The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-18
Legs souvenir opening Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday,.
POSSIBLE TO OVERCOME FEAR.
Steeple Climber Talks of the Perils of
His Calling.


His Calling.
From the Boston Transcript
Some $50 feet above the sidewalk of
Washington street, on little rope
hung staging at the top Of a steel pole,
sits P. F. O'Neil of Charleston. O'Neil
is a painter, at work on the staff
holds the gigantic weather vane on top
of the Ames building. He was working
in the building with other painters,
wnen Superintendent Mckay said that
the weather vane staff on the roof
would have to be painted and repaired.
lean do it for you,' said ONeill. When
he began to examine the vane he found
three or four bullet holes in it's steel
support. The bullets had gone through
one side of the support and tlattened
against the other. They We're evidently
fired from the harbor by some marks
man who wished small target at long
range.
And a very dangerous proceeding,
too,'' said O'Neill when he was on the
roof again, for bullet has almost the
velocity when falling form height as
when shot from the gun. l remember
once girl, standing in her
yard, was severely wounded by mys-
FERROUS bullet. No one ever discovered.
where it came from, but four months
later ] was working on church steeple
not 200 yeards from her house, and
around the openings where the pigeons
go in and out l found the wood riddled
with bullet holes"
He had been climbing steeples and
chimneys and other high places for
more than 25 years. He began life as a
sailor, going out from Newfoundland
on ship as a boy, drifting to this
country in time to enlist for the civil
war and at last taking up with his
present occupation, in which he COM
bines the trade of mason-for he has
built the tops of many chimneys-of
painter. of carpenter, OF mechanic and
worker in metal.
The most natural question to ask
ONeil was about fear. Did he ever
| feel fear in high places? "Of course I
feel fear at times he answered.
Fear is common to all mankind Not
to feel fear is not courage; to over
| came fear is the true quality of cour-
age. Not long ago Professor Taussig
of Harvard, who is interested in the
matter from a psychological stand
| point, wrote to me singular question.
| What l told him l will tell you.
II divide the nerve force of a man in
| two parasitic impelling force and the
| restraining force-the same impeiling
| force that causes a body of recruits at
| first to run under fire, and the restrain
| ing force that causes them to over
come for various reasons the first natu-
it is by the natural impelling force, of
his nervous system .afraid-afraid that
his legs, his arms, his support will give
way and plunge him down. Snakes
peare, who touches on all human emo,
lions, touches on this feeling of fear in
high places, when in King Lear he
pictured Edward at the cliffs of Dover.
''The only way to get over the natu-
raj fear is by some restraining force
from either within or without. / re-
member once when a new boy at sea
was ordered aloft by the mate he
trembled with fear and begged to be
let out of it: Upon my soul, sir, I can't
go up there This was his first i'm
pelilng impulse. But when the mate
touched him up with a ropes end he
was at the top of the mast so quick
that the mate could not follow him.
The pain on his outer nerves brought
him to his senses and made him exert
his restraining force. So, if you hap
pen to be with anyone who shows signs
OF fear In high place a few smart
siaps on the face will bring him to him
self. The right medicine for unconquer-