THE COURIER
Frank Thompson humble In 18."8.
Ho was young, able and vigorous; bis
father was a judge and bad been a
congressman; lie bad llnlsbed bis
preliminary schooling and be went
into the Altoona shops because lie
liked machinery better than law. He
did what Mr. C. P. Huntington rec
ommends young men to do ir they do
not study a profession, that is to get
into business early. He was a line
example of the results of a business
training as compared with a college
training. When be bad been three
years in the Pennsylvania shops the
war broke out. Thompson was a
youth consumed with energy and am
bition and already be was an ac
complished engineer. Col Thomas
A. Scott of the Pennsylvania Road,
who was assistant secretary of war
made him his chief assistant For
three years until .Mine 1804 he worked
for the government, conjuring up
burned bridges, reconstructing dis
mantled railroads and keeping open
and operating an apparatus by which
soldiers and supplies could be carried
to the front. Then he went back to
the Pennsylvania railroad and be
camevdivision superlntendant. From
that time until 181)7 when he became
president his course was steadily up
ward." Ills story Is told here because
his success is a confirmation of what
President Northrup. in his memor
able and noble commencement day
oration, said or implied that u young
man whose tastes and instincts are
nonprofessional but active and com
mercial should get into business life
early before the Impetus of first youth
is exhausted, before he has become
rhetorical and theoretic, or has be
come too accustomed to books and
their unasthctic influence to be of
much use in railroad shops, behind
the throttle of an engine, or in the
shops and marts of men.
i
Idolatry.
It is the way of the heathen to bow
down to an Image not at all beautiful
or perfect, and worship, regardless of
its solid brass or cracked wood, or
warped clay foundation. Let us not
rant as the heathen do over an image
of brass or wood or clay or a mixture
of all three. The Kipling cult and
sect is getting silly It is enfeebling
its idol; and the little god with glasses
is writing pot-boilers like Stalky &
Co. He is becoming irritated over
his failure to create a heroine or any
thing feminine that is not either
shadowy or mannish, or vicious, and
like the unsuccessful sculptor who
tries to rival the Venus do Mllo, he
says "venuses are not worth modeling
anyhow." It does not matter that he
has written the best poems and
stories of the decade, he has failed to
portray a woman that Is worth know
ing and associating with. Therefore
and In spite of the art with which he
has drawn Tommy Atkins and his
inspired Introduction of the jungle
beasts to the world,' he must be pulled
down off the pedestal to which we
were willing enough he should dc
elevated when he was a young man
and had written few books and we
thought he might do better with half
of creation when he once got started.
Why Sbakspere, four hundred years
ago made Portia, Desdemona, Rea
trlx, Imogene, Rosalind, Hermiono
and tlfty others, modern and lovo
compelling women of infinite wit
and fascination that will bloom when
Kipling's poor little cocottes are dust.
I think he could do better at his
drawing boaid If he dirt not despise
his models. Did he not learn with
his jungle beasts that he could not
paint them or Introduce them to sym
pathy unless he first loved them and
appreciated their sublety himself?
For bis failure, for bis scorn, lie can
not keep the loveofgoncri'tlonsof men
and from even the little temporary
platform onto which the sect has
boosted him he will have to come
down.
A Denver Sensation.
Reverend Henry Myen of the
Broadway temple of Denver preached
a sermon last Sunday, which he said
would start "every little country
editor to grinding bis scissors and
dipping his pen to give me a smell of
some of his theological fire and brim
stone." Mr. Myers is the successor to Myron
Reed who preached charity and took
tbeKeeley cure himself. Mr. Myers
lias evidently not gone back on the
traditions of that pulpit for among
other tilings he is reported to have
said that "A city Is safe when
gambling and rum-selling and sport
ing, with all concomitant associations
are localized and restricted, but it is
a dangerous place when all those un
avoidable and indestructible forms of
evil are forced by law to hide in some
dark and dismal subterraneous den.
Let them (the religious people) go as
I did to the Overland Driving park,
or to the gambling houses of Denver,
and they will be convinced that the
gamblers of this city can give them
some practical points in ethics and
honor. They will be satisfied that
the horse racers, and prize fighters,
and rumsellcrs, are not the most
dengerous men in the world. What 1
thought would etioke mo to death
twenty-five years ago, 1 can swallow
now with comfort and ease."
Doubtless the Rev. Meyers lias be
come so familiar witli the bad men
whom he says lie loves, that their
assaults upon society seem justifiable,
and society for abhorring them for
the evil they do to others seems
pharaisaical.
There has always been a good deal
of talk about the squareness of
gamblers. Hut strictly speaking, a
man who makes his living by gulling
other people is so crooked that no
just and generous dealing in other
matters outside of his buisness can
make him worthy of respect. Mr.
Myers has too high an opinion of the
gambler and too low an opinion of the
average man. For instance, he says
that "scatter the gambling bouses and
the saloons and you will have a
gambler in every ward, and a dis
tillery and brewery and a saloon in
nearly all homes ' Every one
familiar with Denver can recall at
least twenty homes which would turn
into neither a distillery, nor into a
brewery, nor into a saloon if Colorado
should adon,t a prohibition regime.
These lists would not overlap enough
to make the number of temperate
people In Denver inconsiderable.
Yet the statement of the man, who
claims to be a preacher, reads: "And
you will have a brewery, a distillery
and a saloon in nearly all homes."
"Nearly all," means very many mote
homes containing a distillery, brewery
and saloon than the homes without
these household conveniences. Tills
is a slander on Denver and the decent
people there doubtless repudiate the
Rev. Myers his words and works.
"How Colonel Stotsenburg Fell."
John T. McCutcheon In the Chi
cago Record tells the story of the
charge ut Lingua in which Colonel
Stotsenburg fell. Mr. McCutcheon
says that the Colonel said he
was tired of the fighting and
wished himself back In America.
And the correspondent adds that
"there were many things about Col
onel Stotsenburg's tragic death par
ticularly sad.''
Considering "these things'' Colonel
Stotsenburg's steady heroism, hi
dally choice of a conspicuous place In
the famous charges of the First Ne
braska, gives more of an insight than
ever into the rare character of the
man. in the face of ignorant criti
cism by a state, of jealous cabals
organized by Colton and of cowardly
and treasonable attacks from Omaha
politicians, Colonel Stotsenburg did
his duty just as he had before, only a
strange quietness and indifference for
promotion settled upon him, though
he led his regiment just the same, and
he fell with a bullet through his
heart with the affectionate cheers of
the men, in his ears. There are
supreme moments of exaltation in
every soldier's experience, where to
charge an intrenched enemy Is as
easy as taking a summer stroll, but
the unwavering and constant obedi
ence to the duties of a soldier's life
rendered by Colonel Stotsenburg was
a matter of principle, of habit and of
conviction so deep that outward cir
cumstances could not affect his con
duct though they might break his
heart. Describing the Colonel's last
charge Mr. McCutcheon said:
"When the artillery had opened and
the three-inch BhellB were screaming
across the open field Col. Stotsenburg
rode up, having just got off the train at
Malolos. He heard there was fighting
out toward Quinguaand that his regi
ment was in it, and as fast as a horse
could carry him he had ridden out. It
was then after eleven o'clock, and the
fighting had been going on for several
hours. On reaching the field he dis
mounted and walked out in the open
field toward the extreme right of his
command. It was at this time that
General Hale decided to withdraw the
Nebraska men from the sun until thear
tillery bad finished the shelling and un
til the time would be ripe for a charge
across the open. He had just ordered
Major Mulford to carry this message
when he noticed that the men who had
been crouching behind the rice ridge
had risen and were ruBhing forward.
The troops in the trees were running out
to join the line that was sweeping acroBB
the field. Stotsenburg was leading
them, but whether he gave the order to
charge, or whether the mere eight of
him coming out on the field was the in
spiration for hiB men, I don't know, It
is true, however, that be no sooner was
seen by his regiment than they daBhed
forward.
" 'They're not withdrawing. They're
advancing!' shouted General Hale as he
saw them. 'Go and bring them back.' "
" 'I'll try, general,' responded Major
Mulford, 'but after they get started it'a
mighty hard to stop them.'
"Mulford raced out after the long
stream of brown figures, but they had
advanced half across the field before he
reached them. He saw Col. Stotsenburg
over to the right running forward the
men had been advancing in short rushes
one company firing while the next went
forward fifty yards, and tuen the latter
stopping to tire a volley until the former
had advanced but now they were all
rushing and cheering wildly, with not a
stop or a pause. It was a cyclone of
soldiers that would have been as hard to
stop as a etampodo of cattle. Major
Mulford knew that it would be imposs
ible to stop them and that a withdrawal
at that time would have been disastrous
both in its moral and physical effect, so
he yelled 'Forward!' and joined the men
as they stormed the trenches in the
teeth of a gale of bullets. It was all
over quicker than it takes to write it.
The FilipinoB tied, terror stricken, back
o"or another line of trenches, through
the town and across the river, while the
Iowas poured volley after volloy into
them aB they ran.
It was one of the most gallent and
thrilling charges of the war, but what a
deadly one it was, Col. Stotsenburg I in
out in tho field with a bullet through
his heart. Lieut. Siseon wob killed in
tho same way. The wake of the charge
was Btrown with men who bad go no
down, and many of those who were in at
the fiuisbcarried wounds that stained
their garments with blood but still thoy
kept on in a fiver of enthusiasm.
Then the news swept through the
regiment that their colonel had been
killed. Tho instant change that camo
over the men was pathetic and sad in
the extreme. From the heights of en
thusiasm and excitement to which tho
successful charge had elevated them
the news of what it had cost made their
Bpirits sink as quickly aB they had
risen.
Back along the road to Malolos tho
report ran like wildfire. Men half-dead
with fatigue and half-mad from the
deadly heat of the sun passed the word
back from group to group, until all one
could hear among tho lowered tones ofv
the voices wa9: "Colonel Stotsenburg
is dead."
Ambulance after ambulance passed
along so heavily loaded with dead and
wounded that the whole army was
Btrlcken with a sense of the severity of
-the fight. A a orderly rode along with
tho colonel's helmet, which every man
along the road recognized and watched
in silence as it passed. Then came an
orderly with Lieutenant Sisscn's faded
brown blouse, in one pocket of which
were three letters from home which had
just come the evening before.
A Guest.
Like a strong man who divests
himself of superfluous clothing to run
a race or like a cat which gives up her
nap and her saucer of milk to watch
a mouse's front door, it is suspected
that Mr. Thompson is getting ready
for the legislature which meets two
years from now. In two years Ne
braska will send another senator to
Washington and the man who begins
now to make friends of enemies, to
strengthen his claims on the friends
lie has, to dispel any rumours of dia
bolical selfishness which may have
attached themselves to his name, and
to place as many people as possible
under as many obligations as possible,
is the man who, from a politician's
standpoint, will have the most and
the best chances.
COMPLETELl WRECKED.
Wheeler Did you hear about Scorch
er? He ran into a ditch and was knock
ed speechless.
Spinner What about hiB wheel?
Wheeler It was knocked spokeless.
FRANKNE3S.
"How long have you kept Summer
boarders?''
"Ob, we kept one a week once."
IN A NUTSHELL.
Jiggs 1 don't see why we should)
meddle with the Filipinos. They seem
to be happy and contented.
Jaggs YeB. that's true; but they' I
never know it until we civilize them.
"Do I understand you to say," inquired
the clerk of the Summer hotel, "that
you are accompanied by your wife and
six children, and wantonly one room?"
"That is all for the present," said the
nervous looking individual with the
hoetic lluBh. "We'vo been living at a
Boaside cottage for the last six week,
and I want to got used to more ample
quarters.''
Wlfe-That cook has been here too
long. She wants to run everything.
HuBband-How long has she been
here?
Wife-Nearly eight days.
.s
" " ""ar re iw '
