Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-04-01
wAhHAhlA. SOUTH CAROLINA. APRIL i. 1908.
For The Courier.]
Sympaihy-FaIse and True.

| deed would be his short stay on eartn II
there we're none to pity, extend relief or
vine as it is, needs educating and direct
ing. 1t may be led into right channels
or perverted into wrong ones. 1t may be
true or it may be false. Impulsive ma
lures are liable to gush in sentimental
Jeremiads over unworthy objects, while
in behalf of worthy ones their tongues
are n ute and their pens drop not an
would sympathize with slain or
wounded wolf rather than with the sheep
he had killed or the terrified flock from
which he had torn it. They would have
to sympathize with a captured hawk,
owl or eagle, rather than with the dove,
chicken or lamb seized by their talons
and torn by their beaks.
1t was false and misdirected sympa-
thy that led some we'll meaning ladies to
visit and carry bouquets of flowers to
Guiteau and Czolgosz, the one the slayer
of President Garfield and the other of
President Mckinley. Prison-keepers are
often besieged by female visitors, prompt
ted partly by curiosity and partly by re-
ligious zeal, asking for permit to go
nails in their coils, under the sentence of
death. Prisons have their chaplains,
whose Office it is to minister unto the
spiritual wants of all their inmates. Let
ters of coincidence to the bereaved fami-
lies of the murderer's victims, or earnest
prayer in their behalf in the privacy of
the closet, would be much more in keep
ing with true womanly tenderness bent
on doing good.
L onco saw in passenger car, on a
very warm summer day, a stylish looking
lady, with nasty little pug dog in her
lap. She talked most tenderly to the
hideous little canine, for it seemed to be
out of sorts. She promised it drink at
the next stopping place-N. S. As the
rush for the water cooler, and the 6oman
with the hideous little pug, though not
the first at the cooler, was the first one
served, for gentleman with true South
ern politeness handed her glass of
water, supposing it was to quenoh her
own thirst. Amazement sat on his face,
as it must have on mine, when our eyes
met, and then looked at the woman, let,
ting her dear little pug lap water from a
glass intended for ladies and gentlemen.
The dog was the only thirsty one that
drank then and there, for the good rea-
son that human beings would not> drink
from the same vessel with it. l thought
then, think now, and ever shall think,
that this was case of misdirected SYM
pathy. This false sympathy, of which
there is 80 much in the world, owes its
existence very largely to want of self
knowledge, and is really form of sci.
fishness. Instead of being truly sympa-
thetice, as some men wish to be consid-
cred, change of circumstances will often
reveal their true character, and show
them to be supremely selfish, sordid,
cruel and despotic!
Nero was educated under the best
teachers of Rome and gave early promise
of being good ruler. He was so tender
hearted when he first wore the imperial
purple, that when death warrant was
brought to him for his signature he tear
fully exclaimed: ~ wish / had never
learned to write" But he soon got
over that,sort Of wish, and later on, in
a fit of thirsty rage, he expressed
the wish that the whole population of
Rome had but one head that at stroke
he might cut it off. He became the
most cruel of all the Emperors of Rome.
He set the city on fire and charged the
crime to the Christians, cast them into
the amphitheatre to be torn by wild
beasts, and tied multitudes of them to
posts all over the city, saturated their
garments with terpentine, and then set
them on fire to illuminate the city at
night. Nero's name is the synonym of
cruelty. To say of any ruler now that
he is Nero is to say the worst that can
be said of one in authority over men.
Robespierre, the master spirit of the
French Revolution of 1889, before his ele-
vation to political power, seemed to pos
sess philanthropic spirit, published a
| learned work against all capital punish
ment, and took sides with those whose
rallying cry was, Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity" but as their leader he be-
came sort of personified demon, gloat-
ing over human misery, delighting in
carnage, destruction and general ruin.
The throne went down, the king and
4 4. 4
anarchy reigned supreme amid horrors
too shocking to contemplate. and the
revolution is known in history as the
"Reign of Terror
The story of Hazael is familiar to all
Bible readers. In his time Elisha was
the great prophet in Isreal. Circum-
stances brought Hazael and Elisha face
to face. The prophet looked upon the
young Syrian captain with long and
flood of tears. Hazael was astonished,
and cried out, "Why weepeth, my lordp'
The prophet told him why he wept, say
ing, "The Lord hath shown me that thou
shalt be king of Syria and 1 know the
evil thou wilt do unto the children of
Isreal." Then he specifies some of the
horrible barbarites of which he would be
guilty, when Hazeal, unconscious OF the
undeveloped cruelty of his nature, eE-
claimed, "Whatl Is thy servant dog,
that he should do this great thingp" But
Elisha knew Hazael better than Hazael
knew himself, and all that the former
predicted the latter fulfilled in all its
shocking minuti@.
Man is a microcosm--a little toorld, A
Grecian proverb is, "Know thyself."
Study the little world within before ven-
turing too far into the great world with
out: Sympathy, according to its Greek
derivation, means suffering ,oith. A per-
son can love benevolently the worst male
factor in prison but no good man can
sympathize with his crimes. God loved
and still loves with the love of benevo-
lence, the world of mankind, but His love
of complacence only extends to the good
The Saviour loved sinners, but not their
sins. We must try to be like Him.
This paper is written without any allu-
sion to local prisoners awaiting trial, or
any such persons elsewhere in the State
Violence and bloodshed are in hundreds
OF places over the land, and in many of
these places there is sickly sentiment tai
ism that gushes in sympathy for Justly
punished eVil.doers, while it remains in
active toward suffering right doers. This
splrl1 neeus correcting. Us.
500 REWARD 500.