The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-26
Jans. Baehanan.. Early Ronaaee.

When . young lawyer in Laneastel
Pennsylvania he was engaged to b
married 70 q Young lady to whom b
was deyoteiiy attached. The hiographe
has given Us q brief but deeply inter
esting sketch of the history of this sal
episode. 4 ..inyer's quarrel. original
ing in the gossip of village girls, sepe
rated them tribes are causes in th
philosophy OF life, IS in nature, whicl
sometimes produce convulsions, catas
trophies. Young girls of the past gener
alton in a country town we're marvel
ously like young girls of the preceding
and present generation. The gossip a
thoughtleSs children, scarce grown Il
womanh0od, produced effects which they
little imagined. The lovers were parted
The separation would have been only
temporary, perhaps, but for her sud
den death. In very touching and elo,
quent letter he begged to be allowed to
see his dead love. In this he said: "Mv
prospects are all cut ot4, and / feel that
my happiness will be buried with her in
the grave. 1t is now no time for expla.
nation, but the time will come when YOU
will discover that she, as well as /, has
been abused. God forgive the authors
of it! Ny feelings of resentment
against them, whoever they may be, are
buried in the dust. / have now one re.
quest to make, and for the love of God
and of your dear departed daughter,
whom loved infinitely more than any
other human being could love, deny me
not. Afford me the melancholy pleasure
of seeing her body before its inter
ment.'
Perhaps to the unsentimental reader
this is but a trifling incident in human
life. But, after all, the mighty forces
which move humanity are the forces
which come from the affections rather
than from the cool intellect Men
have died and worms have eaten them,
and this for love. He who endeavors
to measure the soul, to analyze the
moral and intellectual part of man or
woman, and who ridicules what we call
sentiment, leaves out the most impor-
tant element in the whole subject of con.
sideration. When in later years Mr.. Blu
chanan became public man, political
antagonists, according to the accepted
American style of political campaigns,
raked out of the history of his youth
this incident, misrepresented and fall
sified it. The old politician, who knew
better than any man in America how to
meet and reply to all the attacks and ac-
cusatious, true or false, of opponents,
never allowed the solemn sacredness of
this memory to be tarnished by any illu-
sion on his part. Once he told trusted
friend that there were among his papers
letters and relics which. when he was
dead, would if necessary, set his his
tory truly before all who were interested.
1t would seem that before his decease
be came to the conclusion that the story
Of his love belonged alone to himself
and to her, and that it mattered little
what was said here when he and she
should talk it out where there are no
,ossips or scandle-mongers. His exc
tutors found sealed package endorsed
With directions to burn it unopened |
md they obeyed the direction.
The course of true love, says our /
in terms of very simple elo-
"ran in this case pure and un-
roken in the heart of the survivor
through a long and varied life. 1t be
anne grief tnat could not be spoken
f, to which only the most distant allu
ion could be made; a sacred, unceasing
Drrow, buried deep in the breast of
man who was formed for domestic Joys;
idden beneath manners that were
lost engaging, beneath strong social
and chivalrous old-fash-
med Difference to woman of all ages,
nd all climes. His peculiur and reyer-
ntial demeanor toward the sex, never
aried by rank or situation or individ-
al attractions, was doubtless in large
egree caused by the tender memory of
hat he had found or fancied in her
HON he had lost in his early days by
leh cruel fate" {
The immediate effect of this sorrow {
as to change the course Of his life. He
ad previously determined not to enter '
olitical life He now sought excite
lect and associations with men, and /
ccepted a nomination and election to
ongress. The village gossips who s
arted the lovers are responsible for
asst deal that has since occurred in the l
iitory of the United States.-William i
Prime in Harper's Magazine for Jan {
arv