Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-06
Sunday Morning Talk

The other week a single days reading
OF the papers furnished three conspicuous
instances of heroism. A surgeon crawled
under a wrecked railway and ampu-
tated the leg of a poor fellow who had
been so pinioned that otherwise 1t was inn
possible to release him. The operation in
the face of obstacles probably never be-
foore encountered In precisely that form
in any part of the world was success
full. No wonder the crowd cheered when
the surgeon emerged In another city
boiler exploded and the responsible
for it's running stuck to his post despite
the scading steam thereby saving num-
Der of lives even though greatly risking his
own. A canoe upset and one of the young
woman occupants was drowned. attempt
ing to save the life of a younger comraue.
None of these cases of high courage were
sensatonally featured They appeared
rather part of the normal news of the
day. The circumstance set me TO WonCer-
ing how many readers of daily papers are
in the habit of looking for that class of
news. 1t might be good plan to make the
experiment, beginning today, OF reasoning
up for week the cases that fali under
your eyes, as you read, which may fairly
be said to illustrate the heroic element in
every day life. Skim over more lightly the
columns reeking with scandal and crime
and search for the golden deeds OF Kindness
and sacrifice.
1t is even better to keep the eyes wide
open for tokens of heroism in human life
about you. For not one-tenth of the heroic
actions of the modern world gets into the
average paper. Some are unreporttDie But
1t Is your business and mine not to let
these various deeds right under our eyes
escape our recognition and our praise
They are happening right along ana We may
not have to bulge from our own doorway
or neighborhood in order to find them
Moreover let US widen our idea OF harolsm
Here, for example. are the under-salaried
men and women who are engas ID IN teach
ing and preaching. They do not vote. their
complaints loudly as do many manual
Iaborers. They have foresworn money max
ing and given themselves to the service
of their feilowmen in two OF the hopieSt
callngs And they have their reward. 1t
is not usually a gttering one, from the
financial point of view. But the way In
which the great majority stick to their
ideals give their constituents good measure
pressed down ard running over and plod
along with but little complaining stirs ones
admiration. 1t is little snort OF heroic 1t
gives the lie to the frequent and fiippant as
sertion that all modern workers are com
mercially minded.
Is there any finer brand of heroism than
that displayed by those responsible for the
welfare of others In the close reiat1onshlp
of the home? The constant Outpouring OF
herself on the part of mother. the vigil
liant watch and unselfish labor of father.
the patient care of older sister. the de-
voted attention of a daughter to mother,
the affectionats interest of a sister In
brother or a brother in a sister-all these
represent the heroic strain i'll our common
humanity. For one cannot fulfill faithfully
the numerous and often humdrum duties
that go with these close relationships, I'M
less prompted by the same high impulses
of self forgetting that lie behind all gallant
feats in battle They, as well as soldiers,
find out the truth of Brownng's lines:
Not twice in fair islands story
The path Of duty the path of glory.
An then there is that great host of per-
sons who carry cheerfully and silently great
burdens arising from disapointments, Ill
treatment, the feeling of loneliness and iso-
lation. or of great anxiety for others. Let's
give these courageous, high-spirited souls
a place on our roll of honor. There is no
Carnegie fund to benefit them. Neverthe-
less they are true heroes as those whose
deeds are heralded the world over.
Joyous and inspiring. it Is to form the
habit Of seeing the heroic element in the
life of the world with which we have to
do. 1t is there. In proportion as We see 1t
we are ourselves ennobled.
THE PARSON.