Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-07-15
Drawn from the Movies.

Vic VI the MoSC PECULIAR tNllSS
about human nature is the great de-
sire of people to read about bravery,
valor, chivalry, or to see it on the
stage, whether in cheap melo-drama
for Is and 35 cents, in the theatres
for 50 UP, or simply in the moving
picture show for S and 10 cents,
might after night, and then to go
out from the playhouse and touch
|elbows with the same bravery, or
better bravery, and not recognize 1t.
1t may be only your next door
neighbor struggling to keep his head
above water, weighted down with 2
wasteful, extravagant wife and fam
lily who literally hamper every
movement he may make to rise: it
may be only the girl you have
known all your life and who never
thought of doing anything particu-
larly brave, at all; it may be the
one you have always thought pos
|sessed everything heart could wish,
for-money. friends. position, but
behind the smiling front they turn
to the world may be background
|of relinquished hopes, endless, strug-
ig1es sn ps :esls n
the the facts are known to be such,
I but il known. are usually dismissed
without further thought Of the
lsoldiery necessary to keep up that
brave front. What a fine picture
flor the movies that would be! The
thrilling play of the lover who risks
his life Che escapes uninjured, how
ever) to save the train on which his
sweetheart rides, should not stand
comparison with the unmarried
women near middle age, in this
town or any other, who voluntarily
gave up their dreams Of happiness
that younger brothers and sisters
might have an education, or that
parents might be cared for. A sud-
den act of noisy bravery, performed
on the ecstacy Of emotion, calls
forth applause; a long continued
act of sacrifice or devotion Is taken
as matter of course. The tired
tagged man, worn with the struggle
of the day, who goes home to a
poorly cooked meal, evolved mostly
from the tin can and the paper bag.
a meal made anything but pleasant
with noisy arguing of children and
fretful questions of his wife, and
who keeps his tongue in his head
and straightens out the snarls as
best he can, is more deserving OF .
Carnegie medal than the most dar-
ing swimmer who ever jumped into
a raging torrent to save drowning
girl. Youth, who lives sweetly and
uncomplainingly In the same house
with grabbed old age, Is Drawer than
any soldier who ever faced roaring
cannons. These are only instances;
there are many heroes. We thrill
with appreciation when a pretty tale
OF bravery is flashed on the screen
at the movies and the next morn
ing toss careless nod to perhaps
the bravest heroine of them all, and
never turn an eyelash. But reward
is surely theirs, reward greater than
a shining disc of gold, or the approx
al of the public; reward not alone
in the consciousness of duty well
done, but in the blossoming Of
thousand flowers in the days to come
jim real character sprung from just
such perennial seed. Heroism In
real life is compared to heroism on
the stage much as the real every
where is compared to the artificial
The Atlantic Monthly recently gave
the following: A little girl upon
seeing a perfect strawberry remark
ed, THAT looks just like an emery"
1t is an old falacious way, this COM
pairing the perfect fruit to the
strawberry emery.
Wanted, to borrow $4,000 on good
\ -. Ant