I think that in some ways my friend was larger than life. I do not mean to exaggerate her virtues or to claim a place for her among mankind’s immortals. She was an ordinary woman and she herself was well aware of this fact. Nor do I mean to suggest condescension towards the common people, as though only by citing the unusual strength of her good qualities, can I then separate her from the masses.
No, she would not have wanted that, either. She was proud of her common roots, her links to toiling humanity. Rather, for her, the kind of humor Lincoln displayed when a lady remarked that he had such a common face. Lincoln smiled and replied: “The good lord must love the common people, because he made so many of them.” Yet, in this simple pride, we sometimes lose sight of one who somehow has risen above the average.
It doesn’t mean she invented new gadgets or wrote scientific treatises, though she had an excellent mind that could comprehend much. Rather, it was in her own moral goodness, in her strength of character, that she distinguished herself. Today we are all aware of the many temptations that face us on every front, and how easy it is to make excuses for young people when they stray.
It is thus reassuring to see someone who can lead a good life along the straight and narrow path, and do so with grace and courage. It is reassuring to know someone can still go from cradle to grave and make of her life a moral testament to faith and common sense, as though nothing could be simpler.
Not for her the pitfalls that come with an open ear to the lies of flatterers; not for her the striving after the windfalls that might come from gambling, crime, or debauchery. Short-term gain at the expense of one’s soul meant absolutely nothing to her; and it is not surprising that while many were wallowing in complacency and self-pity, she found the inner strength to speak out for her rights as an American.
She was an old-fashioned Christian who understood that it was wrong to lie and swear and cheat or to covet what others had earned. She was no stranger to hard work and understood the dignity and pride of honest labor. She was a modest woman, yet her virtues spoke for themselves–and she influenced others readily. Indeed, it was especially in this area that her best qualities lifted her far above the crowd.
It is in the high esteem her friends held her that she becomes larger than life. It was in her Christian faith and piety that we see her honoring the age-old human traditions of loyalty to friends and belief in the goodness of people. She was not without her faults; she would have acknowledged them readily. She knew she could be impatient, had a bit of a temper–could even be ornery and stubborn.
Yet what are simply petty faults in most people, did not keep company with any worse vices of temperament. Her beliefs and actions
take on a rainbow hue of great clarity and beauty when added to her unswerving dedication to high ideals. It was the steadfastness of her character that was so remarkable and influenced others so strongly. In every lifetime, if we are lucky, we meet people who give us the strength to be strong, and that was one of Helen’s most endearing qualities.
There is a danger to exaggeration when writing something about a person so recently deceased and yet I do not believe time will change this fundamental opinion I have of Helen’s moral strength and her ability to persevere against all obstacles.
She inspired others because within herself she had tapped into the deep roots of human passion: of reason, of faith, of belief in ideals and goals larger than herself. By so doing, she inspired others, despite herself; by so doing, she created a sterling example of what one human being can achieve within one lifetime.
It sometimes is infuriating to realize that our society repeatedly produces such a weak-kneed group of politicians, some of them suspect in their morals and private dealings. And all the while we have such wonderful American citizens, like Helen, who understood instinctively what true democratic principles entail.
I sometimes experienced this same feeling with my own parents– that they would have made far better leaders than many of the men and women who got elected. And I’m sure this is true of many other American citizens who place democratic principles before greed and selfishness. In their own lifetimes, at least, they refused to be corrupted by others. They keep faith with the past and by so doing they show the right way to the future. In this simple but time-honored courage– this devotion to human decency at its best, Helen’s life and reputation lives on: the shining example of the moral individual that has existed since time immemorial and which will never perish.
There will be, in time, other persons who will do the same. I suppose on all continents and in all centuries, among all races and all cultures, the people have always had their exceptional individuals. As I say, she would not wish for me to claim a degree of greatness for her that would separate her from the people.
Nevertheless, she was unique and I doubt that if one searched the world over, that one could find another like her. She was of pioneer stock with strength and courage that many of us today in this modern generation barely know how to comprehend–let alone find ourselves able to emulate.
And yet at the close of her life, as at the start, there it was, the same moral message handed down through the ages: the essence of morality-—honesty and loyalty kept safe as though to say, it’s easy and simple! It’s there, inside of you!
It’s in each of us, this strength that comes from right conduct, virtue, and moral living–from the caring about others and from reasonable views strongly held with spirit and humor. And from this simplicity, this dignity, came that extra-special quality of character that made her larger than life!
Helen Cowan didn’t merely whittle away her hours spent here on earth; she transformed her life into a living breathing testament to the vitality of humanity. She reminded us all that it is no sin to be proud to be human–and that sometimes a little bit of pride is justified in the name of a higher duty.
She showed us how to stay on the straight road and how to fight when the struggle for justice is hardest and most needed.
She had a heart full of love and she passed on her love, her faith, her moral understanding, and her courage to many others, including her only daughter, Adrienne. Helen, the unsung heroine, remains larger than life because her appreciation of the vastness of the world and the unlimited potential of all human beings everywhere, was itself larger than life.
This love–this dream, this courage–that she shared with her daughter and closest friends, lives on. “Behold, the dreamer cometh!”
