The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-05-14
HANDLING SORROW.

HANDLING SORROW.
There are few of us who have
reached middle life without feeling the
force Of Jobs words, "Man is born un-
to trouble as the sparks fly upward"
This world that God has made so
beautiful becomes to us a vale of tears.
Over every enchanted spot where the
sweet memories of childhood linger we
now write "Bochism."
Difficulties and temptations we have
encountered and overcome, suffering
and privations endured: for these we
are prepared, and in the triumph We
forgot the pain. Bat when Death, that
inexorable foe of nature, comes in
among us and resistance is vain, endu-
rance compulsory, we are apt to forget
whose messenger he is, and, like Ra-
chel of old, "Refuse to be comforted
because they" our loved ones, 'are
not"
There is no sorrow like bereavement
to a strong loving nature. We ought
to look upon sin as worse than death,
and we should, if we were not so very
human, but we never really wish to Ee
separated even from from our erring
ones, though we may sometimes think
it expedient. We know the pain of
having our hearts cords strained by
temporary separation, how then can
we think calmly of having them sever
ed for all time on earth +?
To speak of broken hearts sounds
like an exaggeration, but it is really an
apt expression. The poor human heart
has been cut adrift from what seemed
it's better self, and like broken vessel
it holds nothing but the odor of the
balm that was in it.
The world processes to have many
antidotes of sorrow of this kind. In
deed, the world generally gives meas
ured sympathy to the sufferer, whose
case it can never understand, for each
one is isolated, and words that are
framed to comfort often sound like
hollow mockery.
One breaches resignation, another
fortitude, one appeals to the claims of
the living, another to the joys of the
departed. One tells you to weep, and
another to work, but all alike seem to
be miserable comtorters, and your poor
sticken soul must grope IFS way alone
out of darkness into the warm sun
shine of Gods love. Even then there
is no use in telling you to forget your
sorrow, for you cannot do it, though
you must not cherish the. memory of
it if you would be of use in the world.
In physical life the wound or frac-
ture must be covered up and kept still
in order that it may heal, for if you
were constantly to crafty the morbid
desire to take off the bandages and
look at it, you would find that your
recovery would be much retarded; so,
if you continue to handle your sorrow
by indulging in the mournful pleasure
of dwelling upon every incident con-
nected with it, you are wilfully pro-
longing condition of suffering which
incapacitates you for doing Gods
work on earth, and ere long host of
neglected duties will rise up to over
whelm YOU with remorse.
Let me entreat you, dear friend, as
one who has suffered, not to handle
your sorrow or pity yourself more
than you can help, but to rise up and
comfort some one else. This is Gods
remedy, and it is the only one that can
be of any avail to a broken heart.
Those who have entered into the
Joy of their Lord no longer need that
fount of love which you are keeping
pent up in your heart, as something
sacred to their memory, while the poor
wayfarer by your side is pining for hu-
man sympathy.
During the Crimean war one of
Gods dear children heard that her
youngest and dearly beloved son had
fallen on the battlefield. There was
no sorrow like hers, she thought, and
entering her chamber she shut out the
world and communed in secret with
her agonized spirit, finding no comfort
even in the knowledge that her noble
boy was soldier of the Cross. But
one day there came 4 letter telling her
that two sons, of one whom she loved
as a sister, had been drowned while
bathing.
Then the mourner rose, and, though
weak and worn through fasting and
tears, took a long journey that she
might comfort her friend. and in this
act of selfforgetting love found heal
ing for her own wounded spirit.