Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-06-27
Brave Men


Is getting his deserts, for there has
not been in many years a Drawer,
quieter piece Of deringdo than his
terrible walk down to the edge Of
Niagara to the rescue of MeCul-
Tough. He deserves we'll Of the
press, and the press is lauding him
at all quarters.
1t is interesting to note what an
admiration the world IN general
has for physical courage. Man
and woman alike select it for their
choicestp praise and warmest aff'ec-
ton. Indeed, ii the great stu
dents of feminine character are to
be believed, II is the sine QltCr7aon
toa woman's regard. They for
give all else--inconsistency, falsi-
" and abuse bat the man who
has shown himself thoroughly
and Enthusiastically a coward can
call up TO their faces only the PEI
culiar smile that hovers between
commisseration and contempt.
So general and spontaneous Is
hero worship in this particular,
that we are not always considerate
IN its bestowal. How we cried up
Collins Graves, for instance, sim
ply because ho got on a horse and
ran away from the Massachusetts
flood! How we scattered laurels
upon that New York signal-mas-
ter who continued warning a COM
ing train Of danger ahead even af-
ter the accident that broke his leg,
and nov sick we felt over our
praises upon discovering that his
leg was of wood.
But, maugre mistakes, we shall
go on to the end OF time laying
chaplets OF praise at the feet of
physical courage. OF course physi-
cal courage is the bigger thing
we all know that; but we forget it
strangely in our practice. We
know we ought to be enthusias-
tic over Henry of Navarro for fore
ing himself to the front of battle,
though his teeth ratified like casta-
nets, his face blanched like snow
bank, and his hand trembled SO
that he could not guide bis horse;
but it seems a schoolgirl story be-
side that of Junot laughing to Ma
poleon as cannon ball sands the
wet ink on his paper.
1t isn't his screwed up and
manufactured bravery that men
like to read Of; it Is the flour
O'Clock -in-the-morning courage
as Napoleon used to call it, that
makes ones blood thrill with adj
miration. II Is Cambronne with
his quiet ",,luerte." 1t is the Six
Hundred riding down into the
Valley of Death at Balakalava.
1t Is that beardless boy walking up
the hill at Alma--his first action
wondering quietly If they always
shot so fast. 1t is the commander
Of the Orontes waving last adieu
to his last boat, and going down
with lis vessel, that other officers
might learn from him to do their
duty. 1t is the then aide de camp
Of the first Napoleon bearing a dis
patch from Lannes, and quietly
awaiting the Emperor's dismissal
DClOEt tic lDOh tinit W 10y Ap0h
and die of q grapeshot wound that
had torn his vitals. These are thu
things that men grow wild over.
And we get as many Of them
though surrounded with no pomI
Of circumstance--in private life 4
In public. Tom Conroy's case wa
an instance. The bridge man II
Connecticut, who stayed TO shu
the draw bridge before IN ap
preaching train, though his onl,
child was drowning at the time, |
another. And the conductor O
the Erie road who entered th'
tunnel at forty mites an hour jus
in time to see tie white light OF
train coming from the other wa.
and walked quietly back into I'll
car and sat down by fair-haife,
woman Till death met them bot
is still a third We might contin
ue the listalmost withoul limit bt
4 ii is unnecessary.