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Show MUCH GOOD IN HERO WORSHIP Admiration of Other's Gcod Points Bound to Lead to Desire for Emulation. Hero worship Is inborn in man. It began with the beginning of the human hu-man race, and will end only with its finish. As Carlyle once put it: "It is the joy of man's heart to admire where he can; nothing so lifts him from all his mean imprisonments, were it only for moments, as true admiration." ad-miration." Nor is it only the great and good who admire what 'is really admirable. Even the vicious respect in others the fine qualities which they themselves lack. In fact, hypocrisy itself is but the tribute which vice pays to virtue. Deprived of the genuine genu-ine article, the hypocrite takes unto himself the counterfeit; assuming or aping the noble traits which command the respect of thinking men. Since the world has ever had, and ever will have, its heroes or ideals, clearly it is of prime importance that it have none but the very best placed before it. Truly worthy heroes and ideals are among the world's most prolific sources of great deeds. It goes without saying that the example of generals like Napoleon and our own Washington served, as well as any other cause, to spur on their men to feats of valor when the army's courage cour-age was on the point of failing. And, not to enter into too many details, the same holds true in every other walk or department of life. It is the pace set by the leaders, the examplars in a word, by the heroes that urges on their admirers to attempt the performance per-formance of worthy, if not of positively positive-ly great, deeds. They may not be able in most cases, they will not be able to attain to the ideal; to rival the achievements of their idols. But at all events, it is well to aim high. Like the prudent marskman, we must make a little allowance for the law of gravity, and the consequent drop in distance. If the hero-worshiper cannot can-not equal the brilliant acts of his hero, at least he can follow him at a respectable distance, and even so much is a great gain both for himself him-self personally and for society at large. |