Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-04-08
The Lack Of Sympathy.

The want of sympathy pervades go.
ciety. We do not know each other, or
do not care for each other as We ought
to do. Selfshness strikes its roots very
deep. In pursuit of pleasure or wealth
we become hard and indifferent; each
person is eager to run his or her race,
without regard to the feelings Of others.
We do not think of helping onward
those who have heavier burdens to bear
than ourselves. Judge Talfourd's last
words pointed out the mischief of such
u condition. 1t makes men regardless
OF fraud and crime; not recognizing
the brotherhood of the race, they sci
fishly and keenly pursue their own
interests over the bodies and souls, and
over the lives and property of others.
Don't Care" can scarcely be reused
by voice from the dead. He is so
much engrossed by his own pleasures,
his own business or his own idleness,
that he will give no heed to the press
ing claims of others. The discussions
about poverty, ignorance or suffering,
annoy him. Let them work." he
says; " why should keep them? Let
item help themselves" The sloth is
an energetic animal compared with
Don't care"
But Don't Care is not let off go
easily as he imagines. The man who
does not care for others, who does not
sympathize with and help others, is
very often pursued with Just retribu.
ton. He doesn't care for the foul pes
tilential air breathed by the Inhabitants
OF houses few streets Off; but the
fever which has been bred there floats
into his house, and snatches away those
who are dearest to him. He doesn't
care for the criminality, ignorance and
poverty massed there; but the burglar
and the thief find him out in his seclu-
sion; he doesn't care for pauperism
but he has to psy the heavy poor srate
half-yearly. He doesn't care for poll
tics, but there is an income tax which
is war tax; and after all, he finds that
Don't Care is not such cheap policy
after all.
The political economists say that the
relationship of master and servant is
simply money. bargain-so much serv-
ice so much wage. In the calculations
of the economists, this is doubtless the
contract which they are required. to
recognize. But the moralist, the phil
osopher, the statesman, the man, should
acknowledge, in the positions of master
and servant, a social tie, imposing upon
the parties certain duties and affections
growing out of their, common symps-
thies as humsn beings, and the positions
they respectively fill. There should be
kindness on both sides, with the respect
due to immortal beings. Without this
sort of respect, Shich can only exist
where the sense of the real dignity of
man as living soul has penetrated,
not merely in the convictions but in
the feelings, any amelioration OF the
condition of society 10 hopeless.
"Yesl" said Sidney Smith, she is OF
the utilitarisn SCHOOL,! The man is so
hard that you might drive a broad
wheeled wagon over him and it would
produce no impression. If you we're
| to bore holes in him with gimlet, l
am convinced sawdust would come out
of him. That school treat mankind as
If they were mere machines; the feel
ings or the heart never enter into their
! consideration"
Where has orr faithfulness, loyalty
and disinterestedness gone? Fidelity
seems to be lost art; it is now matter
Of money. Mutual respect has de-
parted. He that respects.not is not
respected" says Herbert. We have to
80 back to the old times for our guiding
msxins. The workman respects not the
master, and the master respects not the
servsns. For many years the workmen
in this country received higher wages
than prevailed over the rest Of Europe;
that time has come to close. Rail
ways and steamboats, tend to make the
wages OF all countries nearly equal; the
time has come when all classes will
have to begin new course of life.-
Duty" by Samuel Smiles.