New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-05

my hair and smiled. but my
father took me by the hand, and said
was naughty, and he would never take me
there again. Then my head felt confused,
and the blood rushed to my cheeks, for
felt that my father did me injustice And
looked to the Princess, that she might
defend me, but an expression of mild sc.
robustness was on her face. Then looked
toward the gentlemen and ladies who were
in the room, and thought they would helr
me. But as looked at them I saw thai
they were all laughing. The tears came
into my eyes, and ran away; out of The
door, down the steps, past the Under
trees in the courtyard, and home, until
came to my mother, and threw myself il
her arms and sobbed and cried.
"What has happened to your" said she
"Oh! mother" cried l, II was with tn,
Princess, and she was such good ani
beautiful woman, just like you, my deal
mother, and l had to throw myself upor
her neck and kiss her."
"Yes," said my mother, ''but you should
not have done that, for they are stranger
and persons Of rank"
"And what then are strangers" said !
"may I no. then love all people that lool
at me with their affectionate, friendly
eyes?"
"Love them you may, my son, replied
my mother, "but you must not show it.
''And is it, then, something wrong fol
me to love people; and why may MOI
show it,"
"Well, you are right" said she, 'bu1
you must do what your father says, and
when you are older, then you will under.
stand why you can not fall upon the neck
of all beautiful women with affectionate
friendly eyes,"
That was q mournful day. My father
came home, and insisted that had been
rude. In the evening my mother put me
to bed, and said my prayers, but 1 could
not sleep, and kept thinking what
strangers could be that one should not
love them.
Poor human heart! So are thy leaves
crushed in spring, and the feathers torn
from thy wings! When the aurora of life
opens the secret calix OF the soul, all
within exhales love. We learn to stand
and to walk, to speak and to read; but
love, nobody teaches us. That belongs to
us as our life; yes, it is, they say. the
deepest foundation of our existence. As
the heavenly bodies attract each other,
and incline toward each other, and are
held together by the eternal law of gravita-
ton, so also heavenly souls incline toward
each the- and attract one another and
are held together by the eternal law Of
love. A flower can not blossom without
sun shine, and man can not live without
love. Would not the heart of the child
break for fear when the first cold storm Of
this str ange world blows against it, did
not the warm sunlight of love beam upon
him from out his mothers and bis fathers
eyes, like the mild reflection of the divine
light and the divine love? And the long
ing hat awakes in the child-that is the
pur est and deepest love. That's the love
that embraces the whole world, that
gle ans where two open human eyes shine
upon it; that exults when it hears two
hu voices. That is the Unreasonable
love, deep spring that no lead has yet
a fountain of inexhaustible
riches. Who knows love knows also that
in it there is no measure-no more, and
no less-but that who loves can love only
With his whole heart, his whole mind;
With all his strength, and with all his
soul
But, alas! how little remains of this love
before we have half finished life's journey.
Even the child learns that there are
strangers, and ceases to be child The
spring of love is covered, and with years
becomes exhausted. Our eyes beam no
more, but, serious and languid, we 60
past one another through noisy streets.
We hardly greet others, for we know how
sharp it cuts our soul when greeting re-
mains unanswered, and how it pains to
part from those whom we once have
greeted warmly and whose hand we have
pressed. The wings of the soul lose their
feathers, the leaves of the tree are
almost all crushed and withered;
and out Of the inexhaustable foun-
tain of love only few drops
are left to cool our tongue SO that we may
not altogether perish. These drops we
still call love. But that is no longer the
pure, full joyous child's love. 1t is love
with fear and trouble, burning ardor,
blazing passion-love that consumes itself,
as the raindrop on the hot sand; love that
desires, not love that sacrifices; love that
asks, "Wilt thou be mine" not love that
says, IL must be thine" Selfish, des-
perate love it is, and that is the love that
poets sing, and youths and maidens be-
lieve-a fire that blazes, but does not
warm, and leaves nothing but smoke and
ashes. We have all once believed that
these rockets were the sunbeams of eternal
love; but the brighter the light the darker
the night that follows.
And then, when all around grows dark,
when we feel very lonely. when every
body goes by US and knows us not, then
arises at times forgotten feeling in the
h.oaak and uo knou MT uhaf Il il for II Ia