The Banner-Democrat., 1892-12-31
A HARD STORY.
Kindly Sympathy and True Tact shown IN
the Breaking OF Sad News.


Kindly Sympathy and True Tact shown in
the Breaking of Sad News.
Looking over the journals Of old Fa-
ther Ward, for many years pastor In
Ironburg, a railroad and mining center
of Pennsylvania, writes a correspon-
dent, came across narrative which
shows the difficulty of breaking the
news of accidental death, and also re-
veals the fact that the roughest natures
have in them true sympathy and tact.
The engineer of whom Father Ward
speaks was a well-lnown character in
Ironburg. He died two years ago. Fa-
ther Ward was writing in his study one
morning, when the bell rang and his
wife came up to say that rough-look-
ing man wanted to see him. He went
down at once, and there stood rail-
road engineer, evidently just OF from
run. He.was standing in the hall, and
the minister asked him to come in and
sit down.
"Much obliged, but I'd rather not,
said the engineer. II haint time. Fact
is, we run over boy comm in, and
thought maybe you wouldn't mind COM
in down to see II you knew his folks
and could break the news to 'em gentle
like"
ssWhy, of course, I'll go at once" /
went along with the messenger, asking
questions as we walked hastily down to
the tracks.
"How did it happen?"
gsyUo1I ho <c Vn,, lxunvv the
big embanAment this side the bridge?
We were running by it, when the boy
seemed to allfrom the very top OF 1t.
rolled down to the track and under the
engine wheels"
"Was he killed at once?"
was dreading the whole affair, and
especially the telling the news to his
mother. whoever she might be.
"Yes; don't think he was conscious
when the train hit him He was spared
suffering. We picked him up, and
when reached the station at the end
of my run had him carried right into
my house. and then came up to see
you You remember when you came
and broke the news of my Willie's sud.
den death to me, parson. 1t seemed to
me then that if anybody could sympa'
thize, you could"
recalled the time when had beer
obliged to go to this man and tell him
of distressing death in his own family
a death that had occurred while he wat
off on long run.
The engineer spoke again, after 8
slight pause.
| death is awful sudden sometimes
I hope you will be able to comfort the
| mother, parson. It will be grea'
blow to her."
eyes, a great blow. How old wal
the boy?"
"About ten. A beautiful boy. Brown
curly hair and blue eyes About the
age of my Willie. You don't think, d.
YOU, parson, that you will dread to-
much to go and tell the mother tina
her boy is in Heaven?''
mo; but, Of course, dread the duty
Think if it should be my own boyr'
eyes; and, of course, it might be
Same as mine was taken sudden when
had no thought of it. We ought al
ways to be ready, oughtn't we, parson?
Always" answered. with q curiou
feeling of dread upon me. We ha.
reached the house. There was a crow
about it. They parted silently an
respectfully for us as we passed in
| And even as 1 grew near the bed wher
the mangled form lay, did not realiz
what had actually happened.
| NY friend the engineer laid one han
on my shoulder as he drew coverin
from of the face of the dead, and sait
in tones of sympathy which nothin
but his own sad loss could have taugf
him: .'Parson, it's the hardest thing
ever had to do, and I've bungled abor
It, but God can help you and the motht
to bear it."
And 1 looked into the face Of ii
dead, and it was the face of my ow
boy!
had forgotten that he was at pla
! that morning with neighbor near tt
embankment In some way, we new,
, learned how, he had fallen over B,
to the day of my death, come it soon I
late, 1 shall never forget the feelir
, | that came to my wife and myself whe
, time had healed the wound of our To-
the feeling of kindred sympathy an
tact which sorrow teaches even Il
toughest hearts to show TO others
!. bereavement.
Il Those words, ''God can help You an
the mother to bear it." proved to n
the value of my own consultations
the presence of the last grim enen
and my own great loss.-Youth's Cor
panion.