The record-union., 1896-05-15
HOW TO BECOME A HERO.
If You Would be Courageous You
Must be Good.

An old writer says that courage is
incompatible with the fear of death but
every villain fears death; therefore, no
villain can be brave" This is good
Logic, provided the premises are sound,
but as TO that there may be some dis
pute. There have been some villains
who have at least shown no fear of
death. Nevertheless, the saying is, gen.
orally speaking true. That other say
ing, Thrice is he armed who hath his
quarrel just" expresses a similar truth,
for conscience doth make towards of US
all Our author, conscious that ex-
ceptions might be taken to his declara-
ton, provides against them in this
way: He the villain) may indeed
possess the courage of a rat and fight
with desperation when driven into
corner. If by craft and crime a sue
cessful adventurer should be enabled to
usurp kingdom and to command it's
legions, there may be moments when,
like Richard on the field of Bosworth,
or Napoleon on the plains of Marengo, all
must be staked-an awful crisis when
if his throne be overturned his scaffold
must rise upon its ruins. Then, indeed
though the cloud of battle should lower
on his hopes, while its iron hoil is rat
tling round him, the greatest coward
will hardly fly to insure that death
which he can only escape by facing.
Yet the danger of a courage thus elected
by danger, where fear conquers fear,
is not to be compared to that calm
sunshine which constantly cheers and
illuminates the breast of him who builds;
his confidence on virtuous principle; it
is rather the transient and evanescent
lightning of the storm which derives
half its luster from the darkness that
surrounds it,
This general truth that real courage
is associated with honest principle, a
true faith and a clear conscience should
not escape the attention of boys who.
having had their minds infiamed by
stories of daring deeds, aspire to be-
come heroes. If they would be coura-
geous, they must be good. The most
n1ischievous feature of the flaming lit
erature prepared for boys is not the
story itself, bad as they may be. but
its essential falsity. There are other
stories of crime and bloodshed as har-
rowing in their way as any contained
in flash literature as for example
some of the tragedies of Shakespeare.
but the latter gives a true picture of
humanity and such a picture becomes
a wholesome lesson. 1t is the false
character given to the heroes of dime
novels that makes such books mschiev-
Gus and misleading. AS a general rule.
il not always, the villain is a coward
nor can he be made a villain for any
length of time without becoming a.
liar and hypocrite. There is nothing
picturesque or attractive about him
when he has been unmasked, nor a
truthful chronicler make a hero of him.
Every rightly constituted boy ought to
feel his pulses quicken when he is told
or reads of deeds of daring; he ought to
be inspired with the highest admiration
for true courage and prepare himself
to emulate real heroes. But he should
very early in life be taught to discrim-
mate between the real and the sham,
and should be impressed through his
own small experiences with the inf1u-
ence upon his courage of a clear or dis
turbed conscience. Thus he may be-
taught a substantial truth that if he
would be brave he must be true: if a.
hero he must be imbued with good prin
ciples.-Baltimore Sun