Heroes of To-Day

Heroes of To-Day

There are no heroes to-day, no real heroes, are there? put in another. Oh, of course I know there are great men who do important things, he added, but there isnt any story to what they do, is there?anything like the daring deeds of the knights and vikings, or of the American pioneers? Of course I tried to tell the children that the times in which we live bring out as true hero stuff as any time gone by. Nay, I grew quite eloquent in speaking of the many phases of our complex modern life with its many duties, its new conscience, its new feeling of individual responsibility for the welfare of all. Then I told the stories of some of the heroes who are fighting in the patient modern way, not against flesh and blood with sword and spear, but against the unseen enemies of disease and pestilence; against the monster evils of ignorance, poverty and injustice. We decided that the modern viking, Jacob Riis, had a story that was as truly adventurous as those of the plundering vikings of long ago; that Dr. Grenfell, the strong friend of Labrador, had certainly proved that life might be a splendid adventure; and that the account of Captain Scotts noble conquest of every danger and hardship, and at the last of disappointment and defeat itself, was indeed an undying story. Joyously we followed the trail of that splendid hero of the heights, John Muir, and of that gentle lover of the friendly by-paths of Nature, John Burroughs, and found that there was no spot in woods or fields, among mountains or streams, that did not have its wonder tale. The stories of those brave soulslike Edward Trudeau, the good physician of Saranac, and Samuel Pierpont Langley, the inventor of the heavier-than-air flying-machine, who struggled undaunted in the face of failure for a success that only those who should come after them might enjoy, were particularly inspiring. From them we turned to the heroic figure of the prophet-engineer, General Goethals, who proved that faith and perseverance can truly remove mountains; and Herbert C. Hoover, master of mines and of men, whose great talent for organization and efficient management brought bread to starving millions. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 47988
Author: Parkman, Mary Rosetta
Release Date: Jan 16, 2015
Format: eBook
Language: English