The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-02-10

and are accosted by an Individual In
shabby garments. You ale touched by
his tale OF woe. and with your usual
generosity you give him an ample
aims. Five minutes later (this Incl
dent is founded upon factl In the crush
OF a crowded corner, you feel an un-
wOnted hand busy AT your pocket. and.
turning round. discover in the world-
be thief the very man you have just
helped
What do you think OF this fellow;
DC you fee toward him as IL he were
an invalid. sick soul. deluded VIC
tim Of circumstances
on the contrary. you regard - and
justly regard-the robust purloiner or
your pocketbook as an ungrateful
scoundrel. and. If you are good clu-
zen. you promptly and Indignantly
hand him over 10 the police. Sorrow
and pity you no doubt experience, but.
mingled with sorrow and pity there
will be righteous Indignation. How
ever many excuses your kind heart
makes for him. you will still blame
the man. for You will be convinced.
however bad his surroundings and bis
bringing up being a man, he could
have kept straight in spite of all. as
many another has done. You know, in
your soul, that. however great the OBJ
stacles, being q man. he was still mas.
ter of himself. He might have chosen
differently. He might have taken the
right road instead of the wrong one. IL
only be had tried hard enough. You
feel after all is saiG and done. he was,
in this matter able 10 do as he liked
Consequently. he is responsible. There
fore. we blame him.
Take the opposite case. that OF the
hero. We have all read recently how
the japanese attempted 10 block the
entrance 10 Port Arthur by sinking
steamers in the channel. One OF these
vessels had reached the appointed spot.
Her anchor had been let 60. The fuse
attached 10 the charge which was II
blow a hole in her had been lighted
The officer in command ordered the
crew into the lifeboat. lie himself be-
ing the last 10 leave the ship. A mo-
ment be stands on the gunwale. ready
10 cast loose. He counts his men, One
is missing. Shall they leave him ?
The officer has but an instant in which
10 make up his mind. There is an in
ward struggle between the rival i'm.
| pulses OF duty and self-regard. Then
/ be climbs again upon the shot swept
| deck 10 seek his lost comrade. Alas!
| il is in vain. The next moment he -
killed by Russian shell, and his crew
push off, only just in time 10 say.
! themselves.
Why do we regard this man as a
| hero? Why was public funeral held
in his honor by his countrymen? Why
| do we praise him? Because we feel
| the brave action was due 10 him. and
| 10 DO thing and no one else. Because
we feel that he stood where two ways
| diverged-the way OF duty and the way
| Of safety-and that he was master OF
| the situation. He determined which
| road 10 take. Out of his own brave
will, out OF his own coura geous soul,
| he chose the right way. The decision
| lay not with circumstances conditions.
! previous training. or ancestry. but
| with himself. We feel that he. and he
| alone. was responsible, and that there
| fore to him, and 10 him alone, belongs
! the credit and the praise.
We cannot help blaming the Grim
| inal, we cannot help prasing the
| hero, but. if criminal and hero We're
simply the victims Of circumstance TO
| do so would be meaningless. We have
no right 10 condemn the criminal IL he
cannot help doing what he does There
is no sense in honoring the hero If the
| heroism is due 20 education or to sur
! rounding conditions; that is. 10 some
thing other than the hero. Yet we do
! condemn the one, and we do give our
| homage 10 the other. We cannot help
ourselves. The praise and the blame
we bestOw are involuntary acknowl-
edgment that in spite OF all the theo.
ries closet philosophers may spin.
there is an ineradicable conviction In
the human heart that we are able. in
! the last resort, 10 do as we like. and
| that as consequence we are respon.
sible before God and man bo.h for our
deeds and for our thoughts.