The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-07-18
Something About Pain.

"What an unaccountable thing, my
friends" said Socrates on the morning
before he drank the hemlock, that
seems to be which men call pleasure
and how wonderfully it is related
toward that which appears to be its
contrary. pain in that they will not
both be present to man at the same
time, yet if any one pursues and over
takes the one, he is almost always COM
PEELED to receive the other, as if they
were both united together to form one
head [ suffered pain in my
leg before from the chain, but now
pleasure seems to have succeeded"
The dividing line between pleasure
and pain is hard to find. We cry for
Joy; intense misery frequently induces
hysterical laughter. The same nerves
that thrill with pleasure thrill also with
pain. The same avenues through which
pleasure enters the soul permit pain
also to enter. Pain is the shadow of
pleasure and never far from it. If we
could sum up our sensations for num-
Der of years and strike daily average,
we would doubtless find that those OF
pleasure far outnumber those of pain,
even in years of adversely. The morn
ing light, the evening shade, the sweet
sounds of Nature, the grateful taste of
bread and water, the changing seasons,
the faces of friends, the voices of loved
ones-these are daily pleasures that we
take for granted and do not count.
While one nights toothache, one brief
attack of illness, a disaster in business,
will make deeper impression on us
than ten thousand mercies make. How
many of us are blind to the comforts
and blessings bestowed on us, while we
dwell on the worries and annoy ances
that iAfest our lives Gas they infest all
liVes).
There are many rays in the solar
spectrum not visible to the naked eye,
but not less important in the economy
of life than are the rainbow hues, at
sight of which our "hearts leap up"
The heat rays and the chemical rays are
invisible but mighty. Were the solar
ray only illuminating, there could be no
life. Vegetation depends on the chemi-
cal and heat rays.
Pleasure is the illumination of life;
pain corresponds to the invisible rays
of the spectrum. Were pain to be
taken out of our lives, as at present con-
stituted all spiritual growths would be
arrested. All births are through pain.
Our wish that we could enjoy only pleas
urable sensations, were it gratifed, would
result in the development of the weak
est and most superficial parts OF our ma
ture, leaving the depths of our souls un-
touched. j
What musician would choose an or
gan or piano of no larger compass
than the notes that may reproduced by
the human voice, running from the low
est bass to the highest treble? Like
music from such an instrument is the
Joy of soul that has never known
grief. Pain and sorrow and affection
and bereavement and disappointment
are necessary to develop the largest
capacities of the soul, to sweep all its
chords and bring out its highest, its
deepest, its richest and fullest har-
monies.
Can not we see why we should ''count
it all JOY when we fall into divers temp
tations'' or trials? These trials unfold
the capacities of our spirits; they sepa-
rate the gold from the dross, so that in
the pure molten metal the image of the
Reiner may be perfectly reflected.
They lift us into higher ranges OF
thought and experience than we could
otherwise attain. They open to us new
and beautiful vistas of truth. They
flash light into the depths of darkness
and despair, and show US how we may
rescue our fellows and ourselves from
death NJ Y Tyib7l7ze