Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-05-27


he will come and say: "You ought to
control your feelings. You must not cry
so. You must cultivate cooler temper
ament. You must have self reliance,
self government, self control"-an ice
berg reproying hyacinth for having a
drop of dew in its eye. A violinist has
his instrument, and he sweeps his fin
gers across the strings, now evoking
strains of joy and now strains Of sad
ness. He cannot play all the tunes on
one string. The human soul is an in
strument of a thousand strings, and all
sorts of emotions were made to play on
it; now an anthem, now dirge. 1t is
no evidence of weakness when one is
overcome of sorrow. Edmund Burke
was found in the pasture field with his
arms around Il horses neck, caressing
him, and some one said, "Why, the
great man has lost his mind. No, the
horse belonged to his son who had re-
Gently died, and his great heart broke
over the grief 1t isno sign Of weakness
that men are overcome Of their sorrows.
Thank God for the relief Of tears! Have
you never been in trouble when you
could not weep and you would have
given anything for n cry? David did
well when he mourned for Absalom,
Abraham did well when he bemOaned
Sarah Christ wept for Lazarus, and the
last man that want to see come any
where near me when I have any kind
Of trouble is a worldly philosopher.
Again, remark that those persons
are incompetent for the work Of comfort
bearing who have nothing but cant TO
offer. There are those who have the
idea that you must groan over the dis
tressed and afflicted There are times in
grief when one cheerful face, dawning
upon mans soul, is worth 81, 900 to
him. Do not whine over the afflicted.
Take the promises Of the gospel and ut
ter them in a manly tone. Do not be
afraid to smile if you feel like 1t. Do
not drive any more hearses through that
Door soul. Do not tell him the trouble
was foreordained. 1t will not be any
comfort to know it was 1000, 900 years
coming. If you want to find splints for
a broken bone, do not take cast iron.
Do not tell them it is Gods justice that
weighs out grief. They want to hear Of
Gods tender mercy. In other words, do
not give them aquafortis when they
need yalerian.
Gods Ministers.
Again. Iremark that those persons are
poor comforters who have never had any
trouble themselves. A larkspur cannot
lecture on the nature Of snowflake. 1t
never saw snowflake, and those peo-
ple who have always lived in the sum-
mer of prosperity cannot talk to those
who are frozen in disaster. God keeps
aged people in the world, I think, for
this very work of sympathy. They have
been through all these trials. They
know all that which irritates and all
that which soothes. If there are men
and women here who have old people
in the house or near at hand so that
they can easily reach them, | congratu-
late YOU. Some of us have had trials In
life, and although we have had many
friends around about us we have wish
ed that father and mother were still
alive that we might go and tell them.
Perhaps they could not say much, but
it would have been such a comfort to
have them around. These aged ones
who have been all through the trials OF
life know how to give coincidence. Cher
ish them. let them lean on your arm,
these aged people. If when you speak
to them they cannot hear just what you
say the first time and you have to say
it a second time, when you say it Sec
ond time do not say it sharply. If you
do. YOU will be sorry for it on the day
when YOU take the last look and brush
back the silyery locks from the wrinkled
brow lust before they screw the lid on.
Blessed be God for the old people! They
NAV not have much strength TO go
around. but they are Gods appointed
ministers of comfort to broken heart
People who have not had trial them
selves cannot give comfort to others
They may talk very beautifully and they
may give you great deal Of poetic sem
timent, but while poetry is perfume
that smells sweet it makes very poor
salye. If you have a grave in a pathway
and somebody comes and covers It all
over with flowers it is a grave yet
Those who have not had grief them
selves know not the mystery Of broken
heart. They know not the meaning OF
childlessness, and the having no one to
mt TO bed at night or the standing III
room where every book and picture and
door are full Of memorics-the doorma'
where she sat, the cup out Of which she
drank. the place where she stood at the
door and clapped her hands, the odd
figures that she scribbled, the blocks
she built into a house. All, no, you
must have trouble yourself before you
can comfort trouble i'll others. But come
all We who have been bereft, and ye VINO
] have been comfOrted i'll your sOrr0ws,
and stand around these afflicted souls
and say to them, 81 had that very sor
row myself; God comforted me and h'
will comfort you, and that will g
right to the spot In other words, Z
comfort others we must have faith II
God, practical experience and good
sound common sense.
For the sorrowful.
But there are three or four considera
tions that will bring to those who ar
sorrowful and distressed and that WI
can always bring to them, knowing tina
they will effect cure. And the hrs
consideration is that God sends on
troubles in love. 1 often hear people II
their troubles say, why, wonde
what God has against me?' They seen
10 think God has some grudge agains
hem because trouble and misfortune
have come. Oh, MOI Doyou not remem
ber that passage Of Scripture, Whom
the Lord loveth he chastenethT' A chic
oor,as In with n very bad splinter III ~