The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-01-06
80 cLIMBER,g d.
Ha Tells Of His Theory as to The Over
coming Of Fear.

Of Nv Washington street, on a little rope
hung staging at the top Of a steel pole,
sits P. F. O'Neil, of Charlestown.
SAYS the Boston Transcript. O'Nel
is a painter at work on the staff which
holds the gigantic Weathervan on toy
Of tae Ames building. He was work
ing in the building with other paint
ers when Superintendent Mckay said
that the weather vane staff on the
roof would have to be painted, and
repaired. T can do it for you" said
O'NeiI. When be began to examine
the yane he found three on four bullet
holes in its steel support. The bullets
had gone through one side of the sup
port and hattened against the other.
They were evidently fired from the
harbor by some marksmen who
wished a small target at longrange.
*And a very dangerous proceeding,
too" said 0'Neil, when he was on the
roof again, "for a bullet has almost
the velocity when falling from a
height as when shotfrom the gun. 1
remember once a girl, standinginher
own yard, was severely wounded by a
mysterious bullet. No one ever dis
covered where it came from, but four
months later / was working on a
church steeple not 0yards from her
house, and around the openings,
where the pigeons go in and out I
found the wood riddled with bullet
holes"
He has been climbing steeples and
chimneys and other high places for
more than 25 years. He began life as
a sailor, going out from Newfound-
land on a 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
combines 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
O'Neil was about fear; did he ever feel
fear in high places. "Ofcourse, feel
fear at times" he answered. Gear 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 psychological standpoint, wrote to
me a similar question. What 1 told
him | will tell you.
81 divide the nerve force of a mar
into two parts-the impelling force
and the restraining force-the same
impelling force that causes abody Of
recruits at first to run under fire, anG
the restraining force that causes them
, to overcome for various reasons the
first natural fear. So, in climbingont
l unused to it is by the natural impell
ing force Of his nervous system afraid
afraid that his legs, his arms, hi
support will give way and plunge hin
), down.
Shakespeare, who touched on al
human emotions, touched on this feel
. ing of fear in high places, when il
, king Lear he pictured Edward at thu
! cliffs Of Dover.
y "The only way to get over the natur
al fear is by some restraining fore,
from either within or without. I re
member once when a new boy at SCI
was ordered aIoft by the mate h
trembled with fear, and begged to b
> let out Of it: Upon my soul, sir,
cannot go up there This was hi
: first impelling force. But when tn
= mate touched him up with a rope
: end he was at the top of the mast S
! quick that the mate could not folio,
: him. The pain on his outer nerRe
n brought him to his senses and mad
: him exert his restraining force. S
!. if you happen to be with anyone VIII
: shows signs of fear in a high place,
; few smart slaps on the face will brin
him to himself. The right msdicin
for unconquerable fear in a high plac
! is immediate pain on the outsid
Z nerves.
"Fear can be overcome like an
natural passion. remember tina
! when I began to climb felt sensa
tions of numbness in the back of m
head, and at such times 1 used to sto
and devote myself to restoring cou1
age. The way to do is to remembe
that support is at hand and that
It depends only upon yourself to max
n use Of it. Climbingis is, in fact, really
less dangerous occupation than driy
inc 8 FESTIVE horse or an electric ca-