The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-20
Modern Men QS Brave as
 Those of Any Age ProDed
 Bv Deeds in the World War

and courage must be considered sepa- rately, that the former exists in certain temperaments alongside the latter, that man may be unable to control the terri 1 fylng effect of a dangerous situation upon his physical faculties, and yet stand his ground in the face of almost certain death through the exercise of his will. These men, he considers the bravest Of all.
 Among the soldiers who hold their ground under murderous fire, there are | always some who are afraid and others who are not, says Dr. Richet, but all | prove their bravery by still being there the towards have fled. Considering the whole war, taking into account the atrocious features that have developed here and there and with all al- lowance made for occasional weaknesses, | pr. Richet considers that the soldiers | have shown heroism that justifies great deal of pride on the part of the present generation, in spite of the belief that | seemed to prevail before the great con- | fllct that intellectual development with progress in science, letters, and arts, | While ennobling the mind, had diminish. ed personal courage.
 NO DECLINE IN COURAGE The question was frequently discussed as to whether the delicate and subtle cul. ture of later years was not going to pro- duce tame-spirited and effeminate gen. eratlon' preferrng well-being to arduous effort and incapable of comprehendins the beauty of sacrifice. It is exactly the contrary that has been demonstrated according to Dr. Richet; the most culti- Vated and refined of the young men of France and Great Britain having been those who have shown the greatest brav cry Students of the Sorbonne and other French universities, students of Eton. OXford and Cambridge, set the example Ihese are the men, Dr. Richet says who nave shown most courage in its sim plest form; that Is to say, by supreme contempt for death and that contempt he concludes, is not the result of philoso- phlcal reflection, but is simply the spon- taneous manifestation of inherent brav cry
 Never, even among the heroes of anti. quity in the times of Leonidas, Spartacus, or Hannibal, according to pr. Richet. was there shown so much of this kind of aonegatlon and so much tranquil self sacr1flce-supreme courage-as in the present conflict.
 AS 10 the men who are naturally brave and take supreme risks without reouir- ing an effort of the will to overcome fear pr. Richet gives different reasons. the Ilrst or which is that some of them do
 
 they are invulnerable-that they have il lucky star; they are surrounded by a sort of optimistic fatality that gives them feeling of security. In other cases these naturally brave men, even when they believe in danger, are not ntmidated by 1t because they have in their own minds already made the sacrifice of their Ire; once that conclusion reached-to die or to be wounded is something that does not torment them
 Others, and perhaps the great major. lty ,are neither those that are indif. 1 ferent to death nor those who belieya Tn their lucky star; they are men who see 1 before them other more powerful images than that of death, such as the father land, sense of duty, of honor, renown of the regiment, ambition to earn praise or promotion, pride at being admired by | ones comrades and shame at being taken for coward. In nearly all these cases the idea of death and danger dis l appears and the soldier is brave without effort. He forgets every risk that he is taking In the presence of the image that he has in his mind.
 BRAVERY IN DAYLIGHT l The number of these naturally brave men IS notably larger in daylight and
 n the presence of commanding officers and comrades than at night on sentry | outy or on solitary mission that no wit ness Will be able to recount. Men who acquit themselves on such missions with out flinching, Dr. Richet considers the l bravest of all.
 ] In the constant habit of it, all notion
 of danger finally dseappears, as in the case of aviators, most of whom, the first
 time they are up in the air, have a sen-
 sation of fear in spite of all reasoning
 After a certain number of ascensions
 the physical manifestations of apprehen-