what he aimed at; the bullet could not help flying wide of the mark.
And hitting the mark is the thing. "Straight" is a homely word, but it is full of the deepest meaning. No one can ever reach his aim, be it ever so high, unless he always does the true, manly thing. One little mean, underhanded act, and his life may be marred forever. The world wants men who are straight. (Text.)—Edgar L. Vincent, The Visitor.
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STRAIN, NERVOUS
Jack Tattersall, the wireless man of the steamship Baltic, which went to the aid of the Republic on January 23, 1909, is said to have sat at his key for 52 hours. In relating his experience he said:
It wasn't the actual work that bothered
me, you know. That's not so difficult.
No; it's the awful nervous strain of striving, always striving, to get the message right, when half a dozen gigantic batteries are jerking flashes to you at the same time, drowning each other out, pounding in your ears, making the night seem to swarm with sparks before your eyes. That's what gets on a man's nerves; that's what makes you next to insane. I hardly knew what to do, with the Republic signaling me, faintly, so faintly that I could not make out whether they were saying, "We are sinking," or "All safe." (Text.)
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STRATAGEM BY BIRDS
A gentleman had a fine setter-dog who
was accustomed to take his daily bone, with
due allowance of meat adhering, to the lawn
to enjoy at his leisure. On one occasion he
observed several magpies planning to get a
share of the dainty. They quietly approached
the dog and placed themselves one
at the head, about two feet from the animal,
who was too busy to notice them, a second
near the tail, and one or two by his side.
When all were placed, the bird near the dog's
tail gave a sudden nip to that member. The
dog, of course, wheeled to catch the offender,
who fled, while his hungry comrades
rushed to the bone, hastily snatching what
they could. The fleeing magpie led the outraged
dog to some distance, drawing him
on by fluttering as if injured, without really
taking flight.—Olive Thorne Miller, "The
Bird Our Brother."
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STRATAGEM TO ESCAPE ENEMIES
One of his (the fox's) favorite tricks is to
cross over deep water on thin ice just strong
enough to bear him, knowing that in all
probability the hounds will break through,
and perhaps be swept under the ice if the
current is strong enough. More than one
valuable dog has been drowned in this manner,
but I have never known a fox to miscalculate
the strength of the ice and break
through himself. If the stream is not wholly
frozen over, he runs along at the very edge
of the deep water, where the ice is thin and
treacherous, until he comes to a place where
he can jump across to the thin ice that
reaches out from the opposite bank.—Witmer
Stone and William Everett Cram,
"American Animals."
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STRATEGY
The best strategy in life is frequently to take advantage of an enemy's mistakes.
In Mark Twain's "Autobiography," in the
North American Review, is General Grant's
own opinion in regard to the inception of
Sherman's march to the sea.
"Neither of us originated the idea of Sherman's march to the sea. The enemy did it," said Grant.
He went on to say that the enemy necessarily originated a great many of the plans that the general on the opposite side gets the credit for. In this case, Sherman had a plan all thought out, of course. He meant to destroy the two remaining railroads in that part of the country, and that would finish up that region. But General Hood made a dive at Chattanooga. This left the march to the sea open to Sherman, and so, after sending part of his army to defend and hold what he had acquired in the Chattanooga region, he was perfectly free to proceed with the rest of it through Georgia. He saw the opportunity, and he would not have been fit for his place if he had not seized it.
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Grant was always aggressive. It was not possible with him that retreat, or any inaction could form any part of his program. But while the campaign from Culpepper to Cold Harbor was boldly, even daringly, offensive, it was so conducted that in nearly every conflict the enemy was obliged to become the attacking party; and this plan of campaign against Lee recalls this colloquy
