The Portland daily press., 1879-03-20
G. W. on Love.
A etier From the First President 70 his
Adopted Daughter.

[Mr. Losing in the Philadelphia Times
Nellie Custs was o sweet child and bios
somed into a charming woman. When she
was sixteen years of age she first attended
ball at Georgetown, and wrote sn animated
description of it to her foster father, then
President of the United States, the seat of gov
ernment being in Philadelphia. In her letter
Nellie made some remark about her inditfer-
ence to the beaux. The letter drew from WASH
ington a reply as follows which copied from
the original manuscript, iu possession of the
late Mrs. Lee, wifs of Gen. Robert E. Lee:
PHILADELPHIA, January 16, 1795.-Your
letter, the receipt of which am now acknowl-
edgiug, is written correctly aud 10 fair chsrae-
tiers, which is an evidence that you command,
when you please, fair hand. Possessed OF
these advantages, it will bs your own fault If
YOU do not avail yourself of them, and atten-
ton being paid to the choice OF your subjects,
you can have nothing to fear from the malig
nancy of criticism, and your ideas are lively
and your descri ptiOns agreeable.
Let me touch little now on your George
town ball, and happy, thrice happy for the
far who were assembled on the occasion, that
there was man to spare; for had there been
seventy-pipe ladies and ODly seventy-eight gen.
tlemeo there might in the course of the evs D.
ing have been some disorder among ths caps;
notwithstanding the apathy which one OF the
company entertains for the "youth OF the
present day, and her determination never to
give herself moments uDeasiness on account
of any Of them" hint here: Men and wo-
men feel the same inclination to each other
that they always have done, aud which they
will continue to do until there Is new order
| of things, and you, as others have done, may
| ind perhaps that the passions OF your sex are
| easier raised than allayed. Do not, therefore,
| boast too soon or too strongly, OF your insens-
| bility to or resistance OF its powers. In the
| composition of the human frame there is a
| good deal of inflammable matter. however dor
| mapt it may lie for time, and, like an inti-
| mate acquaintance Of yours IA sister just mar
ried), when the torch IS put to IL, that which Is
| within you may bar,t into blaze; for which
| reason and especially too, as l have entered
| upon the chapter OF advlces, Will read you
lecture drawn from this text.
| Love is said to bs an involuntary passion
/ and it is, therefore, contended that 1t cannot
| he resisted. This is true in part only, Tor,
| like all things else, when nourlshed and sup
nlied pe, tifuly with slment, it is rapid IN its
procress; bat let these be withdrawn and 1t
| NAV be stified in its birth or much stinted in
/ growth For example, woman (the same
| NAV be said of the other sex, all beautiful
and accomplished, will, while her hand and
heart are undisposed of, turn the beads and
set the circle in which she moves on fire. Lei
her mary, and what is the consequence? The
| madeess ceases and all is quiet again. Why
Not because there is any diminution in the
| charms OIL Jn6 lAuy, Uub U6Cdusc bucEO 10 an cuu
OF hope. Hence it follows that love may and
therefore ought to be under the guidance o1
| reason tor, although We car not avoid hts
| ina pressiOns, we may assuredly place then
| under guard; and my motives Tor treating on
this subject are to show you while you remain
Eleanor Parke Gusts, spinster, and retain the
resolution to love with moderation, tue pro
nriety of adhering to the latter resolution, al
least until you have secured your game, sne
the way by which 1t may De accomplished
| a. haxt tppip n kinHla
heart grows warm PROFOUND these questions t
"'Wbo is the invader? Have I competen
knowledge of him? Is he a man of good char
scter. a man of sense? For. be sure, a sensible
| womau Can never BE- happy with fool. w ma
| has neen his walk in life, is he gambler,
sneodthrift, or q drunkard? Is bis fortune sui
| ficieut TO maintain me in the manner L nav
bsen accustomed to live and my sisters 40 i've
| And is he one to whom my frlenos eau nave Ut
| reasonable objection? 1t these loterrogstorie'
| con h. snccessfully answered there will remaii
| hnt ona more 10 be asked. That, however, l
an imn,rtapt one. Have L sufficient ground u
conclude that bis aft ctioDs are engaged py me
| Without this the heart OF sebslpihty VIII strus
ole painst passion that IS not recprocateo-
SaIioscv custom, or call 1t by what epithet 20
viii having precluded all advances on you
part. ;.4 .ho 49,.
invitation of yours, must proceed from the ma
To render il permaDent aud valuable, and pott
ing short of good sense aud an easy, unsffecte
conduct can draw the line between prudery an
o-ouetry. 1t would be 90 great departure fror
truth to say that it rarely happens otnerwls
than that a Thoroughbred coquette dies 10 ce
Ibacy as punishment for her attemD DIS 10 his
lead othees by encouraging looks, words or az
tops, gwen for no other purpose than TO orsN
men % t, make oyertures that they may be II
jected.
, Rsst ra,a,ds ara presented your mamma, ID
Stnast anS family. aud every blessing, ar on
which a good husband, when you want aoo }, d q,
,arvs one. is bestowed ON you by yours stie'
] tionately, VI "A'-'0-N-'