The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-04-26
VASE INGTON ON LOVE.

ALETTER TO MISS cusTIs, HIS WARD.
B. ]. Losing, in an article in Phladcl-
phia weekly, publishes letter written in
January, 1895, by George Washington to
Eleanor Parke Custis his wife's granddaugh
ter and his own adopted daughter. In this
he gives her the following advice on the
subject of love:
"Men and women feel the same inclina-
ton to each other now that they always
have done, and which they will continue
to do until there is a new order of things,
and you, as others have done, may find per-
haps that the passions of your sex are easier
raised than allaved DO not, therefore =.
boast too soon or too strongly of your insen
sibility to or resistance of its powers. In
the composition of the human frame there
is good deal Of naammatory matter, how
ever dormant it may be for a time, and,
like an intimate acquainta:ntance of yours
"a sister just marredl, when the torch is
put to it, tina. which is within you may
burst into a blaze for which reason, and
especially, too, as | have entered upon the
chapter of advices, will read you lee
ture drawn from this text.
! "Love is said to be an involuntary pas
sion, and it is therefore contended that it
cannot be resisted. This is true in part only,
for, like all things else, when nourished
and supplied plentifully with alimeni, it is
rapid in its progress but let these be with
drawn and it may be stiaed in its birth or
much stnted in its growth. For example,
woman (the same may be said of the
! other scx) all beautiful and accomplished,
will, while her hand and heart are undis-
| posed of, turn the heads and set the circle in
which she moves on fire. Let her marry,
and what is the consequence? The mad
ness ceases, and all is quiet again. Whyf
| Not brcause there is any diminution in the
| charms of the lady, but because there is an
end of hope. Hence il follows that loye
| may aud therefore ought to he under the
| guidance of reasoni for although we can
not avoid first impressions, we may as
suredly place them under guard and my
motives for treating ON this subject are to
show you, while you remain Eleanor Parke
Gusts, spinster, and retain the resolution to
love with moderation, the proprety of ad-
| herring to the latter resolution, at least until
YOU have secured your game and the way by
/ which it may be accomplished.
"When the FIRE is beginning to kindle and
your heart grows warm PROFOUND these
questions to it Who is the invader? Have
I a competent knowledge of hima Is he
man of good character, a man Of sense
For, be assured, sensible woman can never
be happy with fool. What has been his
walk in life; is he gambler, spendthriit
or a drnnkard Is his fortune sufficient
TO maintain me in the manner have been
accustomed to live and my sisters do live ?
Aud is he one to whom my friends can have
no reasonable ohjee;ionG If these interrog-
atories can he satisfactorily answered there
will remain but one more to be asked. That
however, is an important one. Have suffi-
cient ground to conclude that his afiections
are engaged by me? Without this the heart
of sensbility will struggle against passion
that is not recprocated-delieacy, custom,
or call il by what epithet you will, having
procludcd all advances on your part.
"The declaration, without the most ind
rect invitation of yours, must proceed from
the man to render it permanent and valua-
bic, and nothing short of good sense and an
easy, unaffected conduct can draw the line
between prudery and ooquetry. It would
be no great departure from truth to say that
it rarely happens otherwise than that tho
rough placed eoquette dies in eelibaey as q
pun ishment for her attempts to mislead
others, by encouraging looks, wolds, or ae-
ton, given for no othel purpose than TO
draw men on 10 make oyertures that they
may be rejected"