The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-01-07
WHAT COURAGE MEANS.
1t Assumes Various Shapes and Many
Phases.


fear is Others are horribly AFRAID
yet are able to control their nerves
and emotions. Surely the timid man
who masters timidity is as brave as
Siegfried, of whom it is recorded that
he had to be taught by Mime what it
was to be afraid.
A certain brand of courage has
been labeled, somewhat unkindly,
Dutch. Then one has the stole reslg-
nation of the American Indian. 1t
is very dangerous to attempt to fix
flags to emotions. But each nation
seems to have it's own blend of the
quality.
It is usual to say that the volatile
Frenchman is a brave winner but
dispirited loser Yet after 1870 the
French people solemnly and earnestly
began to build up their lost fortunes,
and went into the present war, un-
der enormous disadvantages, without
a murmur.
The Russian, 100, has something
of the resignation of the Oriental.
His spirit is not volatile, and there is
a plodding fatalism, as of a rather
tired bull dog, in the dutiful, don't
much-bother attitude. A few days
ago a Russian officer described the
rather bewildered feeling with which
he went into battle. He added that
when shells began to fly his sensory
nerves seemed paralyzed, though his
brain acted quickly and automatical-
ly. A kind of cold anger seized him.
When he was hit he felt nothing, but
went giddy and fell. And then we
have the tale of a British Tommy
who lolled in his trench. smoking a
cigarette and potting away quietly
at the enemy Even when at close
quarters he went on putting until two
Germans were 10 yards away. Then
he threw away his smoke and went
for them with the bayonet.
Contrast this with the cool daring
of the German aviator who dropped
an insolent message down upon Paris,
and the dogged resolve with which
the German rankers advance in close
formation against machine guns.
Can We characterize these various
expressions of an emotion by the same
word? Where does bravado begin
and courage leave off? How far can
bluff go without becoming heroic?
First, let us see how the great view
ed death. Marcus Aurelius said:
Were some god to speak to thee:
Tomorrow thou shalt die, or at most
on the third day. this respite of a
day would seem thing of naught,
did a spark of nobility redeem thee"
We marvel at the bravery of men
prepared to risk death on battle
field. Yet at this moment, as you
read, death may actually have claim
ed you and limited your days. Yet
you are not afraid.
Huxley saw this heartening fact
clearly when he wrote:
''The great thing one has to wish
for as time goes on is vigor as long
as one lives, and death as soon as
vigor flags"
One of the dangers of safe, civil
lized period is that people attach an
exaggerated value to mere longevity,
which is of no use except as an op-
portunity for great living. From this
mere desire to live, springs fear Of
death.
In view of the idea generally cur
rent in modern German philosophy
that Christianity is religion of
weakness, it is interesting to quote
few ideas upon courage from the
Bible:
Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death l will fear no
evil"
when the wicked, even mine enc
mics and foes, came upon me to eat
up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp
against me, my heart shall not fear,
though war should rise against me, in
this will l be confident" ..
God is our refuge and strength,
very present help in trouble, there
fore will We not fear, though the
earth be removed and though the
mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea-
There one has courage based up
on faith, a recognition of danger with
an unconquerable belief in overcom-
ing it, and a steady calm that is far
removed both from fatalistic indiffer-
ence and from insolent bravado. And
no one with any knowledge of the ac-
Il,