Year: 1872

THE blind preacher, Milburn, in advis-
ing young man who had also lost his
sight, charged him, above everything else,
never to pity himself The advice was
very excellent, not only for the blind
young man, but for all of us who have
any burdens to bear; as who has not that
lives in world with an atmosphere, and
consequently with storms, miasms, dis
ease, accident and death?


1t seems part of human nature to
commiserate suffering and to pity the
sufferer, especially when the pitier and the
sufferer chance to be one. And so when
bidly tender of ourselves, and give way
to querulousness or become morose and
discontented, or we get headaches and
commit suicide, according to our temper
aments. Wepity, and therefore humor
ourselves. We indulge all our little ca
prices and nervousness, and cultivate
in ourselves a degree of petulance and
general disagreeableness which we would
tolerate in nobody but a dear invalid.


Another effect of self-pity, and still
more common one is the abandonment of
all effort under the idea that invalids OF
people otherwise afflicted are of no use
in the world. And this is all the more
unfortunate in that the conviction makes
the fact, and the person who sets himself
down as of no use in the world is very
apt to be so in very truth.


Now, we have great sympathy for peo-
pie in any way stricken in body, and for
this very reason we write these words for
their benefit. We have letters almost
every day from people of the sort, and
no use in the world" We sincerely and
earnestly sympathiZe with the sorrow of
such people. We are sorry they are af-
1icted, but we are still more panied to
| know that they pity themselves, because
that very self-pity is by all odds the worst
of their ills. And so we write these
words by way of encouragement, and not
of censure, in the hope that some one OF
such may learn to believe himself even
yet of use in the world. We know well
enough that anybody can bear the tooth
ache but him that has it," and we do moi
argue that invalids exaggerate their suf
ferings. We only say they may, ifaitlteS
will, make themselves of use to them
selves or to somebody else, in spite o
their helplessness of body.


In their patience and gentleness unasny
severe sufferers teach lessons they coulC
never have impaired but for their ailments
Their helplessness serves to soften those
| dOOuG 1uOlu, duQ W CQlGlfllC Ill tHCIl Z
habit of self-sacrifce and helpful dispo
sition they would never otherwise hav,
developed. In a thousand ways thes,
people influence their friends for good
and who shall weigh the value of such
life-work until He that counteth the hair
of our heads and looketh even after tn


sparrows shall make up the account? Bu
even in other and more direct ways, peo
pie stricken in their bodies may oftel


make themselves wonderfully useful il


their day, if they only resolutely set gu


to accomplish what they may, without la


menting what they might, have DONE w
never see the blind man begging on tn


street corner, with face whicl


prolonged self-pity has wrought int,
an animated book of lamentations, with
out contrasting him with the blind profes


sor we once knew, who, spite of povert


aud sightlessness, had worked his way t.
| chair in a college, where he lecture
upon mental and moral philosophy to tb
: upbuilding of hundreds of Young men


who, were never conscious of the worl


er's blindness, except as he would slip hi
arm into theirs for stroll through th
, streets. We never see the one-arme


soldier grinding an organ and beggin
pennies in the streets that we do not n
!, member the one we saw following plo,
in Illinois, who had managed to buy an
pay for farm by his own exertions, an
: was bringing up houseful of sturdy boy
and girls to be so many brave, earne
t workers in the world. We pity the organ
, grinder; not so much because he has 10
his arm, as because he consents to be
8 beggar. We love and honor the on
a armed farmer, not because he has lost h
4 arm, but because, having lost it, he hi
mi, Il L. e
!, one hand left him. Hearth and Home.
s