The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-10
HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR.
LFrom the Boston Transcript


Some $50 feet above the sidewalk Of
Washington street. on a little rope
hung staging at the top of a steele pole
sits P. +. O'Neil, of CharlestOwn. O'Nen
is painter, at work on the staff which
holds the gigantic weather vane on top
of the Ames building. He was working
in the building with other painters.
when superintendent Mckay said that
the weather vane staff on the roof
would have to be painted and repaired.
Il can do it for yOu,' said O'Nen- When
he began to examine the vane he found
three or four bullet holes in its steel
support. The bullets had gone through
one side of the support and fiattened
against the other. They were evidently
fired from the harbor by some marks
man who wished a small target
at long range.
And a very dangerous proceeding,
too" said O'Neil, when he was on the
roof again, for a bullet has almost the
velocity when falling from a height as
when shot from the gun. 1 remember
once a girl, standing in her own yard,
was severely wounded by a mysterious
bullet. No one ever discovered where
it came from, but four months later 1
was working on a church Steeple not 2U0
yards from her house and around the
openings where the pigeons go in and
out I found the wood riddled with bull
let holes''
He had been climbing steeples and
Chimneys and other high places for
more than 25 years. He began life as
sailor, going out from Newfoundland
on ship as a boy, drifting to this cOun-
try in time to enlist for the civil war,
and at last taking up with his present
occupation, in which he combines the
trade of maSOn-fOr he has built the
tops of many chimneys-of painter, of
corDenter, Of mechanic, or worker in
metal
The most natural question to ask
O'Neil was about fear; did he ever
feel fear in high places2 ''Of course I
feel fear at times" he answered. Fear
is common to all mankind. Not to feel
fear is not courage; to overcome fear is
the true quality of courage. Not long
ago Prof. TauSsig, of Harvard, who is
interested in the matter from a psy-
Geological standpoint. wrote to me
tell you.
I divide the nerve force of a man
into two parts-the impelling force and
the restraining fOrce-the same impeI-
ing force that causes a body of recruits
at hrSt to run under fire, and the re-
straining force that causes them to
overcome for various reasons the first
natural fear. So in climbing one unused
TO 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 Shakes
peare, who touched on all human emo
tions, touched on this feeling of fear
in high places, when in King Lear he
pictured Edward at the cliffs of Dover.
ural fear is by some restraining force
from either within or without 1 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 can't
90 up there This was his first impeIl-
ing impulse But when the mate touch
ed 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 re-
strainfng force. So if you happen to
be with any one who shows signs of
fear in high place, a few smart slaps
on the face will bring him to himself
The right medicine for uncomfortable
fear in a high place is immediate pain
on the outside nerves.
Fear can be overcome like any nat
ural passion. I remember that when
] began to climb I felt sensations of
numbness in the back of my head and
at such times I used to stop and de-
vote myself to restoring courage. The
way to do so is to remember that sup
port is at hand and that it depends only
upon yourself to make use of it. Climb
ing is, in fact, really a less danger
Gus occupation than driving a restive
horse or an electric car; for the safe
ty Of the climber depends almost en-
ttrely on himself. while in the other
case many chances of accident are be-
K6nd his control