The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-09
NOTIONS ABOUT. ATTACHMENTS

Attachments to persons ana places are
among the most familiar sentiments of the
human heart; yet there are some very mis-
taken notions respecting them. The gem
eral idea Is that they are, or ought to be,
a. enduring as the heart itself; that no one
Who has ever cherished either friendship for
man or love for woman should change, or
can change; and that, lot our circum-
stances or our situations on the globe be
altered az they may, We must never forget
the people who formerly were around ~, or
the spot We once called our home. Thus,
when We part from friend whom we are
almost certain never to see again, We take
as many vows Of fidelity, and exchange 40
many promi see Of close epistolary CORE
taIe depended upon . continuous
would be kind of treason against
one Of the most sacred Of human
sentiments. We depart for the new scene
and the new society with depending hearts,
|as II we believed it ever impossible again to
form euch attachments a. those We are just
breaking. II may be whispered to Us that
there is much pleasure in novelty, and that
We may perhaps soon forget our old friends
for the sake Of the new, and lose the recol-
lection Of former scenes in the charm Of
tho present. But We repel these insin1a-
tsrmine, may almost ray whether We will
Tor no, TO preserve mournful retrospe ction
Of the past.
Now, the truth is We are not designed to
live upon the recollection Of either past
faces or past scenes. Friendship and love
. are not to be supported dor. for any length OF
any scene ever be 90 important to
us in recollection % that IN which We
are Immediately placed. Instead Of affection
being tangible object. which we can
pledge away forever, as the heart is sup
posed to be in nonsensioal poetry, it ID q
sxerted on whatever successive objects We
are pleased with. the new objects regularly
attracting q certain quantity Of affection
away from the old, till, in the end, the old
have little or none remaining. Some read
ers will exclaam against this doctrine a. q
vince ourselves that it il really correct, let
~ recolleot the fate of any one Of all the
friendships and loves We ever cherished.
Suppose, for instance, the case ia which
friendships are thought to be most warm
: school intimacy. Who that ever enter
ment Of this kind, and, on parting, vowed
to write regularly every month, if not
oftener, ever found that the correspondence
was in the least degree interesting after the
0f6t Year, Few fond letters are EXCHANGED.
breathing the very spirit of old friendship.
But this soon becomes tiresome. One Of
Tho parties happens to delay answering .
letter Of the, other, till he is almost
eshamed to do it; the reply to this ID more
dilatory still; and at last the correspondents
rom which 80 much was expected ceases
altogether. It is much the same with ten
derer intimacies: Love, to be lasting, must
be frequently fed with sight Of the loved
pbject. At . distance, other objects are
maintained at the expense Of struQ-
gle of principle-in which it is, Of course,
DO longer love.
Nor is it wrong that our affections should
pe thus transferable. IF We could never
owe but one woman in the course of our
ives, or experience friendship but for one
ocal set Of friends, we would Be miserable
ereatures indeed. The chances would, in
hat case, be ten to one against our OBJ
aiming partner in the least agreeable to
ts: We would probably enjoy both friend
hip and love only for one brief space Of
Fouth. while happening to be at particu-
az place, Tar from our eventual residence.
III the rest Of life-every other part Of the
vorld-would to rs be waste. Now, as
he case really stands, though the scenes
md the friends and the loves of youth are,
perhaps. the most permanently endeared,
nd though it is certainly proper that We
hould not cast off old attachments with an
appearance OF indifference or INCONSISTENCY.
o az to give pain to those we are parting
rom, We can, nevertheless, find moro Of
pcs pleasure in all the scenes which fortune
as provided for our residence.-New York
ledger.