ABSTRACT
Courage is resistance to the natural fear of danger. It is compounded of various elements which make up a complex whole that appears under different aspects. The European War gives the opportunity of making a great many very interesting psychological reflections on the subject of courage, for the observations recorded on the various battlefields are most instructive. The cruel and sanguinary conditions of modern warfare were certain to produce either defeat or heroism. The heroism has indeed become so general that it may be considered an elementary quality. Habit plays a preponderant part in the genesis of the continuous courage which is made necessary by modern warfare. Mental contagion, which is a very powerful factor in social life, is a still greater one in the existence of the soldier, for it alone produces that group-cohesion without which no military action is possible.
