Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1840-04-09
LOVE-BY A LADY.

Love is singular and mysterious feeling; a
feeling Of deep, and all absorbing power-ex
ercising with tyrannical eXacness, a strange
unaccountable control over the external OBJ
iects and circumstances Of every-day life. III
is 'woman's whole existence"-her life, her
soul, her very heart is bound in its glory-giv-
ing hopes-and without 1t, life Is blank, a.
VOID which the ''word can never lill;' and on
this very account woman yields, perhaps, too
much, 10 its influence; all powerful and almost
irresistible, though it be- There is natural
pride in every human heart and in all the usu-
Ial adversiies and difficulties of life. 1t up
holds our spirits, elevaes our thoughts, and
raises us above the petty yiscissitudes Of this
IsubIunary world. But ioce owns no such con-
yentona control or check; it must be free, for
it is naturally wild; it must be intense, for it is
undoubtedly excusve--it destroys all other
feelings all other sympahics-
and forms in itself the beauty, the glory,
the heaven on earth of woman's existence.
Nan is not loved t,cice in a lifetime; and
warn you, we slghters Of woman's atlection
warn you oithe hours Of liie's decline, when
health wanes and happiness departs; when the
blessed lime is gone forever, in which you may
command loye-when the fearful hour of death
and thqfe is no kind hand to
smooth your tervedI brow-no soft voice to
whisper words Of peace and hope-no eye to
weep over your fat R-l say, in such an hour
you will sue for love- as for an alms-git-and
sue in vain!
But love in its purity, is something, which no
gentleman could regard with contempt, or APP
proprate to unworthy or vain purposes 1t is
beneath man as the lord of creation and the
proud image Of his creator. A man may be
unableto return affection; his feelings may be
engaged; or perhaps, hemay be devoid of such
Iemotlons. In such a case it becomes his boun
den duty to conduct himself towards the wo
man who loves him, omen always have an intu,
Iitiye knowledge on lthi$ point with such can
dor, or GOODNESS and reserve, as will at once
annihiate all hope Of return OF affection or
his part, and consequently destroy by such I
course, all doiusions al daydreams o Hove
rather than by trihing vi b her feelings, he
dearest .h'edependent hopes, render her an OBJ
jet disgust to himself, pity to the world, AM
0! ultimate sef-contempt-a AN undone and ruin
ed a hopeless, but still devoted being
The power which nan Exercises over tn,
woman who loves him, is dangerous indeed
She feels that he is her Ito love; and henc
it is that she uses so litte.the power of contro
over her feelings. "A trife light as air.
look-or word, may be made to strike tn
electric chain wherewith we arc darkly bound
and betray at once, all woman's heart. t
the one from whom it should be hidden wit
fear and trembling; for in her intercourse wit
= him she loves, woman should be very rery care
full in the concea7meat Of her. feelings. She ma
give them the reins in what she thinks a yer
Slight degree; and little by little reserve
overcome feminine modesty is subdued, an
in losing her proper dignity OF demeanor b
I allowing, at first, slight demonstrations of pas
: sion in innocent liberties, woman loses the re
spect due to her as woman--and alas for HI
man nature! incurs the Indifference and di
! gust of him who should be friend and adviser
,, even If circumstances will not admit of his b.
= ing husband and protector. SO much forth
= present-lctthe luture provide for itsef,--Kel
> tuckian.