The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1914, THE LATENT CAPACITY FOR HEROISM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2111, 31 March 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1914, THE LATENT CAPACITY FOR HEROISM.

Thb tragic story of the clisastrous explosion at Upper Hutt throws a very interesting light oa some of the best aspects of human nature. The ordinary man about the street may not be ft hero in the highest sense oi tfeMvord. Indeed, lie would probably be inclined to repudiate the idea that he wa-s capable of heroism; but it is novei-theloss tree- that most mon, without stopijing to count the cost, will take great risks ia< obedience to a sense of duty, or as the outcome of ' a sympathetic desi're to lend a- hand to a friend or neighbour in -tr-oiible. Whenever a- street accident occurs there is seldom any lack of willing helpers. If a horse bolts there is generally somebody ready to take malices in- order to stop it, and it is a ■ common occurrence for iiisn to injear serious risks in saving a child from being run over by a <Jart, tram, or lnotor-car. The cry of "Man j overboard !" nearly always Wings for- [ ward someone ready to jump in after ■him, while fires, shipwrecks, mine accidents, and pt\m disasters almost invariably bring out the latent caxtr-α-ge of the awtfage man. 'The people Who do-these gallant tleeda expect no Thoir action is simply the natural response ef the normal man to the fcry or the need foy help., They ■cio iipfc, s,s a rule, ttok of thb danger, jior do they stop to argue whether the object in view is worth the Mnk involved. They act almost ia-Bt-inttivfily, and.,' iii the majority of. cases, if all goes well, that is the e-nj of the matter, It is, generally speafciijgj only when a grave disaster oceurs, sijcli as the fetal fere at the Upper Hutt, that we realise a§ in a flash that the ordinary.man's good: natare afttHnstinetiye Incl-ittat-ipii tft, assist a neighbotir in m fitoergeney is the stuff oti of wMeh real heroism is bftcivtna-cfe, it is the nartafral out* come of an.unaslfish'disjiQsjiion, and unselfishness lead's on tp sfclf'sa-crifiee-; whou the occasion- arises. Stimaii fl-aturti is a fihe-i thing tihan maw people seem to think. ' Though this readiness to. mpAnS to the eall far assistancs; In an .emsr■gen.cy, ancl to take whatever risk may be involved, must be dfetjngnisWd from the heroism o! tfe sollicr or the exploKr who undortitetts % task -of »es,t danger and'"hardship With % full knowledge of the perils he wili tev.e tfflfflccj yet ti- gives an inst-iuc-Tlm insjghtf i:ffito a interesttng ■Rhase fff human Hie- ;and. character. MiljJafy gloiy is a thing by kiOJ ma- Jt is pnly a few rare spirits Ihtt ,-ha\* the jppiporiiJliity of partaking in the perils of tlie cxplsrer pi ' tinkttOw.ri. whereas'the feds-of GQ-ui-sge -o! Site ■pe!;ice.mah.. the .ctoet-ar, .thftssamant the■rftilwaj' the fireiiiaii., the toinejy and -other pettjJ-ie ijj.'Che ctfmmon occupaitws ot .daily life gwe an that file- average niwri ha? a c% aqtty for Stftat tferags-wihen- the pebid -arises. And this hap fee'n verifed over $0 :o#r ; agiin by the splendiW; behav-iottr etMrMSe vtiry Ordinir}' ,p;eoplo -faced. by .goiiifi JJ.verwMlniing disaster.' s|Ke ?ivJsra>e Bri. tishfil ca ; n 'a;Ct. Jjerojcitlfy 4ad!die Kb amm when the Be<?d/ Jtrlsos:. Nearly sxevyelfipptt&k s «cfikitfcl; j pro%s th.is,.r;.[-,C6m.mentin.g : :6n Yon Mike's , wei.Klt.ft'6-w.n 'Saying, tltat .: "without war -the •World: wpiijy fa ! terio-rate-into -ma^rial-ism, 3 '- f-RotBS-SOR 'Sop.BS I'e.m.a-r-.ks that f'sofflehow ■or other -courage, of ■ tfa. .ancient,, heroic,, jiiysicaj kind has , ,pr&-■ .served in charEtctctr, ' Var is- jiot *he Conxion fliat■calls it idpth, Co.ur-sge tff : ih;e- samesort is I'ecfwred. b.\' ilje explorer artK t'ho inventor—by s those wh'a pather tfet "ma-tcrial for science, • .and' hy thesis : Who apply its ifteas for-, p-rgmoting ft«na : h interests. ,5 ,This is gn-ifetruCi and the writer might, -Wet), have g.o.rte .still further and pointed : <ftrt that m times of Suddto danger Jjhe ipajtjrrty el mto .a«d lyomcD in .a. British cqiu* mnnity display a rea.liy , .surprlsih.g. degree of qattrag-c and : sei-f'-sa.orificei It may be sai-d- thdt such eoniucfc, however praisq-wprthy, Is efto quite iineonsamis , , aijd thei-eiore no test of character j httt a m&n's spontaneous —almast dnsti.ne.tive—behaviour in; a great cmergcn.cy is determined by those ideals, hsbifai and aspirations out of wMeh his charri.c-fc.r has been gfadftaljy formed... • The horoic stuff must be in t'hß man, or it caiinDt Go.nie aut when the call fqr heioism cameg. But it is n.ot osly rn great; catastrophes that this in-n-ate bravery sljojys Itself, Very often it is only % «.cc:iden* thsit the- world hears anyfchrag of the everyday deeds of ou'tStanding courage,- and thosii who do &»m are in :«|a : ny cases quite itti-cori* aeicttts of haying, done- atiytlii'n'g , e%' oeptipnal, Softie- time ago the'iycmdon Spectator brought' t<y light the case of a you-ftg doctor y/hn _sacriii.cfid his life in the c.oitrs.:e 6f his preicssionttl work.. A cii.il cj ■ pn whom trachoQ'taroy ted teoti perforrn-ed t© . rolim s s % hreathing :iin.ustha;vc diied of diphtheria unless She suiffocstinfi: Sifliniiiriyie was sucked StWuy 'through a. ttihi), fho doctor risked and lost' his own. life in his attempt to fiaro the- child, w'hieft proved mi^iidcessfitl.. J If. the operation ha.d. not bs-eii iiMfind' cd.by su-qh tragic results the* ouiside world would prtfhahlv ficvar ha\' te lieardof the Jtettw'a heroism. That ft- psliceiiian sh-ouJd meet his de>th dpiirg.'his ordinAr-j/ fcy, iih-d that six o-ther men should lose .thcii , lives in an effort to hdp a nc%h.bouf in atime of -need, nmy-be a ftonißly and' cOTHiianplaee kind flf im-cpnseious harflism; bitt We all iiistincMvely re-cogft-jse. that such acts of -practical sympathy he.t-i? to steen^tlien , those social and moral ties whieli. bine} a ■eommuntty togjEthcj , , aftd , deeply regret that in the present instance their consequences have been so clisastroasi