The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-07-10
PHYSICAL COURAGE.
Why 1t Should Be Considered |;
Gift, Not an Requirement.
<Some Instances of Remarkable Nerve Dis
played by weIl-Known Persons-Don-
aldson's ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Won
derful Self-Possession.


played by weII-Known Persons-Don-
aldson's Acknowledgment Won
derful self-Possession.
attribute. 1t descends. as surely as
bodily or mental stamina, from sire to
son. Though generally ranked by es-
-sayists below the moral quality, il
probably deserves equal, it certainly re.
ceiyes greater, admiration. 1t is
worthy the same praise because, so far
as the individual possessing it is con-
cerned, neither type is especially emit
tied to credit. Each is matter of in
heritance, more or less affected by the
accidents of education and by the sur
roundings of the owners life. Just as
man of fine fiber, the son of gentle.
man. has within him, even if sup
pressed or stunted by circumstances,
the well-bred instincts of his father, so
usually does the child inherit the moral
or the physical courage of the parent,
or both. 1t is his good fortune, not his
merit, and he is no more to be cheered
for the fact than is the constitutional
coward TO be blamed, and the latter is
rather to be pitied, if his case be fairly
weighed, apart from the strong preiu-
dice that has always existed and doubt
less always will exist against one so
afflicted
Absolute physical courage, in the
sense of actual absence of the sense of
fear of personal harm. receives, have
claimed, more admiration than does
the more metaphysical gift for have
assumed them both to be gifts, not ac-
quirements. 1t receives more for two
reasons. First, it is more comprehend
BILE to the average observer. Second. it
is more rarely met with. The former
proposition scarcely requires demon
Stration, it is so eyident-to cite a SIN
gle instance-that a man resisting the
Establishments of sinful beauty or the
temptations of the drink-demon is less
appreciated and universally applauded
than is he who leads forlorn hope.
As TO the latter proposition-that the
ignorance of fear is rarer than the men,
tai or moral mastery of it-there can be
had the testimony of whole armies that
the soldier who is without tremor of
dread before the fight is on and the
blood is up is an exception. while the
same armies will bear witness that
sloral courage keeps almost every sol
der with his face to the foe even in that
cruel ordeal which precedes the actual
battle. though in cheering him the
world thinks itself applaud ng the phys
zeal gift, which, with strange inconsis-
tency, it will in its philosophical essays
soon afierward term the inferior quality
No to the field of carnage with its
music and its flags, its momeutous is
sues. its appeals to pride and patriot
ism, its contagious excitement. must
We look for well-detined examples of
physical courage. If to war at all, we
would turn to the lonely picket line in
the darkness of freezing night, in the
presence of cruel foe. with death
creeping up in the shadow of every
passing cloud, with no hope of even
honorable mention to follow one I'M
watched and perhaps forever unre-
corded sacrifice of life TO duty. There
we might find the combination of both
types of courage; but with the presence
of the moral admitted, it would remain
uncertain whether or not the physical
also was there. Examples of our theme
had better be sought, therefore, amid
the scenes of ordinary life, or, if in ex-
traordinary adventure, at least apart
from military affairs. And right here
arises the difficulty of separating the in
nate quality from that which is born of
habit or of long familiarity with
danger.
All the country can recall the event
full balloon ascension in which Grim
wood, the young Chicago journalist, lost
his life, and when Donaldson went out
over the lake never to again be heard
of, even in death. followed the details
of that fateful ride upon the storm
with painful interest. because for some
wears had studied the bold. practical
,aeronaut, above and below the clouds,
and had learned to look upon him as
one stranger to the feeling called
fear; and yet it may have been habit.
long immunity from disaster. that gave
him this stature The day of his disap-
pearance was one of already rising tenn
pest, and the balloon was cheap, old
and patched, but Donaldson had
weathered storms before. and upon the
concentrating ring of this same leaky
air-ship we had seen him standing
erect, without even hand upon the
ropes, and listened to his low, calm
voice amid the stiffness of the upper at
mosphere as he pointed ont objects of
interest upon the DO som of Mother
-Earth-neyer seeming so dear a mother
as then-two full miles below. We
whose duties took us up with him on
.Snch trips went as rule. because the
situation compelled us to go. We went
as the soldiers of Journal IN. and as we
would 90 into a riot or plague district.
without alternative save loss of profess
'sional standing. Our enthusiasm per-
haps brought us relief and enjoyment.
once cut loose from terra fy1aa, whose
terrors We're at least known, even As
the warrior revels in the battle, once it
has begun; but there were few of US
who did not have. deep down in our
hearts. dread of the result as we
stepped into the basket, that. for the
moment at least, looked shallow as a
saucer; and examined sustaining ropes
that shrank to the appearance of rotten
clothes lines. With Donaldson it was
different He was absolutely con-
fident His rude but graphic diary
shows that he had always been
so, from his debut into the profes-
sional world as atight-rope dancer to