The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-06-03
GOOD IN SUFFERING.
Gods Purpose Always Best,
Though It Is Hard Some
times to Understand It.

Cyclone and blizzard, nre ana Hoou
have lately devastated cities and vii
lagos and left large portions of pros
porous country life in ruins Human
life had been Hooded away and the
fairest domestic scenes desolated.
The suffering and loss none can ads-
quately measure.
Such multiple disasters raise ques-
tons in the mind about Gods rela-
ton to the universe and his interest
in human life. The old, old difficulty
presents itself to our thought, can
God be good and permit such crushing
SORROWS and irreparable losses to be-
fall us, or if he is good is his power
limited so he cannot prevent these
catastrophies? 1t is easy to sing OF
Gods goodness and praise him for the
light and the embroidery of spring
and summer and the harvests OF the
autumn time. But what about earth
quakes and volcanoes, cloudbursts,
tornadoes and lightning bolts. and
overwhelming floods? Where is God
and what is his relation to such oc-
currences? Permit me to offer few
lines of thought which have brought
me relief and lit up many dark hour
and helped me to reason why God
does not interfere to prevent such
shocking events.
vitaiize Our Inventive Faculties.
We are ever at school and God is
our teacher. We are left to work out
our own material salvation as the pu-
pill is to work out the problem IN
mathematics Disaster has often CIV
en- birth to inventions for public
safety. Our discoveries are leading us
to dominion over nature and bringing
it's mighty forces within our control.
With the steam engine, telegraph.
telephone and wireless we are annihii-
ating time and space, with the swift
ocean liners the sea is no more rs
the fathers knew it, and electric light
is almost DOING away with the night.
Statistics have been gathered which
point to much progress toward pro-
lection from lightning. 1t is shown
that the bolt strikes more frequently
in the country than in the city, that
it strikes barns oftener than human
dwellings, and that white colors seem
to be more attractive to it that the
darker hues, and that it will never
enter a bad conductor If there is
good one to be found.
Modern science has cut in two the
death rate from such diseases as con-
sumption, smallpox and typhoid. See
how anaesthetics have relieved pain
and witness the triumphs of modern
surgical skill.
So we are working out our own sal
walton. That God could interfere do
not doubt, but for reasons good and
wise he does not BY many fall
child learns to rise and realize itself
on its feet and after that feat it soon
learns to walk God could interfere
with the material forces and prevent
disaster, but if he did man would
never come to mastery and dominion
in nature, nor to the full exercise of
his inventive genius.
They Educe Our Sympathies.
The word sympathy is the Greek
word for suffering with" The root
idea in sympathy is to suffer with
others, to share their losses and sor-
rows If suffering and sorrow were
unknown there would not be anything
to call out our sympathies and SO
large area of human nature would re-
main uncultivated. The sun melts
away the ice and tugs at the roots Of
trees and educes the spring buds, SO
sorrows thaw out human nature and
tug at the roots of our life and bring
our sympathies to fruition. We learn
to weep with those that weep and
that is trait of Christian character
included in the apostolic counsels.
Job said. Did not weep for him that
was in trouble? Was not my soul
grieved for the poor?p Sympathy is
a wonderful soul-power and these sad
calamities call it into noblest exer-
else
The response at such times has al
ways been electrical. Famines in
Russia and India, fires and floods in
any land stir human souls every
where and fan into fame the fires
of sympathy ever burning on the al
tars of human hearts in all lands.
The brotherhood of the race and the
kinship of humankind is quickly
evinced in the hour of horrible dis
aster. 1t is great gift to be able to
weep-not for-but with the sorrow
ing. There is infinite healing in it.
Jesus wept with the mourning sisters.
Such tears have often relieved the
heartache and brought tranquility to
the troubled soul. A callous-hearted
husband who had never seen anyone
near to him suffer, watched his wife
suffer like martyr for weeks and his
sympathies were stirred as never be-
fore, and the suffering wife said, TT
was worth it all because it made a
new man OF my husband" In the
midst Of the stress of life there is a
tendency to selffshness. but multiple
disasters move us to compassion and
keep the heart sympathetic and kind
and this warming makes things 60
more pleasantly in many home, OF.
ice and works hon In, fl1o daiIxr -, :. \