The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-17
THE COURAGE OF FAITH.

Be strong and of a good courage
Deuteronomy. XXNi, u.
Nothing is mere snrprising'to the care
full observer than the qualities of char
acter which are developed by an emer-
gency, like the present war, for example.
1t seems rs though our men were so
ablaZe with enthusiasm that a decade s
growth takes place in Il month.
Courage, that kind Of courage which
consciously and willingly faces death. is
so frequently seen that it has become
gloriously and almost awfully monoton-
GUS
Each days history is dotted with deeds
of daring like stars in constellation.
and we can scarcely eulogize one man
without manifest injustice to others.
When all are heroes even praise becomes
dumb.
Ii we are entirely impartial, we must
extend the limits of the criticism until 1t
includes those whom we call our enc
mics also. Human nature is the same
all the world over When Wainwright
received Cervera with warm admiration
Of his bravery and offered deserved
praise to one who, after leading Tor
lorn hope. was forced to surrender, he
tacitly admitted that under clrenm-
stances which naturally provoke it. cour-
age is the common property OF mankind.
No matter in what cline man may
be reared or whether the cause he de-
tends is by us considered worthy or not,
if he is moved by a sufficiently strong
impulse he is quickly changed from a
pigmy into giant, and thereafter he
does giants work.
We have tens of thousands of giants
of this kind in the field in the camp, be-
hind entertainments, and for the purpose
which / have in view at this moment |
am proud of the fact that there are also
giants of the same sort who are facing
death under hostile flag.
/ am proud because ] believe that all
human beings are capable of eXtraor-
binary development under fostering con
ditions; that there is a grandeur IN our
common nature which needs only an
melting cause to show itself.
Mankind does not appreciate itself.
God made men noble, and nobility should
run through every phase of life. we
ought to bestow more thought on our
high destiny, on the qualities with winch
we are endowed for its accomplishment.
We are dormant, sluggish, INDECENT
spiritually. Unusual conditions produce
great men. There never was time
when the right men did not step to the
front to meet and conquer an exlgency.
The ability is always there. but it sleeps
until it is roughly awakened by some ter
rible shock and then the country is sud
denly filed with heroes. That ability TO
overcome is in you as well as in the
man behind earthworks. You are larger
than you think yourself. There is moth
ing in your experience which cannot be
met with soldiers courage and used i'll
the production Of fine character.
We live in the deusion that life is com
mon and ordinary that we lack the OPP
portunity to make ourselves really great
And yet there is neither one man nor
one woman in a million who has not an
Environment to make a hero or he
rome withal.
If your lot is east in poverty, III
drudgery. in nharmony which hampers
and discourages amid combining duties
which prevent and disturb-that is your
battle field, these are your enemies, and
you must either conquer or surrender
1t will never do to find fault with Provi'
dence for perhaps Providence has
put you where you are with a
purpose. So might the soldier find fault
with his general because le is not where
he thinks he ought TO be. That soldiers
work is work that ought to be done, thai