The herald., 1895-08-18
WOMEN ARE AFRAID
OF MICE BUT THEIR MORAL COURAGE
is GREATER THAN MEMS
BY TENNESSEE c. cLAFLIN

1t was said by an excellent divine "tbat
though many discoveries have been made
in the world of self-love, there is yet
abundance OF terra incognita left be-
hind" 1t has pleased men to arrogate
to themselves nearly the whole of human
courage and regard women as very timid
and cowardly creatures when compared
with themselves. Now. we do not deny
that some women occasionally have little
affectations which give a color to their
opinion. They are scared at meeting
harmless cows or exen, as though they
were ferocious bulls. They jump in
terror on chair at the sight of mouse.
All these, however, are errors of educa.
tion, just as boys are taught from the
cradle to despise girls for their supposed
want OF bravery. and grow to manhood
without seeing their mistake. Yet Made
yillo in his Search Into the Naturs of So
ciety, AYERS that man, as he Is a fear
full animal. natrally not rapaoious, loves
peace and quiet. and he would never
fight If NOBODY offended him, and he
could have what he tights for without
it," This may be true of man as saw
age. But civilization gives so much skill
and dlssipates SO many errors and terrors
that men have learned to be quarrel.
some, courage Gus and self-reliant. 1t
would be natural 70 suppose that the
mothers and sisters Of brave men would
be brave also. We look for cognats quail
tiles in both sexes of other animals, and
are not disappointed. Why should man.
kind be an exceptionP Why should 1t be
imagined that men have all the courage
and women monopoly of timidity?
Simply because of men $ stupendous self
concet. The majority have never given
the subject rational thought. They
have excluded women from their own
favorite fields for the display Of bravery.
and then pride themselves upon their
vast superiority. But. whenever women
have had equal opportunities, they have
proved themselves no despicable COM
petitors with men in physical courage,
and far ahead of them in moral fearless
moss.
At times like the present, when public
attention is largely drawn to compare
tive view of the qualities of both sexes.
1T may be profitable to draw attention to
the bravery Of women. We 90 not desire
to undervalue the conspicuous valor of
men. On the contrary, we are proud to
recognize it to the full. We only wish to
point out that women are capable Of the
same great quality to profitable degree,
and that, therefore, it should be encour-
aged in them as well as men. If the men
refuse, let women exhort eacn other.
No one can doubL that moral courage
is superior to physical. Men exceed in
the latter; women in the former, and it
is not desired that this should be altered
even were it possible. Yet it would add
to the dignity of both if mel were
A modern historian says, .'Moral and
rational faculties may alike be dormant,
and they will certainly be SO if men are
wholly immersed in the qualification of
their senses. Man is like plant which
requires favorable sofl for the full eX-
pansion OF its natural or innate powers"
have. from the exercise OF their physical
faculties. is il certain they would have
developed excess of ply sical powers?
Notwithstanding her social disadvan-
tages in this respect, woman has made
her mark in the annals of bravery. His
tory affords numerous examples of great
herolnes, many of them, too. at a time
slave, but we can only note few.
Leaena of Attica bore the severest torture
without word. Telesilla. the poetess.
made the Argolic women fearless of
death, and discomtited the Spartans.
Theodore saved the eastern empire.
Artemisia drank the ashes OF her con-
sort. Camilla, queen of the Valencians,
was slain fighting at the head of her
troops. Boadicea encountered the veter-
ans of Rome. The maid of Orleans drove
the English from France. ARIA stabbed
herself to encourage her husband to die.
See, it does not hurt, dear Paetus,"
she said. The tales of martyrdom are
fertile of heroic women. Young maidens
met the most horrible death with placid
contempt. if not with vehement Joy. No
fiendish tortures that devils could devise
were able to shake the fortitude of num-
berless brave women. Whether under
Nero or the bishops, under the inquisi-
tion or the French revolutIonaries, it
was noted with surprise and admiration
that the women died more brayely than