The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-09-06
RARELY COMBINED.
PHYSICAL AND MORAL COURAGE Sci.
DOM FOUND IN ONE PERSON

DOM FOUND IN ONE PERSON.
Meaning of Physical Courage-Its Re
wards and Demands-Loftier Motive of
Moral Courage and the Injury That 1t
Often Brings Upon Its Possessor.
Il is a rare thing 10 meet person,
either man or woman, who combines Ii
one both physical and moral courage.
Mental courage Is frequent thing-to
dare TO have opinions, 70 dare 10 follow
cut their consequences IN ones mind
and its absence is always pitiable where
'.the poor heart would fain deny, but
dare not" But moral courage Is far
rarer quality, and is as much higher
than physical courage as the sopl Is
higher than the body. Physical courage
| is indeed the commonest Of the virtues.
Most soldiers have it who go into battle;
most mothers have it as they approach
the great gates Of maternity; the child
has it who goes 10 bed in the dark; the
boy who challenges the bigger boy to
| fight; the girl who drives the cattle
home.
1t is true there is something that passes
| for physical courage which is not that
| ar all, and which, If it Is not exactly
moral courage either, Is a courage that
deserves name Of its own-a disregard
of ones lower self, pride Of ones loft
| tier self, that Is far nobler than any mere
fearlessness, which dog can share
and that is the experience Of a deadly
terror before any act, but the doing
it nevertheless, concealing the terror
and achieving the result. There Is the
heroism in that which takes one to the
stake
Physical courage is apt to demand APP
plause, but moral courage leaves every
consideration but truth in the back
ground, and is more likely to bring one
ostracism than admiration. With moral
courage one speaks ones mind, one goes
forward to ones conception Of duty, one
treads ones chosen way without the
thought, and SO without the fear, of con-
sequences, or even if with The fear, still
treads it just the same.
One does not pause to measure the
possible effect upon ones self. One does
and says what right and the moment re-
quire One is not intimidated by the
frown, the brutal word, the threat, the
blow, the probable loss of prestige, the
force of any contrary opinion, public or
private, the possible deprivation of Office
or of position. One has what has long
been known as the courage of ones con-
victions, and does what one thinks is
right or best or even only expedient,
without regard to fear or favor.
The moral courage that dares to con-
tradict the village bully dares no less to
tell king that he is in the wrong;
dares to arrest the wretch who, whip In
hand, abuses his beast--being more
beast than the other; dares, too, to
shield the culprit from the strong arm,
to interpose ones self between the vic
tim and the OppressOr, whether the vic
tim be child in school or whole PEG
pie; dares always to resist tyranny. Il
has been physical courage of course
| that has fought the great battles IF the
world-battles, probably, that the world
could az well have done without had ar
bitration been known-but it is mora
courage that has instigated and carried
| forward every reform, and done away
| with every oppression that has already
| vanished.
After all, moral courage does more
for its possessor than for any one else
The brutes of the field have physica
courage, but the other belongs only
among the altitudes-iifts and expands
the soul that has it and that uses it, an(
makes it, one dares to think, only 1t
tie lower than the angels. They tina
have it never know when they are beat
en; in fact, they cannot be beaten. The!
! return 20 the attack with all the pristin
vigor of the first onset, with all TIN
force that first impeiled them.
Women, with their feeble bodies ant
insufficient means of protection or Of as
siult, are VIGOROUSLY deficient in ami
NAL courage, that valiant courage ant
undaunted spirit more than III womal
commonly is seen" but they are just a
VIGOROUSLY rich in the opposite direc
ton, and possessed of great moral cou1
} age-that is, the women Of the noble
, sort. 1t is they that uphold the hand
: of others, they that never falter in thei
purpose, they that will die for thei
love or their belief-not they alone, bu
: they in the greater number. And it
: they that, by handing this trait down
? their sons, will lift the race CONSTANT
: to greater heights of righteous will an
l ofropnll uarpar,c