"WHAT IS COURAGE?"

Chronicle (Levin), 26 November 1946, Page 9

"WHAT IS COURAGE?"

Received Monday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Nov. '24. Broadcasting 011 ' ' What is Courage?" Lieut.-General Slim, the Commander of the 14th Army in Southeast Asia, said: "Moral courage is a higher and rarer. virtue than physical courage, bnt to be really great a man or nation must'possess both forms. "No other army ever possessed physical courage as the Japanese did. The Japanese generals shared their men's physical bravery to Ihe full, bui lacked moral courage." We played on this weakness, and by it the Japanese commanders lost their battles 'and destroyed their armies. General Slim added that eomplete cowards were almost non-existent. A large number of nien and women would behave in an emergency with extremo gallantry. ' ' Individual acts of the liighest physical courage were performed by tliose with either quick intelligence or vivid iniagination, or by those without imagination and with their minds lixed on the practical business of living. "I always found that women, when really tested, were at least equally as brave as men. "The British have their own special kind of eourse — courage that goes 011. The- British are no braver than the Germans, French, Italians or aiiybody else, but they are brave for a bit longer in great moments. We have based our national courage 011 a faitli — a decent life and freedom of spirit. That has been our strength."