Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-08
IONIG-LITTERS.
The Cheerful Documents in Fact and Fic
tjou,

commercial notcpapcr are of superior
worth to the dainty violet scented HIIctS
which, when young, it Rugged to its heart.
Men would fan he CNniCs herein, but hll-
man nature il too strong for them. Mem
CRY at once convicts them of insincerity,
and the laugh rings false upon the lips.
Next to receiving Il lovc-lcttcr, there is no
purcr pleasure upon earth than writing
one and that because the recipient must
always he to Il certain extent fearful, as he
reads. lest some shade Of devotion be omit
ted. while the writer of one simply pours
out in fullest trust and love the emotions
of his heart. And vet there is Il sadness
about lovc-ctters, They mark the end of
youth. the beginning of the cares of ma
ture life. As Pope says. when Belinda
aWakcs:
And, if report says true.
Her eyes first open ON II bUlCt-dOur.
From that moment lovr-sick troubles
deepen StrephOn's anNictics are added to
Belndas own and before many years or
months have passed the purple light of
love and bloom of young desire, of which
another great English poet speaks, die out
into the gray skies and cloudy atmosphere
of domestic life: Venus and Cupid and
the Graces abhor butchers and bakers es
pccially when the latter are clamOrOus for
money. After marriage EndymOn may
long wander on LatmoS before l.atona
will trouble herself to join him Yet not
so long ago there was II time when the
winged ankles of Mercury sped all too
slow as he carried lOve-letters for the anX-
iOus lovers Even before the days of the
penny post lovers sent each other letters
and if those of Mary Queen of Scots prove
so intensely interesting To us of the nine
tecnth century, what would we not give
/ SrnIlpn1nIl II
caSket full of the love-lcttcrS of Helen?
In mature life love letters are not merely
mirth-prOVOking, they are an anachron-
ism. No one can write love letter pro
per after twenty-five. Before that age
fancy, imagination, emotion, sclf-cilaCc-
ment, conservation of the beloved object,
abandonment of worldly. even of prudcn-
tial considerations. are all swept along as
a man writes by the full rush of love.
much as the Tweed i'm flood times hurrieS
off boughs. hurdles. posts. stocks" of
corn to the sea. After twenty-five IA frgid-
itv scizes the most imprisoned style.
The lover thinks before he commits his
raptureS to paper. and sober reflection is
fatal to love rhHpSodies. \ WidoWcr's
lOvc-letterS are chilling and mattcr-Of-faCt
worldly. and busincss-like If IA widow
knows what She is about. she does not at
tempt To write aught but plain, unimpaS-
stoned prose to her admircr Her woman 5
tact forbidS her to NEEDLE with strain of
poetry ana passion Nllltn HAS lDil8 tttSt'l
To flow spontaneously from the heart. At
the best of times loVe-letters only appeal
to the Youthful hearts, and only when
those tWo youthful hearts beat in entire
sympathy with each other \ man may
Keep n b;lndle of love-letters for souvenirs
but he could not trust his sense of the lu-
dicrous were he to try to read them. Not
the truest and tenderest of love etflsions
can bear publicity who can reprcss Il
smile when such letters are read in IA court
of Justice If they are in the least de
gree poetical, highfiown, or eNuberant,
what Il sad appearance do they not make
Only think of calling upon the world to
witness every act and word of tenderness
which passes between two sincere lovers
but with what dismay and confusion
should we not be overwhelmed were the
sentiments expressed in our letters wholly
false, mere tinsel. which had been decep-
lively passed as cold, A modern Blue
Beard or Henry VIII. probably writes his
loyc-letters on postcards. or eypeditionsly