The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-08-19
HIGHEST COURAGE.
Inc Bravery That Goes Hand In
Hand With Cowardice.
A MEDICAL VIEW OF HEROISM.

The Worlds Estimate of True Valor.
1t 10 Claimed. Is Superficial and Silly,
as That Which II Stamps With Al.
proval ls Lack of sensibility.
What is true courageY' asks the
American Journal of Clinical Medicine.
and answers that the worlds estimate
OF courage is superficial and silly.
Highest In the worlds scale of hero
ism,' 1t says. 'is the cool, careless au-
dacity that marches up to the mouth
OF the cannon with flower In its cap
and frivolous song ON it's lips, as
serene as on parade. Such bravery Is
really the very lowest In the scale, II
indeed it be in the scale at all, except
In the sense that zero Is part of the
scale. 1t Is not courage at all, but
sheer lack of sensibility, either from
ignorance or from accustomedness. II
Is In quality the same mental attitude
in which the ignorant, impassive mine
worker walks around In the fire damps,
and when they explode he. too. be-
comes popular hero.
Next highest In the worlds gauge
next, lowest In the true scale-is the
courage that dares quick danger In a
sudden emergency. In itself this Is
hardly a more genuine brand Of cour-
age than the first, except that it In
wolves more or less unselfish disci-
plining Of the man previous to the de.
mand that Is made on him. Even so,
1t Is more matter of habit than of
quality. The fact that there is no time
to count the cost robs 1t of any DELHI
crate merit. Many man, in fact, is
surprised into heroism which is real
ly no part of him. Certainly it is no
high grade of courage Rather, let us
say, 1t is a negative sort of quality, to
\ which IL man does not respond on
demand We conclude there Is some pos
tive quality of potroonery about him.
Still lower in the worlds estimation
still higher in actual worth--is the
courage which calmly and deliberately
holds its course Of duty in the face OF
almost certain calamity and misfor'
tune, the quiet resolution to meet ones
) fate In the face Of foregone disaster
and disappointment, the steadfast set
ting Of ones face to 60 to Jerusalem
OF all forms of heroism none will sc
surely win the love and confidence Of
human hearts, which Is worth hun
dred times the admiration Of human
minds, than this sta
Higher yet in the true scale-lowel
yet In the popular guage-is the cour
age that sustains itself. as 1t were
, upon nothing but its own unconquera
BILE stamina. The man who, though hi
fights be all defeats, still fights, whe
though he has been failure In thu
: past and knows himself Gas many (;
keenly sensitive man knows himself
to be failure and is doomed to be
failure for the rest of his life. rises pa
tiently and indomitably every morning
to face the inevitable defeat of the da.
with equanimity and sweetness-ther
is a courage, my masters, of which tn
, kings and victors of the earth are no
capable. =
! But there is yet higher quality o
, courage. the highest of all in the tru
scale. but so little esteemed in the poI
ular mind that it will hardly be &C
corded a place In the scale at all VI
: less, as l said in respect of the frs
. type, to be zero is to be part of tn
gauge 1t is the courage of cowardlct
the bravery of the man who is afrai(
. but who in mortal funk and abjec
:. fear, with throbbing heart and swea
~ | gxx RI In fh
thing from which he shrinks. Thii
Z which the world sneers at as cowart
!. Ice, is the highest courage of all |
fact, 1t is the only true courage. for
: sets all the agonized effort of man
: soul against all the fears and terror
that the powers of darkness can brin
;. upon him."