Evening star., 1935-12-03
There is a.form Of everyday heroism.

There is asform Of everyday heroism.
seldom spoken Of.
1t is displayed by thousands Of men
and women who work when Ill.
This is so common that nothing much
is thought Of it, but something ought TO
be thought OF it.
Not that 1t does not offer recompense
to the hero.
He or she has known for long time
that going about the usual tasks OF
the day has a soothing effect.
Perhaps that is the tragedy Of unem-
ployment, more than any other one fac
tor, except cold and hunger, that the
person Is deprived Of the usual.
There is a setting-up quality to the
normal motions of getting up, eating
breakfast and going to work which Is
recognized by right-thinking people as
q mental and physical antiseptic.
No matter how poorly" one feels, one
usually feels better then.
Who is there who has not experienced
the outlook of what seems to be an
utterly hopeless morning?
The ailment, whether q cold in the
head or q sty on the eye, does not par
ticularly matter, in sense.
What matters is the getting up, and
the going about, provided that no seri-
Gus harm will come from 1t.
No one can say positively about the
latter. that is where the essential hero
ism comes in.
There is one disease, OF course, in
which more disposition is shown by the
average worker to remain afoot than
Hncf
and 1t Is the very one he ought to cherish
at home. We speak of the common cold.
Many persons have an almost fiendish
ability to 20 to work while so suffering.
We have seen them almost dead on their
feet, yet able to be around and give the
disease to all with whom them come in
contact. They snuffie, they cough, they
sneeze, they exhale the very aroma of
illness, yet are able to keep going. They,
too, are heroes, but misguided ones. Two
or three days in bed probably would end
their trouble, since they already have
such q tremendous resistance to 1t.
There is one thing, at least, that all
cold sufferers ought to do. and that is
remain home at night while sneelng.
This good action would work two ways
by giving the sick person rest and warmth
Wnlle Lne lever Is ~ lLS IclBllt hS ~
usually Is at night. and by removing
from the crowded places, such as thea
tiers and busses many millions of cold
germs While very little that is definite
is known about the common cold, either
as to cause or cure, common sense tells
us many things, among which is that
warmth and rest are good for the pa
tient. and so for every one else, since 1t
is very well known that colds can be
caught" from others. What Is not so
commonly realized, perhaps, is that
catching the other fellows cold is more
dangerous than catching one from q
member Of ones own family. 1t may be
that q certain degree of immunity is
built up to ones own personal brand OF
cold germ, whereas little resistance is
offered to the germ which comes from
afar. This, at any rate. Is our own per-
sonal theory, based upon many years OF
observation.
One good thing about going to work,
no matter how Ill one feels is that morn
ing is the hopeful time Of day.
The magnifying powers of the night
how they are used to magnify pain and
disaster. both physically and mentally!
This must. always be kept in mind.
even In hours Of despair, because there