DIFFICULTIES OF HEROISM.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1412, 17 May 1917, Page 4

DIFFICULTIES OF HEROISM.

The'difficulty of being honoured as a prophet in one’s own country is only equalled by that of being regarded as a hero in one’s own family, according to this little anecdote told by Kathleen Burke in “The White Road to Verdun.”

“I never see a hand grenade without thinking how difficult it is just now to be a hero in France. Every man is really a hero, and the men who have medals are almost ashamed, since they know that nearly all their comrades merit them. It is especially difficult to be a hero in one’s own family. One of the men in our hospi-

tal at Royaumont had been in the * trenches during an attack. A grenade thrown by one of the French soldiers struck the parapet and rebounded amongst the men. With that rapidity of thought which is part of the French character, Jules sat on the grenade and extinguished it. For this act of bravery he was decorated by the French Government, and wrote home to tell his wife. I found him sitting up in bed, gloomily reading her reply, and I inquired why he looked so glum. ‘Well, Mademoiselle,’ he replied, ‘I wrote to my wife to tell her of my new honour, and see what she says: “My Dear Jules, —We are not surprised you got a medal for sitting on a hand

grenade; we have never known you to do anything else, but sit down at home!”’”