser
Juliets appalled him not and the added
laugers of an unknown stream could
not deter him. Olem Jones was not a
icro for a moment , each bound more he
made was fraught with danger , the end
a chain of heroic deeds. Dripping wet ,
overheated , probably every muscle
itraiued to its utmost tension , ho rushed
nto the Filipino's entrenchments and
seizing their standard from its position
with an act characteristic of the Yankee
dash ) he cheered and leaped back through
a perfect hell of the enemy's yells and
Juliets , way through the swollen stream ,
across the half-mile of open rice fields ,
; hrough the outposts back to the heart
of his regiment he dashed , and , to add
to the glorious success of the whole deed ,
10 arrived "unscathed. " Furthermore ,
; he cablegram at the head of this article
is all we know of Clem Jones's famous
deed. Yet his dashing capture of that
flag goes down to fame.
We need men like Jones. Men who
can act on their own impulse and re-
iponsibility. Men who can come out of
ihe rut and routine of daily duties and
make a dash way way into the heart of
the enemy's camp. Men of moral as
well as physical courage ! Men who do
things not because ordered by their
superiors , but who can act on their own
standard of life and its responsibilities.
Wo want men who , in grasping the
force of example , can cross half a mile
of known and certain danger and have
enough reserve force to ford the river
and strong enough then to act. We
want men who can fight difficulties and
red tapeism when necessary and create
precedents. We want men who can
keep their heads in the midst of a thous
and petty troubles ; can fight down
obstacles ; batter down prejudices ; face
the full force of even unanimous dis
approval ; men who believe in the ultimate
right of an act and do il for the power of
right and against the force of might.
Wo want men who can capture the
standard , hold it , bring it back and plant
it amid now scenes and a new policy
Wo don't expect the impossible. MPI
cannot all bo Olem Joneses ; go into the
very jaws of death with all the vim o
the noble Six Hundred , but , unlike
them , come out unscathed. The haloo
success which surrounds these acts o
dare-devil bravery sometimes spoils men
but , judging from the acts of both the
Kansas and Tennessee boys , there or
hose who keep as cool after being heroes
as when absolutely unknown. ' t
It is foolish to suppose that war is the
only field wherein we can reap fame.
3eaco hath her victories ; commerce her
icroes ; daily life her Hobsons ; constant
responsibility her Fuustous ; duty her
Toneses and every day its heroes. The
nan who is working for his daily wage
nay not find today an opportunity to
jecome a Olem Jones , but his employer
vatches him and knows whether he has
ihe right man in the right place. Doing
one's full duty full duty , understand
s not easy. It is never easy to do any
one thing well. The merchant prince
ms duties to his employees , the buyer
o his employer , the assistant to his
boss. " If we do our duty wo have
the satisfaction of knowing it , and there
s an added pleasure in time , because ,
yon can say what you will blood will
; ell. Merit wins , perhaps not as quickly
as we would wish , but the daily and
lourly duties faithfully , conscientiously
performed bring certain recognition.
Olem Jones won fame with a dash.
Yon and I win recognition by slowly
loing our duty. Olem Jones rushed
over a hnlf-mile of open risk and danger.
You and I may have to plod along for
years doing our duty , slowly rising step
jy step , reward coming only after long
toil. But we are heroes just the same.
Every man is a hero who fully does his
duty. Conscience adorns his brow with
a wreath of content. Olem Jones came
out from a shower of Mauser bullets un
scathed. Glein Jones was lucky. Wo
may have many a wound , many a time ,
each time worse than before , but the
ud should glorify the past. When the
reward comes wo forgot the scars , the
wrinkles , the past. Conscience crowns
more heroes than the world will ever
know. The man who is talked of most
may not be the greatest hero. The
violet often blooms and perfumes all its
little world and dies xmknown. Neither
you nor I can give a list of heroes. No
man can , but if you wish you can die a
hero.
THE CONSEUVA-
A PREACHER'S , , . ,
VIEW TIVE congratulated
a clergyman upon
the fact that Chaplain Mailoy made a
good fighter in the Philippines and a
fairly interesting speaker in a political
campaign. But the domino declared
that ho found no comfort in the selection
of House Rent Holcomb for the supreme
court , and in the pathos of his despair
quoted this from the Bible : "Judg
ment is turned away backward , and
Justice standeth afar off ; for Truth is
fallen in the street , and Equity can not
enter. "
Bryan and the bicycle are not altogether
unlike. The former is tired when the
wind is out and the latter when the
wind is in.
