-
Articles/Ads
Article ON COMPASSION. ← Page 3 of 4 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Compassion.
man be called wretched who has this in reserve , let no man be called poor who has a friend to consult . It should , therefore , be a principle early inculcated into-the minds of our youth , that , to be happy is to be beloved , and that our enjoyment will be commensurate to our efforts in relieving the , distress ' and the misery of others . Was this the case , how much of that wanton and would be
pernicious cruelty avoided , as frequently the disgrace of manhood as of boyish years . Were our children taught to nourish sentiments of love ancl esteem for those around them , to elicit their affection b y each amiable exertion in their power , to visit and give succour to the sick and the afflicted , how often would the tear of rapture fill their eyes ; how would the sweet sensation dwell upon their heartsand with their
, grow increasing years . Oh , Charity ! our helpless nature ' s pride , Thou friend to him who knows no friend beside , Is there a morning ' s breath , or the sweet gale That steals o ' er the tir'd pilgrim of the vale , Cheering with fragrance fresh his weary frame , Aught like the incense of thholflame ?
y y Is aught in all the beauties that adorn The azure heaven , or purple light of morn ? Is aught so fair in evening ' s ling ' ring gleam As from thine eye the meek and pensive beam , That falls , like saddest moonlight , on the hill And distant grove , when the wide world is still ? BOWLES .
Society has been aptly compared to aheap of embers , which , when separated , soon languish , darken , and expire ; but , if placed too-ether , glow with a ruddy and intense heat : a just emblem of tiie strength , the happiness , and the security , derived from the union of mankind . The savage , who never knew the blessings of combination and he who quits society from apathy or misanthropic spleen , are like the separated emberdarkdeadand uselessthey neither
, , , ; give nor receive any heat , neither love nor are beloved . To what acts of heroism and virtue , in every age and nation , has not the impetus of affection given rise ? To what gloomy misery , despair , and even suicide , has not the desertion of society led ? How often , in the busy haunts of men , are all our noblest and gentlest virtues called forth And how , in the bosom of the recluse , do all the soft emotions and
languish grow faint ! Not that the speculator is a foe to retirement ; he has already confessed himself its friend , he speaks but of him who , dead to feeling , sinks into the lap of cheerless solitude . I hat many individuals , from a peculiar turn of mind , are calculated t ° ,. ' ! 1 mo . extensive utility in retirement , than on the active stage of life , he is , from his own experience , well convinced . He is also perfectl that reiterated
y aware misfortunes and perfidy , operating upon a warm and sanguine constitution , will often hurry the most amiable character into unmitigated seclusion ; but even in this case , as a proof that our affections to support life must , however small in degree , be engaged , let it be observed that the most recluse have generally had some object for their tenderness , some creature whose attention they strove to obtain , whose interest in their welfare thev R z ¦ *
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Compassion.
man be called wretched who has this in reserve , let no man be called poor who has a friend to consult . It should , therefore , be a principle early inculcated into-the minds of our youth , that , to be happy is to be beloved , and that our enjoyment will be commensurate to our efforts in relieving the , distress ' and the misery of others . Was this the case , how much of that wanton and would be
pernicious cruelty avoided , as frequently the disgrace of manhood as of boyish years . Were our children taught to nourish sentiments of love ancl esteem for those around them , to elicit their affection b y each amiable exertion in their power , to visit and give succour to the sick and the afflicted , how often would the tear of rapture fill their eyes ; how would the sweet sensation dwell upon their heartsand with their
, grow increasing years . Oh , Charity ! our helpless nature ' s pride , Thou friend to him who knows no friend beside , Is there a morning ' s breath , or the sweet gale That steals o ' er the tir'd pilgrim of the vale , Cheering with fragrance fresh his weary frame , Aught like the incense of thholflame ?
y y Is aught in all the beauties that adorn The azure heaven , or purple light of morn ? Is aught so fair in evening ' s ling ' ring gleam As from thine eye the meek and pensive beam , That falls , like saddest moonlight , on the hill And distant grove , when the wide world is still ? BOWLES .
Society has been aptly compared to aheap of embers , which , when separated , soon languish , darken , and expire ; but , if placed too-ether , glow with a ruddy and intense heat : a just emblem of tiie strength , the happiness , and the security , derived from the union of mankind . The savage , who never knew the blessings of combination and he who quits society from apathy or misanthropic spleen , are like the separated emberdarkdeadand uselessthey neither
, , , ; give nor receive any heat , neither love nor are beloved . To what acts of heroism and virtue , in every age and nation , has not the impetus of affection given rise ? To what gloomy misery , despair , and even suicide , has not the desertion of society led ? How often , in the busy haunts of men , are all our noblest and gentlest virtues called forth And how , in the bosom of the recluse , do all the soft emotions and
languish grow faint ! Not that the speculator is a foe to retirement ; he has already confessed himself its friend , he speaks but of him who , dead to feeling , sinks into the lap of cheerless solitude . I hat many individuals , from a peculiar turn of mind , are calculated t ° ,. ' ! 1 mo . extensive utility in retirement , than on the active stage of life , he is , from his own experience , well convinced . He is also perfectl that reiterated
y aware misfortunes and perfidy , operating upon a warm and sanguine constitution , will often hurry the most amiable character into unmitigated seclusion ; but even in this case , as a proof that our affections to support life must , however small in degree , be engaged , let it be observed that the most recluse have generally had some object for their tenderness , some creature whose attention they strove to obtain , whose interest in their welfare thev R z ¦ *