Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1858-07-13
From the Atlantic Mo.shI., for July.
The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.

The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.
/ don't think l have genuine ha,re,
for anybody. l am well aware that
differ herein from the sturdy EnolisI
moralist and the stout American n ira gedian
don't deny that | hate the sight of GER
tain people, bat the qualities which make
me tend to hate the man himself are suct
as | am so much disposed to pity, that
except under immediate aggravation.
feel Kindly enough to the worst of them
1t is such a sad thing TO 5e born a sneak.
ing fellow, so much worse than 10 inherj
hump back or couple of club-feet. tha,
sometimes feel as if | may use this ex.
preston, with certain tenderness which
we need not waste on noble natures. One
who is born with such congenial inca pa
city that nothing can make a gentleman,
of him is entitled, not to p,r wrath. but 10
our profound sympathy. Bot as we can.
not help hating the sight Of these people,
just as we do that of physical determines
we gradually eliminate them from our
soclety,-we love them, but open theswin-
dow and let them go. By the time de-
cen, people reach miadle age they have
weeded their circle pretty well of these
unfortunates, unless they have ataste for
such animals; in which case, no matter
what their position may be, there is some
thing, you may be sure, in their natures
akin to tha. of their wre,ched parasites.
The dlvinlfv-Student wished 10
know what | thought of affini,ies, as we'll
as of antipathies; did believe in love at
first sight2
Sir,-said I,-al men love all women.
That Is the prima-facie aspect of the case.
The Court of nature assumes the law to
be, that all men do so !; and the individual
man is bound TO show cause why he does
not love any particular woman. 4 man.
says one of my old black k-leuer law-b books.
may show divers good reasons, as thus:
He hath not seen the person named in the
indictment; she hath certain personal
lsoualIficaiions,-as, for instance, she is
a blackamoor, or hath an ill-favored
countenance; or, his capacity of loving
being limited. his affections are engross-
ed by previous conner; and so of other
conditions. Not the less is it true that he
is bound by duty and inclined by nature
to love each and every woman. There
fore it is thai each woman virtually sum-
mons every man TO show cause why he
doth not love her. This is not by written
document, or direct speech, fer the most
part, but by certain signs, silk, gold and
other materials, which say TO all men,
Look on me and love. as in duty bound.
Then the man pleadeth his special inca
paclty, whatsoever thasimay be,-as, for
instance, impecuniesisy, ,ior that he hath
one or many wives in his household or
that he is of mean figure. or small capa-
city; of which reasons II may be noted,
that the first IS, according to late decisions.
OF chlefest authority. So far the old law
book. But there is a note from an older
saying that every woman doth
also love each and every man, EXCEPT
there be some good reason to the contrary:
and very observing friend of mine, a
young unmarried clergyman, tells me,
that, so far as his experience goes, he
has reason to think the ancient author had
the fact to Justify lis statement.
I'll tell you how i; is with the pictures
of women we fall in love with at first
sight.
We ant talking about piclures.-
said the landladys daughter r,-we're talk
ing about women.
/ understood that we were speaking of
love atsight,-I remarked mildly Now,
as all man knows about a woman whom
he looks at is what picture as big as a
copper, or g nickel" rather, al the bot
tom of his eye can teach him, think |
am right III saying we are talking about
the pictures OF women Well, now, the
reason why a man is not desperately in
love with ten thousand women at once is
just that which prevents all our portraits
being distinctly seen upon the wall. They
all ARE painted there by reflection from
our faces, but because ALL of them are
painted on each spot, and each on the
same surface, and many other objects at
the same time, no one is seen as a pic
ture. But darken a chamber and let
single pencil of rays in through key
hole, then you have picture on the wall
We never fall in love with a woman in
distinction from women, until we can get
an image of her through pin-hole and
then we can see nothing else, and nobody
but ourselves can see the image III our
mental cameraobscura.