Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-04-29

The M0NSTRATIvENESS OF AFFECTION
How much more we might make of our family
life, of our friendships fevery secret thought
of love blossome1 into a deed We are
now speaking merely of personal caresses.
These NAV or may not be the best language
of affection. Many are endowed with a deli
caey, fastidiousness of physical organization,
which shrinks away from too much of these,
repealed and Overpowered. But there are
words aud looks, and little observancies,
thought nesses, watchtul little attentions,
which speak of love, which make 1t manifest,
and there is scarcely family that might not
be ricI or IN heart-wealth for more of them.
IL Is a mistake to suppose that relations
must Of course love each other because they
are relations. Love must be cultivated, aud
can be increased by judicious culture, as wild
fruits NAV double their bearing uder the
hand of gardener; and love can dwindle
and die out by neglect, as choice flower seeds
planted in poor soil dwindle and grow single.
Two causes in our AnglO-SaxOn nature
preyent this easy faculty and flow OF express
sion which strike one so pleasantly in the
Italian or the French life: the dead OF Hat
terv, and constitutional shyness
Il perfectly longed TO tell SOand-so how
admired her, the other day" said Miss y.
"Then why in the world didn't you tell
herip
"Oh, it would seem like hattery, you
kno-."
Now what is fatteTy2
FIattery is insii,ccre praise given from inter
ested motives, but not the sincere utterance
TO friend Of what we deem good and lovely
in him.
And so. for fear of fattering, these dread
fully sincere people 60 on side by side with
those they love and admire, giving them all
the time the impression of utter indifference.
Parents are so afraid of exciting pride and
vanity in their children by the expression OF
their love and appreciation, that child some
times goes sad and discouraged by their side,
and learns with surprise, in some chance way,
that they are proud and fond OF him. There
are times when the open expression OF Ia
theirs love would be worth more than chureh
or sermon to boy; and his father cannot
utter it, will not show It.
The other thing that represscs the utteran-
ces of love is the Characteristic shyness OF
the Anglo-Saxon blood. Oddly enough race
born of two demonstrative, Ont-spOken per-
sons-the German and the French-has an
habitual reserve that il like neither. There
is a powerlessness OF utterance in our blood
that we should fight against aud struggle out
ward toward expression. We can educate
ourselves to it, if we know aud feel the ne
eessity; we can make it a Christian duty, not
only to love, but to be lOving-not only to be
true friends, but to show ourselves friendly.
We can make ourselves say the kind things
that rise in our hearts and tremble back on
our lips-dO the gentle and hopeful deeds
which we long to do and shrink back from
and, little by little, it will grow easier-the
love spoken will bring back the answer of
IOve-tbe kind deed viH bring back a kind
deed in return-tilI the heart in the family
circle, instead of being so many frozen, icy
islands, shall be full of warm airs and echo
ing bird-voices answering back and forth with
a constant melody of love.-Hr. H. B. Store.