Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-10-15
BRAVERY OF WOMEN.

ces Of Physical Courage Of Fair
Ones-sn Moral Strengh She is I'm.
measurnbIy the superior Of Her
Brother Man-The New Earth.
By LADY COOK. nee TENNIE 4. CLAFIIN.
1t was said by an excellent divine
that. " Though many discoveries have
been made in the world of self-love,
there is vet abundance of terra incog-
nita LETT behind. 1t has pleased men
to regard women as very timid and
cOwardly creatures when compared
with themselves. Now we do not deny
that some women occasionally have
little attectations which give 4 color to
this opinion. These are scared ut
meeting harmless COWS or oxen. as
though they We're ferocious bulls.
They jump in terror on chair at the
sight of mouse. All these. however,
are errors oi education, just us boys are
taught from the cradle to despise girls
Tor their supposed want of bravery and
their mistake. Yet Vaudeville, in his
" Search into the Nature of Society,""
AYERS that Man. rs he is Il fearful an
imal, naturally not rapacious, loves
peace and quiet, and he would never
fight if nobody offended him, and he
could have what he fights for without
It," This may be true OF man as a
savage; but civilization gives so much
skill and dissipates so many errors and
terrOrs that men have learned to be
quarrelsOme, courageous and self-reli-
ant. 1t would be natural to suppose
the mothers and sisters of brave men
would he brave also. We look for cog
nate qualities in both sexes OF other
animals, and are not disappointed.
Why should mankind be an exception?
Why should it be imagined that men
have all the courage and women mo-
nopoly of timidity? Simply because OF
mems stupendous seli-conceit. The
majority have never given the subject
a rational thought. They have exclud-
ed women from their favorite fields for
the display of bravery and then pride
themselves on their vast superiority;
but whenever women have had equal
they have proved them
selves no despicable competitors with
men in physical courage, and far ahead
of them in moral fearlessness.
At time like the present, when
public attention is largely drawn to a
view of the qualities of
both sexes, it may be profitable to draw
to the bravery of women.
We do not desire to undervalue the
valor of men. On the |
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 we'll as in men. If
the men refuse, let women exhort each
other.
No one can doubt that moral cour-
age is superior to physical. Men ex-
eel in the latter, women in the former
and it is not desirable that this should
be altered even we're it possible. Yet
it would add to the dignity of both if
men were stronger morally and women
physically.
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 a favorable
soil for full expansion of its natural
or innate powers" If man had been
shut out, as women have, from the
exercise of their physical faculties, is it
certain they would have developed ex-
cess of physical powers
Notwithstanding her social disad-
vantages in this respect, woman has
made her mark in the annals of brave
ry. History affords innumerable ex-
amples of great heroines, many of
them, too, at time when her general
position was that of a 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
discomforted the Spartans. Theodore
saved the Eastern Empire. Artemesia
drank the ashes OF her consort, Cam
lila, queen of the Volscians, was slain
fighting at the head of her troops.
Boadicea encountered the veterans of
Rome. The Maid of Orleans drove the
English from France. ARIA stabbed
herself to encourage her husband to
die. See, it does nor hurt, dear Pae-
tus," she said. The tales of martyr
dom are fertile of heroic women.
Young maidens met the most horrible
deaths with placid contempt, if not
with vehement JOY. No fiendish tor
lures that devils could devise were able
to shake the fortitude of numberiess
brave women. Whether under Nero
or the bishops, under the Inquisition