The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-02-08

age by calling it british insensibility.
u is true that il man has nothing
but physical courage, he is unworthy
OF respect, He is but little better
than the tiger, and should be treated
accordingly. But when such bravery
is connected with high moral and in
tollcctual qualities, it is noble pos
session. The lack of it units man
for some OF the most important duties
Of life. Obligation to country may re-
quire him to buckle on the harness of
war, and meet his country's enemies in
bloody and deadly strife but if ne is u
physical coward, he is utterly unqual,
flied for such service. AS Lees army
was getting into position for the battle
OF Malvern Hill, private soldier ap-
preached his colonel, and said. Sir, |
am constrained to make a very dis
graceful confession. | love the cause
of the South, and | am ready to lay all
my earthly possessions upon its altar,
but to face her enemies in battle is for
me u physical impossibility. | am u
coward. Make me cook, or nurse, or
teamster, or anything that will take
me away from danger, and | will be
loyal and faithful, but if you command
me to fight, | will surely run at the
first lire of the first gun" The officer,
him to go to the rear and assist in the
cooking of food for the regiment. He
had not long been engaged in his new
vocation when Il bomshell exploded
near him, and so frightened him, that
he forsoOk his post aud ran away into
a distant wood, whore he hid himself
until the battle was over. Many a man
has locked himself up in Il closet, or hid
himself under the bed, while his brave
wife, with candle in one hand and pis-
tol in the other, went through the
house in search OF u burglar. Such
men may be intellectually strong, and
morally pure, but their lack of physi-
cal manhood units them for much of
the noblest work OF life, and degrades
them in the esteem OF those who are
congnizant Of their weakness.
The absence of physical courage is
not always traceable to hercdity, but
often to lack of conformity to physi
cal law. Some of the most consum-
maze towards | have found among the
children of the brave. y child is rear
ed like a hot-houso plant-that sell
dom touches fresh air and sunshine
that is never allowed to roam in the
forest, to look upon the rugged things
Of nature, and know something of
hardshipS and danger when he reaches
manhood will be us timid as his timid
mother, and shrink from every duty
that involves the least peril or strug-
gle. He will be II mere grown-up ba-
by or rather II grown-up BOBBY.
The best defense that can be made
Of certain lattcr-day college sports, is
not that they promote aUboy's health
and develop his muscle, hut that they
educate him away from fear, and give
him nerve for the duties and conflicts
that await him in maturcr life. We
should have a supreme contempt for
the professional sluggcr. The man
who cultitatcs muscle and sincw for
gambling purposes, is not paif so noble
aS the average bulldog. And the pco-
pie who glorify him are still more de-
generate. But the man who under
stands the natural connection be-
tween physical strcngth and physical
courage, and the still more substlc
connection between these and all the
higher and finer forms Of strength and
courage. and who covets bravery as Il
means Of accomplishing lofty and no.
bic purposes, is worthy of our pro-
fonndcst respect.
>. | wish now To speak Of think ing
courage the courage Of original. indie
pendent, honest Investigation. y man
may read cvrrlastingly and never
think. He may pack his miEd with
historical facts and the thoughts of
men, and never have Il thought of his
own. There are whole regiments of
people about Us who know model n
philosophy from De Curtcs to iIegc!.
but have never attempted Il rational
explanation OF solitary phenomena
of mind or matter
You have opinions, but how did you
get them? by creation or by adop-
ton: Are not your opinions upon
every subject merely the opinions that
are current in the circle in which you
move? Are not the views which YOU
hold on every living question in u
great degree traditional? You isay
y02 are q democrat. How came you to
be democrat The probability is
that you have received your democrat
ic principles as an Inheritance. Your
father and your grandfather were
democrats, and you feel that II loving
loyalty to their memory requires you
to be a democrat. That is cowardicc.
1t Is only cowardiCc, but Il false con
ccption of iilial fcaty. The trucst
honor that YOU can bestow upon the
memory OF your parents would he Il
ions with the determination to adopt
them, if true, and to rcpudiatc them
if false.
You have certain opinions upon re-
ligious subjects. How did you get
them? Are they the products OF your
own mind Are they the results of
your own careful, thorough, faithful in
vcstigation? Or did you get them
from your parents: Do you not hold
them more as Il tribut to your ancestors
than from any intelligent and deep
conviction Of their correctness Ii
the latter be true. you are not only
ChargCablc with cowardicc but Of a
false and foolish devotion to those
whose memory you desire TO honor.
There are other men who show
themselves to be intellectual towards
by II slaviah conformity to public
opinion. Their Investigations consist
simply in finding out what the ma jority
of the people Of their own community
and commonwealth think upon cur.
rent issues. In Maine they would be
republicans, in Texas democrats, and
in North Carolina popuists. In Mas
eachusctts they would be Congrcya-
tionalists, in New York Episcopal lians,
in Tennessee MrthpliStS and i'm