The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1894-11-09
uSrSrESuoyAE CRUELTY

luN NlsaA thlAHtANNf "NN
harm has snsued FROM certain action,
and they measure the guilt oi the door
accordingly; whereas the degree oi bis
eulpability depends mainly on the Pur-
pose he hsd In view at the time This
point In ethics is frequently discussed,
and the duty clearly shown u rssorying
cur judgment aud spahng our csnsurs'
when the motives u those We criiicise
are hidden from Ne. aud, although We
are far from having attained TO the
charity which such a course would In
svitably establish, ils spirit is In the air.
and, to some degree, isbscoming Infused
into al Of Ne. We must not. however,
f.ll iulo the opposite error Of dismlssins
results from our censidsralion. II isa
duty too little insisted upon 10 look Tor
ward 10 the probable vilscts Of that
which Nc are about TO do. Especially
10 this binding when the happiness ~
welfare Of others are concerned, a. they
usually aro. There is certain amount
oferuelty that cannot claim to be unin.
territorial. The angry man, Who vents
his passion la miurinEa man Who has
displcascd him, or Ia Furnishing child
who has annoyed hin, or Ia abusing a
horse who does not understand him, 10
guilty Of deliberate cruelty. 80 is the
rsvsngeful man, who harbor. an otienss
with the purpose oirelaliaiion, aud Who
delights In innioling pain ON one whom
he believes 10 have done him an injury.
A furious mob, bent upon lynching some
vrslehsd criminal, instead OF resigning
him to the justice Of the Law, isintSniion'
ally cruel. 80 IL the master who, with
the sole motive Of personal gain, work,
and stAryes and otherwise distrssses
ths.A ~hs ara dspandent -upon him for
their livelihood. There i Also biting
sarcasm and ln,selive, which, being the
fruit Of personal hatred, fairly comes
under the same head
But all these, aud similar easss, do
not exhaust the cruelty Of the world,
Indeed. Il lie probable that, ihsuEh they
are certainly Tar more rcprchensible,
they arc lar less numerous than those
acts which are cruel through thought
lessnsss or eArslessness, and have no
anger or vindietiyenesa behind them. II
We could sludy out the needless suffering
inflicted by men upon each other, We
should md large majority Of II TO be
quite unintentlonal, involuntary, and
even unknown 10 those who caused IL.
No plea In excuse IL morc irequen, than
that there had been no such purpose.
They forget that
Hvil IL wrought BY want Of thought
Aswsn a. BY want Of heart
That they meant no harm to their
nsighbors or friends, or the public, is
we'll; but their responsibility did not
end thsrs. They should have besn
very sure that their acts wsie a. hes
from harm A. lhslr intentions. Ruskin
says, ina letter Of advice tos Young
person; Perhaps you think there IL
NO chance Of your being cruel, aud In.
deed I hope II lie not likely that you
should be deliberately unkind to any
creature, but unless you are deliberately
Kind 70 every creature YOU will often be
cruel 70 many" This 4. good doelrins
Positive good lie the best means Of curing
negative evil. When We are deliberately
planning 10 increase tbs happiness OF
others, and to further their welfare, We
are net likely TO lniure them by thought.
lsss actions
The habit Of considering the probable
results Of oar own conduct cannot bs
TOO carefully cultivated, It brings into
play many valuable quailities-inlslli.
Renes, foresight, judgment, and, per.
hAps more than all else, the power Of
realization. To b. able to conceive Of
ether personalities than our own, To
imagine their feelings, their opinions,
their hopes and fears, and to foresse In
what way they may be reached, how to
Influence them, how 10 help them. aud,
on the other hand, 10 see what is likely
to hurt their feelings or iniure their rep.
uIalion or diminish their welfare In any
respect. IL a rare aud most desirable
power, and one only 10 he gained by
continual effort and watehiulness, Many
persons whs are sensitive for themselves
Aso comparatively callous where others
are concerned. They are easily wounded
By unkiudnsss or neglect, yet they
thoughtleasly inniet the same sings