Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 October 1887 — Page 6

I THINK OF THEE. BY A. CH3EB FBT2XCH. I think of thee, my sweet, my own, V ben daylight wanes, when night comes on, Wh“n stars veep briszhtly. one by one, And I ait with my thoughts alone. Can I forget thee? Never! Though time and fate may sever Two hearts by nature formed to beat as one ; My love but grows as years roll on. I think of thee, my own, my love. When the first sun rays from above Waken the note of the morning dove That hides her nest within yon grove. C«n I renounce thee ever? My soul to thine forever Is bound by holiest ties that mock at death, " hat break not with life's fleeting breath. 1 think of thee 'mid winter’s snows, I think of thee when crimson glows The cheek of June a fair child, the rose; When leaves fall, when spring days close. Distance and time may sever My life and thine, still e<er I hall unto thee my love in changeless fervor cling, Unalterable and true, whate'er my fate may bring. I'll think of thee when death's cold hand Ehall bear my soul to that fair laud Where heart to heart and hand in hand In deathless union we may stand. Can I forget thee, dearest ? Thou to my heart the nearest; When ocean waves forget to wash the shore. When mothers forget their children ; when o'er Life’s pain God will forget His balm to pour— Then, Love, will I forget thee.

IN THE BRAVE DAYS OF OLD.

The picture hangs upon the wall of my sitting-room; the room that overlooks the Channel. From its windows, when the atmosphere is favorable, I can see the French coast-line; and when there is a gale, and the steamers are plowing the waves, and the sail-vessels are scudding under bare poles, I love to take my sewing or my book into one of the great bowwindows, and en oy the grand view. My father built the house so near the sea, because he had been a sailor all his life, and he could not live far away from salt-water. When he died, the place came to me; and the man I married happened to hold an important posi' 'on in the revenue service, and it was precisely the thing that we should live in this dear old home. So my children were born here, grew up here, and two are buried in the Clift' Cemetery, over yonder. They, the living, are all married now, and living in houses of their own, “from Land’s End to John O’Groat’s;” but each summer the old home is full of them and their families, and my dear grandchildren, sometimes a dozen of them together, make me young again with their mirth and laughter and charming child-ways. And the picture ?

It hung there in my own ch’ldhood; it has hung there aver since. I thought it the bravest, handsomest picture that could be; and not a child nor a grandchild of mine but has been attracted to it from the time that anything was noticed. No ordinary picture is it, you may be sure! If it had been made in these cheap days of big imperial photographs, and colored lithographs, and gaudy chromos, there would be nothing about it worth five minutes’ notice. But if you look in the lower left-hand corner, you will find the mark, “J. R. pinx., 1785,” and that, I may tell you, was the mark of Sit Joshua Reynolds, the most famous painter of the reigns of the Four Georges. So it is a painting, and no common one either; Those colors were laid on by a master hand. It is of grand size —six feet by four and a half. I could turn my eyes from it and describe every detail of it. A sailor-boy of twelve, hatless, and fair of face as the pictures of the youtful Byron, sits up on the high main cross-trees of the ship, his back to the mast, his lefthand grasping one of the ropes by which he has ascended to this dizzy height, his left foot braced against cross-ropes, his right foot swinging, his right hand Testing on the timber of the cross-tree. His flaxen hair and the loose ends of his neckerchief are blowingout; yet there is not wind enough below to ruffle the ocean, for, far down and far away to the horizon, you see it stretching as placid as a pond. An albatross is flying about the ship—the only other living creature in sight. There he sits, clinging to the rope, his blue eyes gazing off over the wide ocean—o, so eagerly. For years past they have come to me, my children and grandchildren, and begged me to tell them about this handsome little sailor. “There must be some story about him,” has been the common remark. “Indeed there is, my dear, and a good one. You shall hear it.” The time has come when it has been told to all of them; even to little Minnie, who has not yet given up her dolls. So now the great, kind public shall be my children, and for the last time will I relate the story of this brave sailor-boy.

When Captain Jacob Converse was about to leave London with the good ship Cynthia, laden with a great variety of fancy articles for traffic with the natives of the far-off islands of the South Pacific, he bethought him that he had not secured him a cabin-boy. “And what d’ye want of a cabinboy?” asked his gruff mate, Mr. Hinds. “A cabin-boy is mostly a little vagabond who learns nothing aboard ship but to be lazy, to steal the goodies out of your locker, and to tell tales of you to the fo’castle. I wouldn’t have such a fellow about. ” But the Captain and Mr. Hinds differed on this subject, as they did on almost every other. Captain Converse was a mild and merciful man, who knew something by experience of the hard lot of the sailor, and wished to make it easier. Mr. Hardy, on the contrary, had just one theory about Jack Tar—namely, that he was a worthless guzzler ashore,

and a lazy, sulky animal afloat, and that all that could lie got out of h m at sea must be got at the rope’s end. He never gave an order but with an oath, and the day on a. voyage that he did not knock down a seaman, either with his fist or a handspike, was a rare day. Captain Converse deplored his bad temper and savage ways, and had often seriously talked with him on the subject; but he could not be changed. The fact was, the Captain was too easy a man to be in authority anywhere, and especially over such a tyrannical brute as Hardy was. The crews of his ships suffered everything, because the Captain had not force of character eno gh to interfere between the mate and the men. and he kept Mr. Hardy in piace because he found him useful; his knowledge of navi; ration was great, and he had sailed in almost every known sea.

Against his protest, the Captain engaged a cabin-boy for this voyage. He was the orphan grandson of one of the legless veterans of the Roval Navy, and he had been about Greenwich Hospital so much, and heard so many stirring stories of the sea from the disabled and superannuated tars laid up there, that he was longing to make a voyage. Captain Converse liked his bright looks ard manly talk, and took him on this voyage. The boy’s name was Rodney Barre.

It is not necessary to the proper understanding of the story that all that befell tae ship and her crew on the voyage down the Atlantic and round the Horn should be told. It was then a voyage of many weeks, as it is now, under sai 1 . The Captain was mild and easy as ever; the mate was quite as brutal as he had ever been known to be, and the quick, bright cabin-boy kept his eyes and ears open and learned something new every day about sea-faring. It was when the Cynthia had got well up in the low latitudes of the Pacific that a great disaster happened. For a week the Captain had been confined to his berth in his cabin by a low, listless ship-fever. In that week he was unable to visit the deck, and Rodney was busy attending to him. The ship’s chest had a few simple drugs and remedies, of which every shipmaster was supposed to know the use, ami Captain Converse attempted to prescribe for himself. He did not make much of a success of it. I think that if he had known half the shocking treatment that the mate was dealing out to the sailors he would have got upon deck some way and stopped it; but he did not, and Mr. Hinds’ brutality went on till the catastrophe came. It came on a still, quiet night, when the ship was hardly moving through the water. The Captain was slightly delirious, and Rodney was awake almost the whole night, wetting his head, and giving him powders and drink. About midnight the cabin-boy heard strange noises from the deck. There were shouts and cries, a pistolshot; and later, the sound of oars in the water, rounding the ship’s stern. Rodney looked out through the bull’seye window, but the night was dark, and nothing was in sight. He thought he would go cautiously on deck and reconnoiter. He tried the cabin-door, and f >und it locked.

When the long hours of the night had passed, the Captain woke from his slumber and was conscious. The boy tokl him what he had heard. “Something dreadful has happened,” the Captain groaned. “Take a hatchet from the locker, break the lock of the door, and find out what’s wrong.” Something very dreadful had happened. and Rodney was not long in finding it out. The mate was propped up against the foremast, with two knives driven through his breast and a bullet-hole in his head. A white paper was pinned to his coat, scrawled over with rude characters, which the boy deciphered as follows: “Sir Capt.: We likes you, and we would not hurt you nor the boy; but this here brute had to be put where the devil will giv him the rope’s end. We start him on his vige, and we goes our ways. Fair well, and may you make port safe.” All around this queer letter were signed the names of the seamen, “round-robin” style, so that, in case they were caught, the names of the ringleaders would not be known. Rodney looked from the horrible spectacle of the deck and saw that there was a dead calm. The sea was like glass. The sails of the Cynthia idly flapped from the yards. Not another sail was in sight. The mutinous and runaway crew had taken the long-boat and the jolly-boat and were now far beyond call or sight. Rodney took the paper and went back to the cabin. The Captain, weak and sick as he was, helpless and unnerved, heard the boy’s account and fell back groaning on his pillow. “God be merciful to us!” he cried. “It is a judgment upon us for not standing between Hinds and my poor sailors. I knew my duty, and I did it not. Boy, we shall starve; we shall drift helpless till the storms carry us to the bottom. Poor innocent that ypu are, I have involved you in my’punishment.” Rodney Barre was but twelve years old; but “the child is the father of the man,” and the hero-spirit of his later years began to shine out in him. He talked cheerfully and soothingly to the sick Captain, and told him what he thought he could do. There would be no danger, he said, while the calm continued ; and, before a gale came up, he hoped to signal some vessel and get relief. “How, I’d like to know?” fretfully interrupted the Captain. “I’ll run up the Union-Jack, union down, to the main top-mast.”

“WelL But there’s no water nor food in the cabin lockers, here. Ten to one some of those sailors locked up the bulkhead door and threw the key o.erboard. How will you get to the hard-biscuit, salt-junk, and water casks ?” “I can find an axe,” said Rodney. “I’ll break in.” “Good,” said the Captain, drowsily. “Take command of the ship, lad; I can’t stay awake. Hinds said I mustn’t bring you, but I think the hand of God was in it.” While the Captain slept Rodney bestirred himself. He found the bulkhead door wide open, and brought down into the cabin provisions and water enough for weeks. The disagreeable job of pulling out the knives and rolling the body of the mate overboard was next pe formed by the boy. Then he got the Union-Jack from the cabin, and wrapping it about him under his arms, he went up the shrouds, up the ropes, till he stood on the main crosstrees. He seized the halliards, rove the flag to them, and ran it up to the very peak of the main-mast.

There was no breeze on deck; in that lofty height there was just enough to shake out the folds of the bunting, and show that the union was down, the signal of distress. The boy sat down, grasped the rope, and waited. He scanned the horizon in every direction. Nothing appeared but an albatross and some noisy gulls. He knew that the Captain’s slumber would continue at least two hours, and he remained aloft to watch. His little soul was strong with hope, was firm with trust in God. His courage and faith were rewarded, for on the horizon at last appeared a white speck; it slowly but steadily grew, it became a sail, it was surely approaching the forlorn Cynthia, and Rodney descended to the deck and returned to the cabin, to tell the Captain the joyful news. Before dark the Cynthia was hailed by the good ship Dumbarton Castle, of York, and the cabin-boy boldly told his story through the Captain's speak-ing-trumpet. Men enough were spared by the ('astle to take the Cynthia into port. Ship and cargo were saved, and the cabin-boy received from the owners in England, months later, one hundred pounds for his services.

“But who was the cabin-boy?” the children always asked, at this point. “Years later,” I would say, “he was known as Admiral Sir Rodney Barre, R. N. The events I have described occurred in 1770. When Sir Joshua painted the picture Sir Rodney, although only twenty seven, was a postcaptain, and had seen sea-fights in his own ship. ” “But how did you get the picture ?” would be the next question. “Well, my dears, it so happened that the Admiral was my father. He married when he was of middle age; I was his only child. God has allowed me so long a span of life that I can talk to the Admiral’s great-grandchildren about him.” It was wee Minnie who remarked at this point, looking at the picture: " “Why, what a nice little sailor-boy our great-grandpa was!”

Common Myths.

Ignorant folk, wonder-mongers and even scientific observers have disseminated many erroneous and exaggerated notions which are not readily eradicated. We are still told, for instance, of the Norwegian maelstrom, a frightful whirling chasm in the sea capable of sucking down the largest ships, though in reality this fearful “whirlpool” is simply a run of the tide through a sloping channel, is rarely dangerous, and then chiefly on account of the rocks on which it may draw vessels. Sir John Herschel gave his indorsement to the statement that stars may be seen in the daytime from the bottom of a well, but this has been proven to be an error by tests from a shaft nearly half a mile deep. Mr. John Murdock has recently shown that the Eskimos do not, as text-books of physiology affirm, doze through their long winter nights, keeping up their bodily heat by enormous meals of raw blubber and lamp-oil, but that their winter life is active, their food mostly cooked and their consumption of oil not excessive. A still widely accepted belief is that the hair-snake is a wonderful transformation of a horse’s hair when kept in water, though these odd creatures (known to science as Gordius aquations) really grow from eggs, and in early stages inhabit the bodies of insects. A very old idea, without foundation in fact, is that crocodiles shed mournful tears, while stories of toads imprisoned in solid rock are numerous and supported by much evidence,. but have probably resulted from imperfect observation. Accounts of the germination of grain from the mummy-pits of Egypt have arisen from deception practiced by the Arabs in placing fresh seeds with the belongings of the mummies. Though now known to be incorrect, the inference that the moon influences the weather is a very natural one to untrained observers, and is far less absurd than a thousand vagaries that gain credence, such as the dropping of live reptiles from the clouds, the ejection of live snakes and other creatures from the human stomach, the localization of water by a forked stick, the extinguishment of fire by sunshine, etc.— Arkansaw Traveler.

There can be no peace in human life without the contempt of all events. He that troubles his head with drawing consequences from mere contingencies'shall never be at rest. Excusing ourselves for mean acts and punishing others for the same does not give us front seats in Gloryland.

POWDERLY’S MESSAGE.

The General Master Workman’s Annual Report to the Knights of Labor. He Fully Explaim His Position on the Anarchist, Denver, and Other Questions. Following is an abstract of the address i of General Master Workman Powderly to the General Assembly of the Knights of Labor, recently in session at Minneapolis: “The highest tribunal known to the laws and regulations, as well as to the true and loyal members of the Order of the Knights of Labor, is convened for the eleventh time in regular session. I am to make to the representative assembly report for the eighth iime. I ask that it will receive that consideration at your hands which its merits deserve, and that such recommendations as I may make will be received and acted on according to their importance and necessity. We adjourned a year ago with dissension in our own ranks ; that dissension was enlarged upon and scattered to the world by enemies from within and from without. The news of discord reached the ears of the employers of labor, and they in many instances took advantage of what they mistook for our weakness and rushed into conflict with our members in various parts of the country.” Mr. Powderly gave a complete history of the famous Chicago strike or last year. All the correspondence, both telegraphic and written, between Mr. Powderly and Messrs. T. B. Barry and Carlton, who wore in charge of tho strike in Chicago, is quoted in full and reasons given for each step taken. Mr. Powderly then continued : “The relation of the order to anarchy has taken up so much space in the public press and has been the subject of so much discussion in the assemblies of some large cities, that it is proper to speak of it here and report to you my doings in connection therewith. Let we say here that I have never, as has been so much asserted in the press of the land, confounded socialism with anarchy. I draw a wide line of distinction between the two, as every reading, thinking man must. I will ask of the General Assemoly to define the position of tiie order on the attempts that have been made to prostitute it to such base uses as the anarchists would put it. I have never publicly uttered a sentiment regarding the course of tho seven men who are condemned to death in Chicage (this is written bept. 10, 1887). I will now give my opinion. If these men did not have a fair trial, such as is guaranteed every man in the United States, then they should be granted a new trial. If they have not been fonud guilty of murder, they should not be hanged. If they are to be hanged for the actions of others, it is not just u e r who threw the bomb in Chicago should be hanged and his accomplices should receive the punishment allotted to such offenses by the laws of the State of Illinois.” All letters relating to the anarchy subject were quoted at length. The Denver question was given in full, end of the matter Mr. Powderly said: “I regarded the whole affair as an outrage and the questions as being impertinent, rascally, and prompted by malice or retenge. The resolution which should pass is one to demand that every avowed anarchist should be obliged to withdraw from the order or be expelled. We have nothing to fear from the tradeunion, but everything to fear from the contaminating influence of the men who preach destruction in the name of our order, and who at the same time assert that they are socialists, while giving the lie to every principle of socialism when they advocate violence of any kind. As to the Home Club I believe that this report would not be complete without an explanation of my knowledge of the Home Club of New York and the abuse and ridicule which have been heaped upon me for the last two years in consequence of my supposed connection with it. Now, I intend to speak plainly and candidly. " Mr. Powderly quoted voluminous correspondence and related incidentally tho facts as known to him of the attempt made to take his life in 1883.

Mr. Powderly continued: “For a long time after the adjournment of the last General Assembly tin re was no action taken by the General Executive Board on the resolution of expu.sion of the cigarmakers. From a great many places a demand was made to have the resolution carried put, and the board was finally obliged to take action. I did not favor that resolution at Richmond, and do not favor it now. I believe that it was wrong and in violation of the laws of the order. Soon after it was promulgated by the board I prepared a decision regarding it and intended to lay it before the board. I did not present the decision to the board, and kept it until now. 1 present it for the consideration of the General Assembly.” The decision is carefully prepared and expresses Mr. Powderly’s belief that the resolution is unconstitutional and of no binding effect except as a warning. After completing his defense Mr. Powderly said: “I now desire to make some recommendations to the General Assembly, and I do most respectfully ask that more consideration be given to them than has been given to others that I made to past general sessions. I believe the day has come to ask at the hands of Congress the passage of a law creating a Department of Labor at the seat of the National Government. We have to-day a Department of War; we do not need it at all in comparison to a Department of Labor. The prosperity of the whole country rests on the broad shoulders of labor, and there is nothing now so prominently before the nation and the world as the question of labor. Nearly every action taken now by the Executive or his Cabinet deals in one way or another with the question of labor ; its ramifications extend everywhere, its power is felt everywhere, and its usefulness is now recognized everywhere- I believe that the Government of the United States should operate its own lines of telegraph." “I believe that it is absolutely necessary for the welfare and prosperity of tue country that the Government establish a telegraph sys,tem to be used in the interest of the people. I recommend that steps be taken to have the ;next Congress act on a bill to establish a governmental telegraph, to be run in connection with the postal service. I believe that we should go before the next Congress asking for the passage of but one or two measures. They should be important ones, and the full strength of the organization should be behind those who make the demand. I believe, however, that nothing can be more important than the passage of laws creating a governmental telegraph and a National Department of Labor. “To deal knowingly and intelligently with the questions in our declaration of principles we should have a journal published under the control of the order which would reach every member. It should have a department especially devoted to the discussion of these very questions. It must make a radical change in the methods of educating our members. In the Journal, of Sept. 10 I published an outline sketch of a plan for the regulation of State, Territorial, mixed, and trade assemblies. I will do no more at this time than to draw the attention of the General Assembly to the matter, and ask either that or a better plan be adopted tor the regulation of the order. Ono tiling that draws our members away from us is the facilities afforded them to secure assistance of a pecuniary nature in other organizations, some of Whom are not in sympathy with our order; and if our members could but receive the relief in the order which is guaranteed to them outside of it we would have them with us all the time. 1 recommend the adoption of a universal benefit plan. “The question of my being a member of the Socialist organization has been made the subject o so much comment of late tn at I believe it but fair to this General Assembly to ma e known my connection with socialism, or rather with the men who in former years were at the head of the Socialistic Labor partv. In IKBC Philip Van Patten, the Nat onal Secretary of the Socialistic La or party, was a member of the General Executive Board of the Knights . f Labor. I became very intimate with him, and we frequently discuss d tne various mea me, of reform which all men in the movement regarded as of impor:ance. He rent me a red card of membership some time abouttne month of August, 1880 The card wis paid up Ly h.m for three months. I regarded it as a complimentary act on the part of brother Van Patte i I saw, however, that the declaration of principles of the Knigh.s of Labor cent lined all of socialism that 1 cared to advocate, and I never took any action on the card, except to keep it as a

memento of the days When we were associated ae officers of this association. I never cast a vote for the candidates of that party, was never a member of any of ita sections, and had no connection with it except in the manner related above. The use at firearms or dynamite is not advocated by the socialists; the confiscation of property or the distribution of wealth, ot, in fact, the bestowing of wealth or means on those who have not worked or earned it, is not socialism; it is robbery; it is rapine, and no sane man can advocate such a doctrine. If believing in the declaration of all the principles of this order makes me a socialist, then I have no denials to make ; but that I am a member of any other society in which questions of reform are discussed I do deny. "I cannot speak too highly of the energy and ability displayed by the general investigator. From the places she has investigated I hear the most flattering reports of her management, end the disclosures that have been made to her are of such a nature as to strengthen my belief that the office should be made permanent and tho sphere of usefulness of the department increased. "

A NEW APOSTLE.

Train Makes the Chicago Anarchists ' Happy—His Utterances Loudly Cheered. [Chicago special.] George Francis Train opened his campaign in Chicago at the Princess Theater Sunday afternoon before a highly appreciative audience of about six hundred. Nearly all the leading socialists and anarchists were present and greeted the celebrated crank with a cheer. His speech was a curious mixture of bombast, eloquence, rhetoric, history, fiction, anecdote, and ity. He caught the audience from the first word spoken and retained their strictest attention until the close of his talk. Said he: I have come to Chicago for the purpose of starting the Daily Anarchist. I crammed Herr Most down the throat of the New York labor people. When I started there Herr Most was uppermost among the Socialists there. After I had spoken his talk seemed tame and insipid. I told them, and I tell you, that if these seven Socialists hang, I will lead 20,000,000 workingmen against Chicago and cut the throats of the men who so foully murdered them. [Long continued applause.] The police hive now made a startling discovery. They have found some bombs. All those in favor of bombs say aye. It is carried. I Wild applause and laughter. I I will leave it to the reporters if I haven’t talked long enough. All in favor of coming again to-night say aye. The meeting broke up amid wild applause and cheers for Train. Several hundred crowded around the speaker and tried to shake hands with him. He refused to shake hands with anyone, claiming that it would denrive him of his psychological powers, Nina Van Zandt came forward and was recognized by Train, who mounted a table and said: Gentlemen : Allow me to introduce to you Mrs. Nina Spies. All those who, in case the Supreme Court refuses to liberate her husband. August Spies, will follow me to the County Jail and help to liberate him will signify by saying aye. j o A wild anarchist yell, such as has not been heard in Chicago for a year, was the answer given the daring or crazy orator. The crowd gave cheer after cheer for Train, Spies, Parsons, and other anarchists. Train was surrounded by the crowd, who tacitly crowned him the King of the Anarchists. A dozen or more detectives and officers in citizen’s clothes made no move, and seemed dazed at the recklessness of the man who had thrown down the gauntlet to the police force and authorities. Socialists and anarchists who have not smiled for months went out of the hall with a new light in their eyes and congratulated each other that a new apostle had arisen.

LUXURY ON WHEELS.

The Saloon and Dining-Kooni of the President’s Car. President Cleveland, says the Chicago News, does not accept any favors from the railroad companies, but pays out of his own pocket for the best conveniences and comfort that modern railroad enterprise can

DINING SIXTY MILES AN HOUR.

afford. The saloon of the President’s car is furnished with all the comforts and attractions that brighten the elegant modern parlor, and his bedroom is furnished as choicely as the upholsterer’s art can sug-

THE CAR SLEEPING ROOM.

gest. As Mr. Cleveland pays in full for al he f_ets as he goes, there is no danger of the railroads that carry him coming into any conflict with the Interstate Commerce Commission.