The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-10-28
THE BROKEN HEART.

t.tt't never heard
OF any true affection, but twas nipt
With care, that. like the caterpillar, eats
The leaves Of the springs sweetest book, the rose
MIDDLETON.
1t is common practice with those who
have out]ived the susceptibility of early feel
ing, or have been brought up in the gay
heartlessness Of dissipated life, to laugh at
all love stories, and to treat the tales of ro-
mantle passion as mere fctions of noyelists
and poets. My observations on human ma
ture have induced me to think otherwise
They have convinced me- that however the
surface Of the character may be chilled and
frozen by the cares of the world, or cul-
tivated into mere smiles by the arts of socie-
ty, still there are dormant fires lurking in
the depths of the coolest bosom, which,
when once enkindled, become impetuous, and
are sometimes, desolating in their Effects
Indeed, I am true believer in the blind del
ty, and go to the full extent Of his doctrines.
Shall / confess it?-I believe in broken
hearts, and the possibility Of dying of disap-
pointed love. do not, however, consider it
a malady often fatal to my own sex; but I
firmly believe that it wi1hers down many a
lovely woman into an early grave.
Man is the creature of interest and ambi-
ton. His nature leads him forth into the
struggle and hustle of the world. Love is
but the establishment Of his early life, or a
song pipe9 in the intervals of the acts. He
seeks for fame, for fortune, for space in the
worlds thought and dominion over his fellow,
men. But woman's whole life is history
Of the affections. The heart is her world
it is there her ambition strives for empire j;
it is there her ayarice seeks for hidden treas
ures She sends forth her sympathies on
adventure; she embarks her whole soul
in the traffic of affection and if shipwreck-
ed, her case is hopeless-for it is bankrupt
cy of the heart.
To a man the disappointment of~iove may
occasion some bitter panss: it wounds some
feelings OF tenderness-it blasts some pros
poets Of felicity; but he is an active being
he may dissipate his thoughts in the whirl
Of varied occupation, or may plunge into the
tide of pleasure; or, if the scene of disap-
pointment be too full Of painful associations,
he can shift his abode at will, and taking as
it were the wings of the morning, can ''fy to
the uttermost parts Of the earth, and be at
rest" ii .t.5a@ M s'a8tr r.
But woman's is comparatively fixed, Sc
cluded, and meditative life She is more the
companion Of her own thoughts and feelings /;
and if they are turned to ministers Of sorrow,
where shall she look for consolation? Her
lot is to be wooed and won; and if unhappy
in her love, her heart is like some fortress
that has been captured, and sacked, and aban-
doned, and left desolate. ia 46a.aq #
How many bright eyes grow dim-how
many soft cheeks grow pale-how many love-
ly forms fade away into the tomb, and none
can tell the cause that hlighted their lowell
ness As the dove will clasp its side, aud
cover and conceal the arrow that is proving
upon its vitals, SO it is the nature of woman
to hide from the world the pangs Of a wound
ed affection. The love of delicate female is
always shy and silent Even when fortunate,
she scarcely breathes it to herself; but when
otherwise, she hurics it in the rocesses of her
bosom, and there let's it cover and brood
among the ruins of her peace. With her the
desire OF the heart has failed The great
charm of existence is at an end. She neg
1eets al the cheerful exercises which gladdcu