The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-04-15

hH muitltude slowly dispersed. and the
curtain of night hid the lifeless form of
poor dSsolute Ben
GATES.
/ The front gate has always been the ia
v"rite lounging- place of lovers. Philos-
! ophers who know nothing of the tender
| passion, except as they have studied it in
| books. have been at a loss to account fol
/ this fact. The front gate is in an expos
ed situation. 1t is visible to ali who pass
along the street. and is in NEST cases
/ commanded by front windows from
! winch the father may ut any time make
| observations. Why lovers should pre-
! Ter til" broad publicity Of Il gate in such
Il situation to the 50 e retirement of a
seat under the shrubbery is something
! that science cannot find out. Neverthe-
, less, this very publicity has its advantage
! III the eyes of the young people. An in
/ tervlcw at the front gate has the air OF
an accidental meeting The young man
happens to be passing and the young
woman happens at the same moment tn
be swinging on the gate. Thus the pair
may meet and interchange vows and por-
table property without exciting remarks
Oh the pant Of casual observers. Then
there Is on the part of the young woman
the opportunity of being seen in CONVEX
station with Il desirable young man, a
sight which she knows must ill the
bosoms Of other giils with envy and rage
| !; he quiet seat under the shlubb"ry is all
very well. but ii i not ALWAYS easy t.
| ->plalu the situation To an int,udlug
.uhlden aunt, and its very privacy pre-
cents the other Sul, from bein, torment
"a with jealousy.
| Probably The rhN thmc motion of the
swinging gate has an attraction ior Il
lonng girl at the period when she finds
ger life suddenly translated into poetry
| Us she waits Tor her lover she swings
| drcamlly to and fro, keeping time with
the measure ct that last delicious poem
| If Tennl son that she read last night and
| thought must have been written express
| ly III order to describe Charles Henry >
passion for her. When he comes she
ceases to swing. and they both lean on
the gate. which becomes Il barrier strong
enough to keep them iIom iudiscreet
| demonstrations of affection, and yet not
high or broad enough to be real separa-
ton between them. What do philoso
piers know OF these t..lmgs that they
should attempt to discuss " The Front
rate i'll its Relation to the Sexes?'
That the front gate is q defective piece
ri mechanism is known to thousands OF
young people. Ii a hot-tcmpered and
aggressive father suddenly approaches
from the side where the young man is
Improving his time, there is little chance
Of avoiding Il painful scene. Mr. Jenny
son, in his little fragment, entitled The
cate, has pictured this danger with
wonderful vividness and pathos:
The lovers lean across the gate
Ard 90 not Yet, she rlak-th moan.
The fierce !ar-hounclug father c"iueS--
Sine >wln"eth OF the gaze alone
y still more serious defect in the mod
"ln gate is the fact that it is built with
"t't reference to the height OF any purtc-
ular young person. The average gate is
perfectly suited to the height of the aver
age young man and young woman, for
when she stands ON the lower bar her
head is brought to the same level as his
mead. and conversation can thus be car
iied Oh without Inconvenience. When,
noweve:, very tail Young mau has to
lean over a gate he must of necessity as
sumo position that is both ungraceful
and uncomfortable. and tie case of Il tall
!oung woman is even worse. Again, il
both happen To be persons of very short
stature the gate becomes an actual aud
toimidab e barrier between Them. They
can only clasp hands through the bars o.
Western journals can forget the tate OF
The small young man who had thrust
both hands through = gate, and ben.
temporarily unable to withdraw them
vas III that situation !. helpless prey To d
arse and iniurlated father.
a betetlcent scientific Journal has in
lis last Issue an account oi Il newly i'll
vented gate, which viii supply a great
public want, since 1t Is Just the sort OF
Improvement upon the present style OF
gate which has been 50 louS needed. The
upper bar of tins gate can be lowered b.,
nelejt touching a lever, thus rcducin.
Tie height OF the gate to such an extent
that 1t can be USED by lovers OF not more
than three feet high. The gate Is con
etructed to swing both ways. and il can
DE opened Or shut with Il very slight ex-
crtion OF strength and in less than one
second. The great utility OF this latter
feature Is visible at Il glance. Let lis
suppose small lover, who has properly
reduced the height OF the gate, is occu-
pied IN the usual way when he percelyes
father approaching him with Il lrown
on MS lace and New boots ready for action.
Instantly that small Young man opens the
gate, IusheS inside the front ward. closes
the gate again, locks it with spring.
ana hoists the upper bars to their normal
position in precisely three seconds by the
watch. The father unable to opeu it
without 4 key, and unable To jump over
the high gate. is forced tie permit the
youn" man to escape through the back
yard and the young girl to retire to her
room and have headache. How many
terrible scenes of blood and mangled gar
mcnts would have been avoided had this
henehcent variety of gate been in general
use during the last ten Years: The inven-
tor Is a noble man. and young people yet
unborn will hang on his gate and call him
blessed.
e Not long ago 4 western land agent
had i'll tow party Of eastern farmers to
each OF whom he hoped to sell strip of
liud in the rich ARKANSAS Valley. He
had devoted himself To them for a whole
day. but dined and wined and "drUv
en-, but his most glowing accounts Of
the fertility of the country could not
bring his stoiid hearers to the point of