Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-23

why, this is what you ought to have
expected The laws of nature must have
their way" And then they get eloquent
| 2spr something they have seen III post
ta0rton examinations. Now, away with
all human philosophy at such a time
| What difference does it make to that IA
| tier and mother what disease their son
| died OF? He is dead, and il makes 10
| difference whether the trouble was in
the epigastric or hypegastric region. If
| the philosopher be Of the stoical school,
be viii come and say: 'sYou ought to
! control your feelings You must not cry
! so. You must cultivate a cooler temper
| a1nent. You must have self reliance,
self government self cOntrol'-an ice
| berg reproving 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 q thousand strings, and all
sorts Of emotions We're made to play on
it; now an anthem, now a dirge. It is
no evidence Of weakness when one is
| overcome OF sorrow Edmund Burke
| was found in the pasture field with his
| arms around d 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. It is no 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 a cry? David did
well when he mourned for Absalon,
Abraham did well when he bemoaned
Sarah, Christ wept for Lazarus, and the
last man that I want to see come any
where near me when [ 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 a man s soul, is worth 81, 900 to
him. Do not whine over the afflicted.
Take the promises OF the gospel and ut
ter them in manly tone Do not be
y
not drive any more hearses through that
poor soul. Do not tell him the trouble
was foreordained. It 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 tfse1n aquafortis when they
need valerian.
Gods Ministers.
Again, remark that those persons are
poor coInforters who have never had any
trouble themselves. A larkspur cannot
lecture on the nature of snowflake. It
never saw q snowflake, and those peo-
pie who have always lived in the sum-
mer of prosperity cannot talk to those
who are frozen in disaster. God keeps
eyed 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 OF near at hand so that |
they can easily reach them, l congratu-
late you. Some of US have had trials in
life, and although we have had many
friends around about us we have wish
cd 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 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
wien you take the last look and brush
back the silvery locks from the wrinkled
brow just before they screw the lid on.
Blessed be God for the old peoplel They
may not have much strength to go
around. but they are Gods appointed
ministers of comfort to a 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 SEN
t.nlent, but while poetry is perfume
that smells sweet, it makes very poor
salve If you have 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 a broken
heart. They know not the meaning Of
childlessness, and the having no one to
put to bed at night or the standing in a
room where every book and picture and
door are full of memories-the doormat
where she sat, the cup out of which she
drank. the place where she stood at the
door and clapped her hands, the odd
f,u,,roc that cho ccribh1od tho hJcclrc