A CHAPLAIN'S COURAGE

New Zealand Tablet, 26 July 1906, Page 37

A CHAPLAIN'S COURAGE

There are many varieties of physical courage. Men brave as the bravest in the ordinary dangers of life, fearless as heroes amid the deadly perils of the battlefield, will suddenly display the timidity of children in circumstances that warrant no anxiety whatever. During the Crimean war Herbillon's division of the French army suffered considerably from the ravages of the cholera. When the sickness was at its height and the death rate daily growing, the whole body of soldiery grew greatly disturbed, and conversation on all sides became very gloomy. What troubled the men most was the conviction that the pest was actively contagious, — that the mere "touching of a cholera patient or victim communicated the dreadful disease. Accordingly, the camp impressed them as a region of terror ; and, strong as was their sense of duty, their continual anguish threatened to demoralize them completely. The French General had employed every available means of restoring the spirits of his battalions, >and with the majority had "been successful. The troops had shaken' off their unreasoning fears in all parts of the camp save one. In that particular qoi-arter the epidemic raged with especial severity a nd the soldiers were still dominated by terror. ' What in the world shall we do, Father ?' said the General one evening to Father Parabere. ' Those fellows appear to me to be actually afraid, to have succumbed to fear.' ' Oh, then, Fear must be shown Ihat we are Frenchmen and Christians. Leave the matter to me, Cieneral.' The chaplain made his way to the quarter indicated. A poor soldier was just at his last gasp Father Parabere knelt down by him, consoled him, gave him absolution, a nd finally when death came closed his eyes. Then he called the dead man's comrades near the body, and endeavored to persuade them that the disease was not contagious,— that there was not the least danger. Some of the men shaking their heads incredulously, he continued : Eh ! You strll seem to doubt. You don't believe me to-night ? Well, we'll see whether you won't take my word for it to-morrow.' Without more ado, the chaplain' nuietly lay down alongside the dead body, and disnosefl himself to pass the whole night with this novel bed-fellow. Father Parabere remained at his post for a good many hours, leaving it only when called to assist another dying man. The next morning the incident was related all over the camp; and the soldiers after ejaculating 'Our chaplain's not afraid, anyway' concluded that they might very sensibly throw aside their own fears.—' Aye Maria.'