The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-05-28

The Relations Between These Two States of
Human Beings-Understanding Them.
a1er 80 "a III x,ndon SpectaforI t=slv5rf

The Relations Between These Two States of
Human notwithstanding Them.
a1f 5ntt London Spectator.J =,fvag
The great hindrance to an understanding
of lifelong illness is that every one knows
a. little of illness, and most people
fancy that transltory experience enables
them to judge of permanent condition.
No mistake is more natural, but
we believe none to be more entire. We
can judge about as well of the hardships of
poverty from remembering some Alpine
journey IN which dinner was not to be had
when it was much wanted, as we can, by
recalling some attack of sharp fever, or the
confinement of a sprained ankle, imagine
what it is to exchange the interests, pains
and pleasures of this busy world for those
of the sick room. 1t is very important,
however, and not very easy, to remember
that the actual circumstances of, any
thing permanent are altogether different
from the circumstances of anything transit
tory. There would be abundant sympathy
for the ills of life ii they would last only q
short time. Many invalids will say that they
do not want sympathy, but this is hardly
ever entirely true, and it is never true that
they do not want what sympathy brings.
actually lessen suffering, and if this is often
not the caSe it Is undeniable that an atmOs-
phere of tender, absorbing anxiety does make
bearable all but the worst and rarest physi-
cal ills. Many who can recall some short
attack OF dangerous illness, preceded and
followed by health, will say that no memory
is more precious to them.
The effort at understanding state very
different from their own, like every other
effort can not be urged on the sick as 1t can
that it ought not to be- urged on the sick at
all. Lifelong illness would be, we are GER
tain, more tolerable, if the invalid
cond realize the difficulties 1t
imposes on the surrOunders. Doubt
less there is pain in the recognition, and a
sort of pain to which there is nothing paral-
lei in the corresponding effort on the part of
the sound. But it would save far more pain
than its inflicts, in all circumstances to re-
cognize1 the cost at which every one puts
himself in the place of another.
Those who are busting about in the world
must take their neighbors as they find
them. They at any. moment can change
| their atmosphere. and they do not carry
about moral thermometer, to see whether
1t is exactly suited to their taste and tenn
permanent, or if they do, they are taught
their mistake. The Invalid, on the other
that you should bring no Earring
ideas to an atmosphere he can not
change at will; but he seldom sees that this,
| like every other peculiar demand, must re-
lease some form of energy to compensate for
that which it absorbs. The principle of the
conservation of force is the greatest help to
mutual federation that the intellectual
| world can supply, and, translated into the
language of - common life, this
scientific expression means no more
than the homely adoge that you can moi
1 eat your cake and have it. We are always
forgetting it. 1t is O constant temptation to
believe that any one who behaved rightly
i would be able to spend great moral energy In
one direction without having less to spend in
another. Certainly mans moral energy ii
not limited in the way that his purse is. Prac
tically. however, it is limited. Every excep
tioual claim implies some surrender. The
invalid whose nerves must be sheltered. who
must have intercourse adjusted to suit him
can not be looked up to as source of infu
ence. He must not expect to be at once
deferred to as capable person and sheltered
as a weak one Etl.its1 I.sas