The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-03-10
HERO.WORSHIP.

HERO-wORsHIP.
Hero worship is Unborn in man. 1t began
with the beginning of the human race, and
will end only with its finish. AS Carlyle
once put it: 'It is the JOY of mans heart
to admire where he can; nothing SO lifts
him from all his mean imprisonments, were
it only for moments, as true admiration"
Nor is it only the great and good who ad'
mire what is really admirable. Even the
vicious respect in others the fine qualities
which they themselves lack. In fact,
hypocrisy itself is but the tribute which vice
pays to virtue. Deprived of the genuine
article, the hypocrite takes unto himself
the counterfeit; assuming or aping the
noble traits which command the respect OF
thinking men.
Since the world has ever had, and ever
will have, its heroes or ideals, clearly it is
of prime importance that it have none but
the very best placed before it. Truly
worthy heroes and ideals are among the
worlds most prolific sources of great deeds.
1t goes without saying that the example
OF generals like Napoleon and our own
Washington served, as we'll as any other
one cause, to spur on their men to feats OF
valor when the army's courage was on the
point of failing. And, not to enter into too
many details, the same holds true in every
other walk or department of life. 1t is the
pace set by the leaders, the exemplars-in
a word, by the heroes-that urges on their
admirers to attempt the performance of
worthy, if not of positively great deeds.
They may not be able-in most cases, they
will not be able-to attain to the ideal !;
to rival the achievements of their idols.
But at all events, it is we'll to aim high.
Like the prudent marksman, we must make
little allowance for the law of gravity, and
the consequent drop in distance. If the
hero worshipper cannot equal the brilliant
acts of his hero, at least he can follow him
at respectable distance; and even so
much is great gain both for himself per-
sonally and for society at large.
Hero worship, then, is q good thing for
the world. There is no doubt about it.
But in order that it may accomplish all
that it is calculated to effect, none but the
right sort of heroes should be proposed for
admiration and imitation. No wooden gods
should be placed in our shrines; no idols
with feet of clay should be placed on our
pedestals. None but those of golden deeds
should be enthroned for the admiring gaze
of the onlookers.
This does not mean, however, that our
heroes should be only those whose public
acts were great and glittering in the sight
of the world. 1t is all we'll and good to
keep before the eyes of the people the lives
and achievements of such men as George
Washington, Patrick Henry, John c. Cal
houn, Andrew jackson, jefferson Davis,
Robert Toombs, Howell Cobb, Clement c..
Clay, Jr., Isham G. Harris, Albert Sidney
Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jack
son, John c. Breckenridge, N. B. Forrest,
and others of their stamp. Men like these
we're real heroes and deserve all the honor
they get. But after all there are far
greater heroes whose names form no part
of history; who were never known-many
of them-outside of their own little circle.
And it would be truly good thing for the
youth of the rising generation if their
parents and teachers were to impress this
fact upon their minds. The best heroes
are the people who are doing real service
to humanity, whether their sphere of ac-
ton be wide or limited. Some of the great
warriors whom history extols most highly
were anything but benefactors of the race.
Their dominant motive through life was
human glory or self ACKNOWLEDGMENT; and
it is scarcely just and proper to hold them
up as models for the young. The unselfsh
nurse who devotes her days and nights, on
the battle field or in the hospital, to the
relief of suffering humanity; the poor
overworked mother who sacrifices her
pleasure and her health for the sake of
her offspring; the laborer who tolls and
moils for the support of his family, in sick
ness as in health, and in spite of the diff
ffcul'ies that beset his uphill path-all these
and many more are doing things perhaps
more truly heroic than the deeds of some
whom the world acclaims as it's greatest
horoao