SYMPATHY. 



BY C. WARNER OAKLEY. 



IN THE DARK HOURS of distress, disaster and affliction, the 

 I heart of the true friend of those thus visited, is generously em- 

 ployed. Pity is but a momentary expression, and often disappears 

 with its utterance. It is not clothed with enough potency to be of 

 any direct service — it may, in truth, be called an economical contri- 

 bution, but seldom if ever a beneficial one. Pure sympathy, on the 

 contrary, is not content with a verbal outburst or a mechanical meth- 

 od. It is the product of an affectionate soul, and there is a sub- 

 limity in its presence that endows it with strength as absolute as its 

 reception is welcome. What, indeed, can be more in unison with the 

 Heavenly command, than a fellow feeling for any one we may admire ( r 

 respect, when the pathways of such are clouded with care, and their 

 daily trials are almost disheartening; when the eye is dimmed by 

 suspense and disappointments, and all efforts for self relief are 

 crushed, as it were, by the cold indifference, distrust and selfishness 

 of their more favored acquaintances? Truly, Heaven alone can help 

 the friendless, and from its portals the whispers of the angelic host 

 are heard when mortal aid has been denied them. These messengers 

 of peace and comfort, are sent to watch over the faithful whose lives 

 may be weakened and shortened by the yoke of poverty, and their 

 songs are so sweetly rendered as to arouse the hope most needed to 

 dispose of the troubles of the humble and sorrowful. There are cer- 

 tain men and women in every community, who are made the mediums 

 of substantial sympathy. Their hearts and minds are tutored by 

 the Supreme Being, and being protected by the sacredness of their 

 responsibility, they step out from their ordinary pursuits impressed 

 mysteriously with the fact that frequently to the widow and father- 

 less whose deprivations are often exceedingly weighted and unex- 

 pected, they are to be of special service, and as they enter the home 

 once made bright and happy by the companionship of a beloved 

 protector, they wipe away the tears of the afflicted, and help them to 

 be of good cheer in the midst of their loss, their loneliness, and their 



