The Washington times., 1917-10-28


for nstance-whose courage exceeds that of the mole
Some of the tiny creatures in -"
and in your blood fight with desperate energy SURPRISING
that Of al the others combined
What is courage?
Take thousand women at random and thousand men,
standing outside burning house To enter the house
death and Of the and each Of the has child
in the house
There is considerable doubt as to the number of
that would enter that house There doubt at all about
the women Out Of the thousand women every would
rush In regardless Of consequences to save her child
Voltars to Jail for his opinions rsked everything
in fighting superstition But had the physical prompt
ings Of courage to make him purchase heavy cudge and
thrash the nsoIent noble whose laceys had thrashed him
Sam Johnson much less Of q man than Voltaire when
threatened bought big oak stick and announced his nten
ton to thrash anybody. Nobody bothered him
Was Voltaire coward? Was Sam johnson, shivering
in the presence Of king really courageous than the
physically mid voltairs who dshed kings and judges for
the sake Of principle?
What is courage?
Here interesting thing that Napoleon says about
it. The quotation taken from Of his conversations
with Las Oasas
CAS- to moral courage, I rarely met with the TWO
o'CLooK-M-THE-MoRNNG KIND; mean unprepared
courage that which Is necessary unexpected
siOn and which, in spite Of the Unforeseen events
leaves full freedom of Judgment and decision" /"
Napoleon says, with simple egotism that often dis
tnguhes real ability I myself possess the two-o clock
morning courage in high degree have met with
few persons equal to myself In this respect -
The two-o clock in the morning courage of which
Napoleon speaks might specifically be considered the high
est kind Of courage.
The bravest deeds in history are usually performed
before crowds An audience produces in human beings
exciting effect similar to that Of alcohol Almost any
win jump off moving ship child hundreds
looking How many men will do the same one is
looking on?
Men have lived in herds and have acted in herds They
are brave in herds rarely brave left to themselves
Was Calico coward when under pressure he denied
that the earth moved round the sun? Was Cranmer coward
when he signed his recantation? So he brave after
ward when he recanted his recantions and held in the fire.
until burned to crisp the hand with which he had
signed the denial Of his faith?
Why do we call man brave who risks or throws away
his LIFE freely? he does the thing with his MONEY
we simply call him reckless or a spendthrift.
Darwin believes that courage has been bred us grad
ua through thousands Of centuries When the wolves
tack troop of bualoes the brave bulls in the herd stand
with their horns toward the wolves and fight to the last to
protect the COWS and calves
These naturally arouse the admiration of the rest The
brave animals in the herd chosen fathers next
generation, and So according Darwin courage grad
ually bred into all animals, including men.
Courage may perhaps be defined as ''the power of one
set Of emotions such ambition fatherly affection or re-
hgous conviction the pervading instinct of
self preservation"
The display Of bravery involving the risk of life means
practically the conquest and subordnaton of the instinct
Of self preservation The question of bravery then per-
hsps comes down to this question:
Which is the noblest that lead to over
hs instinct Of self preservation and risk his fe7
this be accepted fair the quality of bravery
depends on the instinct which calls it forth.
We o:ten advise young to choose subjects for de-
bate We recommend to them this particular subject
what is the highest form Of comsge2"