Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-12-24
CONCERNING GREE.


Cr'ef ought to be private, at least so
much as it may be mastered to that end
like love, which is not to be paraded
but reserved, and, when uncovered at
all, only in some sanctuary. Indeed,
grief is part of loves experience and
why, then, to he paraded more than
loves joysP Nay, but to be modestly
draped. Nevertheless, grief is more 10
be allowed IN public than the uncover
ing of raptdres of affect on. And this
by common consent; for the most deli
ca'e minded, who would hide caress
under curtains, will not rcbuke tears
harshly. 1t is understood that the one
may b. restrained If there be right
sense to do t, but the other not ALWAYS.
For n kiss or an intent look, or other
signs of love, may bc locked resolute!v,
but tears rush too quickly for comm md.
But some signs of grief are deliberate
and then offensive; among which ]
could count the wearing of mourning
clothes, which every way are bad, for
they reinforce what time should as
suage and hem tn, heart in the marble
courts Of death, when it should retreat
inward to the dwellng-room of men,
ory; also, they make or woe an in.
trudrr on social chncrfulness-
black spot on the bright colors of COM
pany. But chiefly, mourning vesture is
bad rs an o,tcntation, for it courts lo
ice of n'ler privacy, and bla ;ons On
the body what should be hidden in tie
heart. Grief often shows Itself in a way
saldcr than the grief, because the or II
$ little and the show large, which is
debasement. Nay, by obsorvat on at
funerals, often | have en- persuad d
that the manner of grieying was set by
convent on, and the amount thereof u$-
signed, and the mourners but serv tors
of the fashion. For | have seen plnnlv
many things done because they We're cx-
peced, and even lest the neighbors
should suspect lack Of due grief
which, indeed, is rightly to be suspect
cd in such case, for, as johnson fays,
that whenever there is real misery there
IS no recourse to tho mention of it, so
wherever sorrow Is very sincere there IS
no anx city to have credit for it. Also
this cant or flourish of grief loaps to
view. like compressed ball, rebound
'ng, IN qu'ck trans tons often TO be met
Which shock y sincere heart; for though
the natural rebound of the heart is to be
pralsol, quietness and righte )us cheer
tulness are enough, but hilarity verges
to profanat;on; yet after many cries
and abundant tears, much Grape and
llowers and words, | have beheld the
funeral baked meats set forth, and NIL
the company seated with m;rth which,
though it had strong wings to riso with,
had but heavy and unclean body to my
thinking.
Is grief or joy the more poignantP
Both will kill, as many instances show.
pat Joy destroys in one way only, grief
in two ways, For both kill suddenly in
the same manner, which is by shock.
But whereas Joy, if it kills at ALL must
kill suddenly, for in itself it is strength
ening and gives elasticity TO life, grief
not only kills suddenly by shock, but
also slowly may wear out the life; for it
depresses vitality. Grief is the more
poignant, we may conclude, because the
signs of it less easily are controlled.
Also 1t is not so easy to aooustom one
self to pan as 10 pleasure, whether bod
lily or mental; for pleasures mingle and
succeed each other, and no one Of them
can continue very long without blunt
ing the sense TO it; but a torment is
more like to stand alone, and the ache
is no anodyne for itself, until, by sheer
fatigue, we sleep.
Little gr.efs Gf indeed small annoy
anccs, disappointments and tho like,
should be called by this name, which has
a certain holiness in it) enforce them
selves on US mpIe than little pleasures
DO; for We treat joys as We do wonders.
81 Gregory says: 'fThe normal mani
fcstations of nature, which are full of
marvels, deeper than we can investi-
gate, have become cheap from custom
in the eyes of mon, Hence 1t comes to
pass that dead man raised to life would
cause all men to spring up in astonish-
ment yet every hour one that had no
being is born and no man wonders;
though it IS plain to all without doubt
that it is a greater thing for that to be
created which was without being than
for that which had being to be re-
stored" So it is with our pleasures;
being multiplied and repeated daily,
II is the same as if they occurred not ut
all. For as the body or soul grows
blunt to any one of them if too long
continued, so we become insensible to
all of them together by the constancy of
the benefits. Perhaps among five hun
dred men who walk home at night, two
or three will look at the sky piously;
but if no stars having ever been, they
were to burst forth suddenly rs now
they shine every night, tho multitude
would fall on their knees, This shows
two things: l. That pleasures must ex-
coed the pains IN number, for as pains
must enforce themselves, il they were
more, or even as many, we should be
unhappy continually. 2. That it is not
wise or we'll to lose benefits in the wide
showers Of them, so as to miss The
sounds of the drops thereof; for thereby
we lose vast deal of life, as he loses
flavor who takes delicious draught at
q swallow, and tastes no more of it
than the first contact with the tongue
Both joy and grief are expressed by
tears; by laughter also, though the
laughter of pain has q dreadful ring in
it, while tears lo0k the same, however
she'd Why do these two signs belong
in common to Joy and grefP This I
can not tell. Yet observe that great
joys and great griefs verge on each 9TH
er, or even lap. The keenest joys have
margins of pain, anxiety, dread; the
koenest grief an attendant of satisfac-
tion in the feeling which so can be ag-
greved, as l have observed in lovers;
for the woe of loss or the pain of Separ-
alton must rest on the joy of love.
Hence, perhaps, 1t ia that the express
sions of very great bliss orsorrow verge
to each osheM and it is notable that
only very keen joy weeps. and terrible
grief laughs. ST. Louis Globe Demo-
I crdk.