The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-02-08
TRUE AND FALSE COURAGE.
AN ELOQUENT TRIBUTE TO THE
TRUE WIFE AND MOTHER

thOrne, of Atlanta, Ga.-He Criti-
cises the Woman Sutfragists.
Text: 81 will not be afraid Of ten
thousands Of people who have set
themselves against me."-Psalms 3-6.
Among the ancient Greeks and lto-
mans courage was synonymous with
virtue. They looked upon u brave
man as one possessing the qualities
which make the ideal character. In
our own day courage is more admired
and lauded than any other virtue. The
man who has proved himself to be
fearless in the midst of opposition and
danger is the favorite of the multitude.
II he becomes a candidate for office,
his friends keep constantly before the
public the facts of his history, which
illustrated heroic courage. There is
no argument or eloquence that can
match the magnetism of Il battle-scar-
red face. There is no slogan that
kindles such enthusiasm among the
people as the words of some brave sol
dier, when he stood in some fearful
breach and beckoned his comrades to
follow him to victory or death.
Another fact Indicative Of the pro-
found esteem which men cherish for
this virtue, is tnat there is no epithet
so offensive and CALLING to them as
coward" a man of exceptionally
dull sensibilitics will hear himself de-
uOunced as selfish, parsimonious,
tricky, deccitful and dishonest. with
out feeling much humiliation. But
when some one confronts him before
the multitude and says, Sir, you are
Il contemplate coward, he feels him
self degraded, and he will either rise
and wipe out the stigma by an cNhib.
tion of courage or he will drop his
head and ANONYMOUSLY sneak ont Of
sight.
The man who can truthfully say
with the Psalmist, =" will not be
afraid of ten thousand of people who
have set themselves against me-" has
the groundwork upon which true
and noble character may be built: but
if he begins life a coward. there is
scarcely anything upon which he can
base a reasonable hope for his success.
The only apology which | shall
make for discussing this subject is that
the world is full of counterfeit courage.
In social, commercial, political, lit
erary, scientific and religious circles.
there are legions of people who admire
bravery, and who think themselves
brave, while an analysis of their con
duct proves them to be unmtigateu
towards. There is no human quality
that can be SO easily counterfeited as
courage. There is none that men are
so often and so powerful tempted to
counterfeit. There is none about
which they can so readily and com
pletely deceive the world and deceive
themselves. If | can help you to dis
tinguish between the true and the
false, so that you may be able to form
a correct estimate of yourselves, and
to see where you may justly bcstow
honor upon others, | shall not have
missed this occasion.
CandOr cOmpclS me to say that |
have never found q human being who,
in all his life and in every part Of him,
was thoroughly and consistently cOur-
ageous. This assertion may be very
mOrtifying to some of my friends who
have ever reason to believe that | ad-
mire and love them. They think
themselves brave, and they are brave
in some things. But if they would
come to me as their friend and ask me
for an honest Judgment OF their char
acter, | could show them some very
strange complications and cOntradic-
tiOns. | could show them that on one
side they are heroes and on another
side they are towards. | have dis
tinguished friend who, in all his life.
physical fear. There is nothing in the
history Of war that surpasscs some Of
his daring deeds. But intellectually
he has scarcely the courage of an idiot
He has no opinion OF his own upon any
subject. He investigates nothing but
public opinion. He accepts rs true
whatever majority of the people
among whom he lives have declared
to be true. Some persons call that
conservatism, but / call it coward
ice.
During the present week We shall
witness Il very thrilling exhibition Of
social courage on the part Of certain
"strong mindC d" women who meet in
convention to assert their right to be
voters, political stump-spcakcrS, law
yers, congressman, constabcs, police
men and riders Of bicycles. Verify it
is no mean display of courage for these
women to defy. not only the Bible and
the law OF God written on their own
beings, but that uncOnQuCrablc and
eternal social sentiment which de-
spises every woman who cOnfcsscs to
such unwomanly aspirations. But how
many of these brave men and strong
minded" women have the moral cour-
age to deal gently and justly with
their fccblc-minded uSbands | take
for granted that every such woman, if
married, has a feeble minded hus band.
What a strange admiXturc OF quail
ties Then | can find men who have
the intellectual and moral bravery Of
Ignatius, but who would run from the
tiniest mouse that ever nibblcd at IL
crumb.
| am far from being unconscious of
my own weakness. have stood un-
terrified in the midst OF some Of the
most appalling physical dangers, and
! have dared to do my duty where pub
lie sentiment was against me and
where social and religious ostracism
threatened me with all the woes Of sO-
lation and Obscurity. But one thing
! cannot cndurc-OnC thing complete
ly unncrvcs me. and makes me trcmbc
with worse than slavish fear 1t is
the sight OF masculine, noisy and
bcll!gercnt woman, clad in the habli-
ments Of her subjugatcd husband
whom she has regulated to the incOn.
spicuous realm Of the nursery.
Whether he is willing to confess it
or not, there is some weak place in
every mans nature. There il some
spot where temptation pcnctratcs his
Il. L..