, 1890-07-24
Highest of all in Leavenng Power-U. S, Govt Report, Aug. II, 1850
Roe! B BsMdsgz
ABSOLUTELY PURE

lnulcats ner preference, as when there Ii
great disparity of age. An elderly man
may naturally feel that he could not
hope to win the love of a young girl.
The Incidents of the courtship which led
to the present marriage of NJ. de Lesseps
are widely known. He was well ad-
vasced in the sixties when he met his
wife, then a beautiful young woman in
the early twenties. 1t was at a country
house. She had long admired the great
engineer for his achievements, and when
she saw him his grace and distinction at
once captivated her heart. But how
was she to make him realize this? He
was evidently attracted by her beauty,
but considered her youth a barrier to
any serious interest.
One morning they CHANGED to meet in
a garden whittier she had gone TO gather
some roses. For a moment they were
alone, and he made some joking remark
about her admirers asking which was
the favorite. Would she indicate her
preference by the bestowal of a rose? In
a moment she had placed the whole fra
grant burden in his hands. at the same
time faltering something that told the
secret of her heart.
There are bashful men, often very
honest fellows and deserving a good wife,
who yet lack the courage to make a pro-
posal, and to such tim;d suitors a maiden
may with propriety give aid and COM
fort. The story of John Alden's court
ship is of the most charming of those
which record how a woman has taken
the initiative. The young pioneer was
as difident as he was handsome, and
Uavyar xva n civil hattar ,,gt,GaI tko,
was the fair Priscilla when she ~silenced
his pleading in behalf of stout Capt.
Miles Standish by the famous question,
why don't yon speak for yourself,
John?'
Not only is it properly the right and
even the duty of a loving maiden to help
out her wooe when the worldly advan-
tages are all on her side or he is too
bashful to disclose his passion, but there
is some excuse to be offered for the girl
who assumes that he who offers a kiss
intends thereby to offer his hand.
Too many men wander through the
world stealing from innocent young
creatures a little of the freshness of
their lives, seeking only the amusement
of the moment, careless how much suf-
fering they may infict. A kiss should
be the sacred symbol of betrothal, and
it is nc more than proper to assume that
it is so intended.
Some years ago a gay man of the world
was riding on horseback beside a lively
Washington belle. BY some means they
became separated from the rest of the
party. They were alone in a wooded
road, the twilight was falling, their
horses were walking slowly, very near
together. Yielding to the charm of the
moment, and attracted by the beauty of
the face that was dangerously close to his
own, the gentleman slipped his arm
around the lady's slender waist and their
lips met. After a moment of pretty EN-
barrassment she released herself from his
embrace and said gently:
you will see in the morn
ing"
He was fairly caught, for she was of
a social position that protected her, but
had she been of less rank the assumption
might justly have been the same. No
man of nice honor ought to offer an en-
dearment to a pure maiden without
honest intentions of marriage.
In thousands of cases men have been
punished for their carelessness il these
matters. Many a man has lived in I'M
congenial and wretched marriage with
q woma he would never nave chosen,
because having been weak enough to
form habits of familiarity with her, he
had become entangled in an engagement
he could not break.
In conclusion, while by no means ad-
vising the general adoption of DR.. Bush
nells theory, it is safe to admit that it is
largely true that the men who are most
worth having need sometimes generous
encouragement from the woman they
would we'd A true lover is always
doubtful of his attractions, the very
power of his passion makes him difident,
and many n woman who would have
made a noble wife and mother has re-
manned unwedded because she shrank
from granting the encouragement that
an excellent nan needed. A good girl
who knows herself beloved need not be
too chary of giving some indication of
her own feelings. In all womanliness
and delicacy this may be graciously and
gracefully done.
oIMI