The Ocala evening star., 1915-08-18
HIGHEST COURAGE.
The Bravery That Goes Hand In
Hand With CoWardice.
A MEDICAL VIEW OF HERoISM.

The Worlds Estimate of True Valor,
IL Is Claimed, Is Superficial and Silly,
as That Which IL Stamps With AP-
provaI Is Lack Of Sensibility.
What is true courageT' 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" IL says, lis the cool, careless au-
dacity that marches up to the mouth
OF the cannon with a flower in it's cap
and a frivolous song on its lips, as
serene as on parade Such bravery Is
really the very lowest In the scale, if
indeed IL be I'm 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. 1t
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 a popular hero.
Next highest I'm the worlds gauge
next lowest in the true scale-is the
| courage that dares a quick danger in a
/ sudden emergency. In itself this Is
hardly a more genuine brand OF cour-
age than the first, except that IL In
! wolves a more or less unseltish disci-
plining OF the man previous to the de-
| mand that Is made on him. Even so,
Ii Is more matter of habit than or
quality. The fact that there is no time
to count the cost robs 1t Of any DELHI
crate merit. Many a man, In fact. is
surprised into q heroism which Is real
ly no part OF him. Certainly 1t Is no
high grade Of courage. Rather, let Us
say, 1t is a negative sort Of quality, to
which If n man does not respond on
demand we conclude there Is some pos
tive quality Of poltroOnery about him.
"Still lower i'm the worlds estimation
! still higher In actual worth-is the
courage which calmly and deliberately
holds its course Of duty in the face o1
almost certain calamity and misfor
tune, the quiet resolution TO meet one:
fate I'm the face OF foregone disaster
and disappointment, the steadfast set
ting of ones face to go to Jerusalem
OF all forms of herOism none will 81
surely win the love and confidence o
, human hearts, which is worth hun
, dred times the admiration Of human
, minds. than this.
? Higher yet in the true scale-lowe
, yet I'm the popular guage-is the couT
, age that sustains itself. as II were
! upon nothing but its own unconquera
BILE stamina. The man who, though hi
fights be all defeats, still fights, who
| though he has been q hui1ure In tn
(. H..
keenly sensitive man knows himself
: to be n failure and is doomed TO be
failure for the rest OF his life. rises pa
tiently and indomitably every mornin
to face the inevitable defeat Of the da
with equanimity and sweetness-ther
is a courage my masters, of which th
kings and victors OF the earth are nc
i capable
: But there is n yet higher quality {
u courage. the highest of all In the tru
scale. but so little esteemed in the poi
ular mind that II will hardly be a
corded n place I'm the scale Mt all III
less. as | said i'm respect OF the fir
9 type, to be zero is to be part OF a
IL gauge. 1t il the courage OF cowardic
the bravery of the man who Is afrai
II but who I'm mortal funk and able
lie fear, with throblying heart and swea
:, ing brow, forces himself To DO q
re thing from which he shrinks. Thi
On which the world sneers at as cowar
lie ice. is the highest courage of all
le fact. It IS the only true courage. for
Sc sets all the agonized effort of man
soul against all the fears and terrO
is that the powers OF darkness can bril-
IS upon him.