New Hampshire Statesman

Where is thy Brother?

How rapidly time flits away, leaving too often upon our hearts its ineffaceable record of opportunities unimproved of imparting happiness, not merely to those who are bound to us by the common ties of humanity, but to those who have special claims upon our love and remembrance. Such a thought oppresses us with a sense of sadness, unalleviated except by the hope and resolve that the future shall be marked for our devotion to and practical interest for those who should live in the sympathy of our warmest friendship, and ever share our most affectionate remembrance. Oh how sadly deficient we are in attending to and giving practical development to the promptings of our better nature, as it moves us to deeds of christian love, which to longing, grief-stricken hearts would come as ministering spirits of comfort, and thus from how many hearts might we extract the sting of sorrow—how many a bosom surcharged with grief might we lighten, and how many a desponding, slighted, yet true and worthy individual might we raise to a new, joyful and cheerful life of hope and trust. Oh how many all around us are there of earth's chastened ones, and very many of them forgetful of God and duty, to whom we might become ministers of good.—They may appear gloomy, and their gloominess may wear to us a repulsive aspect, and seem to tell us that efforts for their joyous improvement would be useless. But it is not so; no! no!—They long for kind words—their spirits pant for kind treatment. We ought to give them the assurance of our faith in their ability to return to God. Let us go to them with a brother's welcome, and show them that our hearts are linked with theirs. Let us treat them with respect to which, as intelligent beings, they are entitled.—Let us pour into the wound, which perhaps we have assisted in making, the oil of kind words, the balm of true sympathy. When our brother falls, we too often scorn him, and pass him by in neglect; thus we help on his degradation, and perhaps his ultimate ruin. This ought not so to be. The religion of Jesus tells us not to scorn but to redeem such.