ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITIES
Those who fear to assume responsibility necessarily _take orders from
others_. The punishment fits the crime perfectly and being
self-inflicted there is no injustice. It is true that many men possessed
of great brain power play "second fiddle" to shallow-minded men of
inferior wisdom from sheer lack of forcefulness on their own part. They
lack the full quality of leadership while possessing all save one
essential--_courage_. Fear abides in their hearts and spreads itself as
a mantle of gloom over their super-sensitive souls until finally they
struggle no more. Henceforth they are doomed and become the subject of
apology on the part of friends and relations. "He's all right," they
say, "but he suffers from over-refinement." He lacks something--we
cannot make out just what. It is altogether too bad for he is such a
superior man among _his social equals_.
We must take our hats off to those who have the goodness of heart to
make allowance for our shortcomings. A disinterested listener, however,
is seldom taken into camp by such well intended argument. He knows that
"friend husband" or "friend brother" as the case may be, needs some sort
of swift kick that will stir his combativeness into action--that will
cause him to turn upon his mental inferior and have it out with him then
and there--once and for all. As a courage builder _fighting for justice_
is not to be sneezed at.
Courage can be built up just the same as any other soul quality. It is
all a matter of early training as to which we start out with--courage or
fear. Unthinking parents have a lot to do with the propagation of fear
in the hearts of children. A _neglectful father_ plus a _fear-stricken
mother_ constitute the most logical forces which tend toward the
overdevelopment of fear in a child. Once the seed is thoroughly
implanted the growth can be depended upon. How to get rid of it later
is not so easy to figure out. Had the child been born with a "clubfoot"
these same parents would have spent their last dollar in an effort to
straighten it into natural condition. They could see the unshapely foot
day by day with their own eyes--and so could their neighbors. But the
fear-warped little brain struggling for courage with which to combat its
weakness needs must battle alone with chances largely against it.
The mere thought of what is in store for this little one as it stumbles
along from one period to another, fearful of this, and fearful of that,
is disconcerting to say the least. We can almost trace our friend
"Second Fiddle" directly back to such a childhood. We can almost hear
his fond mother shout, "Keep away from the brook, darling, you might get
your feet wet and _catch your death of a cold_." Another well known and
highly respected admonition belonging to childhood's hour is, "Come in,
deary, it's getting dark--Bogie man will get you if you don't watch
out."
[Illustration: _Bungalowing in California_]
Some years later when little son runs breathless into the home portal
after being chased from school by some "turrible" boys we can hear this
same little mother as she storms about the place and tells what "papa
must do" about the matter. According to her notion, if teachers could
not control the "criminal element" among their pupils then it was high
time for the police to step in. Never a word about little son taking his
own part! Father listens in silence and half formulates the notion of
going direct to the parents and laying down the law, while little son
listens in fear and trembling in anticipation of what is coming to him
if father carries out his threat.
Tall oaks from little acorns grow--_if the twig is not bent in the
sprouting_.
Little son is bound to grow into manhood some day and when he arrives he
must have one particular attribute--_courage_. Somehow he will get along
if he has that. He may also wear a "clubfoot" or a "hunch back," but
with courage as a running mate he will assume his responsibilities and
become a force in the world.
Once a great orator sat upon a rostrum listening to a speech by a man
who cautioned his countrymen against taking steps to defend the national
honor. "We'll outlive the taunts of those who would drag us into war!"
he bellowed forth. Whereupon the orator jumped to his feet and with
clarion voice shouted, "God hates a coward!" and then sat down again.
Dazed at first the vast throng sat stupefied--but only for a moment.
Then as one man they jumped to their feet and by reason of prolonged
cheering gave national impulse to a thought which has since been
sermonized from thousands of pulpits. The orator had simply paraphrased
and put "pep" into the old Biblical slogan: "The Lord helps those who
help themselves." The effect was electrical. The whole country rallied
to the idea with the result that we saved ourselves from war by showing
the solid front of being ready and willing to defend ourselves.
Everything that tends to build up courage is an asset in life. The more
we have of it the further we go and the more interesting our lives
become. For _the man of the lion heart_ all things unfold and unto him
the timid must bring their offerings. No one of ordinary gumption
consults the human "flivver." Advice from him would be unavailing. His
point of view would be inadequate--his ability to advise, impotent. We
go to the man who does things and say to him: "Here is my little
idea--do you want to help me put it over?" If it is good, he does. If
not, his experience tells him so, for men of courage are naturally
possessed of large vision. Their lack of fear has given them
right-of-way over vast areas of the world of action. They fail only as
"their lights go out forever."
With courage we order our own lives and take orders only from those of
superior wisdom. This we can never afford _not to do_. The courageous
man of largest vision commands by his power to reason logically and
therefore assumes the air of comradeship rather than "overseer" or
"boss." Only through lack of moral and physical courage are we to
become the slaves of these.
Courage--the child of _Hope--the despair of Failure_. Born of Good Cheer
it links its fate with the higher attributes and tramples under foot the
fears which spring up before it. When _sown early_ into the hearts of
the young its companionship becomes unerring in its efficiency for good
throughout their lives.