Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-06-21
THE COWARD
He somettmes Makes the Best
soldiee-What He Needs
II . Chance.
tFrom Louisville courier-Journal.)

(From Louisville Courier-Journal.) )
A distressed father writes to the
New York World as follows:
rs there In way to develop q
spirit Of courage in q cowardfy man?
ried himself into = highly nervous
state over the mere possibility Of be-
ing drafted and sent to the firing
line.
"He Is 4 born coward. When he
was q boy, I have often seen him
bullied and run in terror from boys
much smaller than he. Since reach
Ing manhood he seems deeply
ashamed and humiliated over his
gled hard to overcome It but ap-
parently with little result. In cross
Ing a busy street with much trafac,
he Is az nervous and timid a q child.
Outside Of this cowardice he seems
normal. He Is . commercial artist
and earns about $50 a week.
Possibly some Of your readers
know Of an actual case of natural
cowardice being overcome; IL 30, I
would be deeply grateful for the facts
g to how 1t was done. Ny son is
dsspised by everyone now, when the
country needs brave young men. Can
nothing be done to help him?"
Both the father and the son should
ma consolation in a story from
Europe which vas written for an
American Newspaper and has been
reprinted widely. The hero was a
Frenchnan Of exactly the tempera-
msnt Of the young man whose father
10 worried about his lack Of physical
afterward, he endured agonies of fear.
When he was sent to the firing line
he wal SO overcome by fear that he
suffered, among other symptoms, &C.
tive nausea. There was no phase
OF the horror of extreme cowardice,
according to his recitation, which did
not attack him and draw the cold
got into action he found. to his
~amazement, that HI was doing me-
chemically what the others did, and
that his . was leaving him. Even
tually he received more than one
decoration for gallantry upon the
field. He returned home-with an
empty sleeve-free of the greatest of
wife and children would learn of his
cowardice.
Every army includes in its ranks
many men who were. previous to mill
tary experience, conscious Of a lack of
heroic feeling and a positive disin-
clination to face fire. They make as
good soldiers as those who, never hav-
ing been under fire. feel or proclaim
q fine martial enthusiasm for the bat
tlefront. The man who is utterly fear
less. save in moments Of action too
intense to admit Of reflection, lie be-
lteved by many good soldiers to be
nonexistent. He Ia, at any rate, in
sufficiently numerous to fight any
country's battles. Many veterans say
frankly that they were afraid at the
beginning Of every battle. and until
too hotly engaged to think about my
thing but the work before them. Their
courage having been proved they are
not, like the Frenchman Of the news
paper story, afraid hat others will
discover that they are not fearless
men.
It is a rather common human ex-
perience to discover that great crises
are met with surprising fortitude;
that danger, disaster and good for
tune are felt more keenly In antici-
patton than at realization. Many
young men who are drafted will 60
to The military encampments with
anything but warlike sentiments, to
be surprised in action, II they get
into action, that they fight with and
like the rest and with growing con-
f1dence, cherishing the soldiers say
ing that there is nothing Of which
to be afraid. because. you never hear
the she'll that strikes you.
Possibly the one cure for the young
artists cowardtce-shared in a de-
gree by many mon who never would
admit 1t is to be found under fire.