The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-06-19
Sympathy.

Rejoice with them that do ~rejoiceS
weep with them that weep.TRo-
mans, xii, is.
To interpret fully the COMMAND
Love one another" is impossible unS
less we know the meaning of thsi
word sympathy. The expression Q
our love for the children of men in
deeds is comparatively easy; butto
be able to enter into their feelings
to understand and appreciate the
powers and influences that are mould
ing the lives of those around U.s.
that is the gift most to be coveted
If we are to fulfil the divine CONF
mand and it is to be found only
where sympathy dwells.
Humanity is made up OF hearts,
and hearts need sympathy more than
gold. AS long as men feel and think
and desire, so long will this rule
stand: There are those who need
both in equal measure. The hungry
the naked, the outcast, the oppressedl
must be. met with the outstretchedI
hand in which there is the visible
token of the sympathy that prompts
the greeting. But there are tines
when the empty hand alone Is sur
t1cient; times when the need of the
body has been cared for, and IT isl
only the heart that is crying out for
food and shelter; Sand methinks were
We to search carefully we would ind
in this world of ours more hungryI
hearts than hungry stomachs.
A soul possessed of a passionate1
love for it's fellow creatures, refusI}I
ing to see only the weakness and folly
of human nature, yer striving toj
break the bonds Of the captives and
to bring them to consciousness oil
their place and standing as schlIdrenki
in the great family of mankind, Buchi
a soul knows the full measure OF theI
word sympathy, that word which,
stands for a joy beyond l~expressiopI
and a pain beyond definition.
The area Of contact with the life
of the world depends upon the soulSsj
power Of sympathy. For the soul
that has not developed this divine at
tribute the world Is a very. small. nar-
row place. Only among liTnitedl
number. does it find a common ground
and mutual interests. 1t Is shut Oh
from the rest Of life as truly as III
surrounded by walls Of brick audi
mortar. Strive as 1t may It cannot
touch the life all around, nor received
from that life for the satisfying OF
its need. The secret OF the powersof}
some souls on the life Of the world
lies in the fact that in these souls
there is found sympathy in overfdowrj
ing measure. It is not genius nor
intellect nor power, nor even beauty
Of form or speech, that draws man.
kind to the feet of these great souls
The world admires genius; 1t respects
intellect; 1t obeys power; 1t finds
joy in beauty; but 1t loves only love-
and only the love that Is expressed
in a tender, strong, passionate, all
embracing sympathy.
If we look for the centre5of attract
ton in the match1ess life Of Jesu
Christ I think we will find itetoSh
His boundless sympathy. It was nc
chiefly the wisdom of His teachin
nor the glory of His character tina
made the common people flock ID
His side; it was that infinite compass
sion, that yearning love, that dtvincf
sympathy which drew them. and
which ever since has been draWingi
the tired, sinsick world close to the
heart Of Jesus Christ. OF the bless
ings which the Gospel Of Christ has
given to the world sympathy stands
among the chief and foremost. Be
fore the advent Of Christ men had
not learned how to put together the
letters that spell the word. It wasf
Christ who taught Ito rejoice uith
them that rejoice and to weep with
them that weep" He smiled at thp
wedding feast at Cana Of Galilee, and
He wept at the grave of Lazarus.
He lived and loved and suffered be-
cause the world needed Him, and He
asks that those who call Him MASTER
shall do likewise, for sympathy is the
only interpreter Of the Gospel
Percy Trafford Olton, Rector Of ZionI
Church, Greene, n. Y, in the Sunday
Herald.