St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-11-28
WOMAN'S HEROISM.
Why 1t Is More Heroic Than
the HeroiSm Of
Man.
It Is Because Woman Must
Supmount Much Greater
Obstacles.
Even in Battle Woman Has
Put Man to
Shame.
The Defense Of Thermopylae
and Rising Of Swiss
Peasant Women.

Man is the stronger sex undoubtedly
but which is the more heroic? The very
fact says the New York World, that
we can ask this question after the pre-
liminary statement shows that woman
is. Heroism means to triumph over
your own weakness, your own lntrmity,
over the pressure of circumstances
around you, over temptations, dangers
and difficulties. The less your strength
the greater are the temptations, the
dangers and the difficulties, and conSe-
quently the greater the AerolSm. Inc
silent workers, the noble martyrs 10
principle, the accomplishing household
drudges who sacrifice themselves for
husbands, brothers and children, and
do it not in face of an admiring audi
ence, not to WIN the plaudits of the,
crowd, not to be chronicled in story,
but simply and unostentatiOuSly in the
line of duty-these are the true trans
figured band of heroines; greater than
any epic heroes who conquer heroically
lr herOically fall.
Queen Artemisia at Salalnis.
heroism, even in the storm and stress OF
worldly action, even as military leaders,
as conQuerorS, as pOteEtates, women
have inscribed their names on the most
valiant pages Of history. We all have
heard the stories of Xenobia, Of Semlra-
mis-, of Deborah, of Joan Of Arc. We
have all heard of ArtemiSia, queen of
Caria, in whom XerxeS boosted that he
had found
His ablest, bravest counsellor and chief
She whose conduct at the battle of
SalamiS Wrung from him the eXclama-
ton that his men were behaving like
women, his women like men, little
knowing that III truth the highest COM
pIiment he could pay his women was
that they were behaving like true wom-
en-. We remember how when Carcas,
Queen Of CarcaSSOne, was beSieged Ill
that town by the SaracenS, and they i'll
their masculine pride tainted her for
that she should be spinning and not
fighting, she threw the taunt into their
faces by appearing in their very midst
with a lance Wreathed around, ditSatf-
like, with hemp which she had set
atlame, and how ingloriOusly they fled
away from her.
Lady DundOnald Brings Back the
In more recent history less familiar
instance is that of Lady Dund0nald.
Her husband, while in command of the
Gillian fleet, got becaImed in his flag
ship under a battery, whence he was
assailed with red-hot shot. In the
face of that terrible fire the gunners
reireated from their posts. Neither
threats nor entreatieS were Of avail. Ii
the fire were not returned the ship must
inevitably W e destroyed with all OH
board. Lord Dundonald went down to
the cabin b here his wife lay. IF
woman setsthe example," he cried, 1.-THE
men will be shamed out of their fear.
1t is our only hope" Without word
she rose and followed him. AS she
stepped OH deck she seemed to be con-
fronted by flaming furnace of fire,
belching out death and destruction.
She calmly took match and fired the
gun, which Lord DundOnald pointed.
The men were shamed. They returned
to their posts. The battery was silenced,
the ship and its crew were saved.
More Heroic Than ThermOpylse.
One of the greatest achievements of
masculine herOiSm has always been held
to be the defense OF the pass at Their
mopylR. Modern historians have thrown
grave doubt upon the whole episode.
They doubt that there were only 800;
they doubt whether all or even the ma
jority of Leonidas' troops remained to
be slain. But no historian has thrown
any doubt upon the story OF the 2S0
peasant women of Switzerland who,
during the French invasion of 1898,
rushed to arms in response to the pa
triotic eloquence Of aged Martha Glaz
and defended their homes until $50 of
them had been killed and all the rest
more or less wounded.
These and similar stories show that in
the more obvious forms of heroism, in
the smoke and dust of battle, women
can play and have played as glorious
part as the most intrepid of their breth