The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-11-16

4e4L. Blessed are Lucy tudl
mourn: for they shall be comforted."
Matthew, v, 4.
These words of Jesus have often been
narrowed to mean BLESSED are they that
mourn over their sins: for they shall find
the comfort of Gods pardon" Undoubt-
etly that meaning may be found in the
text but 1t is not all that 1t teaches. II
that had been what Jesus meant. no
doubt He would have said. blessed are
the penitent: for they shall find pardon"
The meaning Is broader. 1t takes in the
whole problem of pain and suffering,
that great mystery OF the world. 1t has
.seemed to many that the universe Is
ikeyed to the note Of suffering. We en-
ter the world at the expense of our moth
ier's pain and we leave it in the sorrow
Iof our friends The world being full Of
,pain. suffering and bereavement. the
lauestion is. what shall We do with it?
| The two words IN the text which con-
Itain the secret of It's philosophy are
mourn" and comfort The word
(which we have translated mourn
is very strong word In the
Greek and means grief manifes'-
ed suffering too deep for con-
cealment; experience so grevous that
one who undergoes It cannot help show
ing his pain or eorrow in his countenance
or the attitute of his body; terrific
shock
And yet Jesus says that he who un-
Siergoes such an experience as this is
blessed. Let lis see If we can enter into
the heart OF His meaning.
I The world Is accustomed TO regard
pain, suffering and bereavement as evil
end only evil. Most of Jesus hearers
regarded them as punishment for sin
r13rt the capacity to suffer Is the measure
OF life Development. II we follow the
biologist us he traces the development
al animal life from the lowest single
'cel.ed animal. like the amoebs, up to the
iy hilanthropist and statesman, we find
That the test upon which he lays the
largest emphasis is the development OF
1.-THE nervous system and therefore the
capacity to suffer.
The lowest animals that we know have
such q poor;- developed nervous system
that 1t cannot be discovered even by the
aid OF a microscope and chemical re
agents We are scarcely able to discern
a well developed nervous system before
We reach the worms and molusks
Worms have such a crude nervous -ys-
TEN that they suffer comparatively little
pain at being cut In twain. Oysters ana
CLAIMS have such n rudtmentary system
that II IS believed that they have also
very little capacity for suffering. Any
biological student will recall the difficulty
he experienced IN trying TO trace the
nerves which run from the two simple
sanglia that are found in the body OF
the mollusk.
Cr6staceans. Ike Holsters. crsyfsh and
crabs have a more highly developed nerv
o-s SYSTEM. but even with them 1t Is
crude as compared with the mammals
A crab. held by ono OF its claws. will
voluntarily break off his limb at one OF
the lower joints and run away appar
emily without suffering.
The nervous system becomes more and
rnors complex az we advance through tho
fishes, amphhians reptiles, birds and the
mammals. 1t reaches It's highest deVel-
opment in man.
The capacity to suffer for others be-
longs only to the two or three highest
branches OF the animal kingdom, and to
the mammals almost entirely. Seals
witness the slaughter of their fellows,
even of their young. unmoved- Thou
sands OF seals have been killed on the
Pribylof islands along the Alaskan
coast but nr~ one ever showed the slight
est concern for the welfare of his neigh
nor even when he was being dubbed or
shot to death.
When We come to man we find that
kee-ness of suffering for self and others
.1inerentiates the nobleman from the
barbarian.
II is said that when a member OF the
tribe OF IIaidas in Alaska finds that his
mother IS growing too old or feeble to
earn her living, he imprisons her in q
snow hut and leaving her to starve,
goes careless and light-hearted awty.
Sometimes he even takes a shorter
method OF disposing Of her than This
and chokes her to death It would be
difficult however, to find a man in any
civilized country who would agree tina;
his conduct was commendahle. or that
he himself vas blessed. On the other
hand. the world today says that Flor
ence Nightingale the HIady with the
lan1p," who left her home in England
and went to the battle fields Of the
Crinean war and spent her fortune in
relieving the sutTerings or tne sick,
wounded and dying soldiers making the
sorrow of each her own. was blessed,
Florence Nightingale rnourned not only
because Of her own experiences of pain
sind bereavement but extending her
Evnpa thies to others. bore their burdens
S. we'll as her own. it IS no wonder
that the people OF England gave her
G45 900 upon her return from Crimea to
esta bIish training school for nurses. II
IS no wonder that Queen Victoria pro
posed her health in a toast a a great
banquet given in her honor When the