The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1882-12-23

brave and hardly seem to know
what fear Isl nothing appauls them,
their nerves are made OF iron, no
matter what the energy may be,
their heart beats steadily as clock,
and they can look any form of dan.
ger in tho face as calmly as an AS
tronomer surveys the stars. 1t is a
quality which always demands a
certain degree of respect, and is in
valuable in many departments of
life. Tho fireman who stands firm
on the gddy roof, while the rafters
are cracking all about him the
seaman who swings out on tho yard
arm when the midnight hurricane
is raging; the hunter who boards
the lion in his den, and grapples
with the hungry tiger; the man
who walks calmly over the deadly
magazine to extinguish the burning
fuse tho engineer olinging to his
post while be rushcs upon almos!
certain death, all such men are en-.
titled to our respect and admiration,
and are very sure to receive the
tribute which is their due. There
is no virtue more highly praised
than courage in fact. the word
ulrtue, as we derive it from the Lat
ms, is expressive of nothing else.
As some people are naturally
brave, so there are others who in.
herit cowardly temperament. for
which they are not responsible, al.
though they may be for the degree
in which they allow themselves to
be overcome by it. There may be
general weakness of fibre in the
mans constitution, which can be
remedied only by severe process
of physical and moral discipline,
and thcre may be also ar excess of
imagination, which leads him to
magnify danger, and fancy that 1t
exists whore it does not. The spirit
may be strong, whilc the flesh is
weak During our late war there
were men who longed to distinguish
themselves on the battle. fold, and
enlisted in the army from the purest
and most patriotic motives, but who
found it to be impossible to face the
enemy, and invariably retreated as
soon as the firing became sharp.
Ashamed of their own weakness,
time and again they made the effort
to redeem their reputation, but in
vain time and again they ran
away.
There are strange Inconsistencies
in the working of bravery and cow
ardice. l have heard strong mon
say that it required more courage
for them to stand up and say ten
words to great audience of people
than it did to storm citadel. Even
to enter a room in face of a fashion
assembly may demand greater et-
fort than it would to face shower
of bullets. A woman will shrek at
the sight of a spider, or a mouse,
who would not hesitate to throw
herself in front ola locomotive TO
rescue q child from death, Like
the veteran soldier who trembled
as he marched to the field, but
would sooner die than turn his back
upon the foe, 30 there is many a
man, having the most intense phys
ical dread of suffering, who would
endure martyrdom rather than be
untrue to his convictions. On the
other hand, misoreants whose hands
are red with blood, and who have
no moral convictions whatever, will
sometimes mount the scaffold with
a smile upon their lips, and joke
with the executioner while he IS ad.
justing the rope about their necks.
have somewhat indirectly an
swered the first question Of our cor.
respondent. "What makes me q
coward 2" and | may here add that
it is very possible that he may not
after all, be 30 much of q coward Of
no supposes. 1t certainly requires
some courage for one to own up al
expressly as he does, and say, in sc
many words, al myself am or cal
coward" | think that If he could
DO tested in certain ways, il nigh
turn out that there is considerable
pluck somewhere in bis constitu
ton.
Surprising, however, the case L
be as bad as he represents IT, wha
L. 1 II L. II.