The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-22


any more than blind girl could truly
understand the beauty Of nature, or
deaf one appreciate the chorus Of birds
on summer morning.
But /. for one, am not ready to grant
that this is the truth. Ihave seen. l have
known girls trained in the lap of luxury
and the vortex Of fashionable life who
have learned to love so truly. so purely,
and so naturally that the artificial char
acter that seemed 10 be their only one
has utterly changed its complexion and
build, and the pupil of Love has gradua-
ted as q wife with brilliant success. Let
US look little at the course of study.
Society teaches selfishness; the object
of each individual is to surpass little
every other individual in the dearest OBJ
ject of ambition. With the men, this OBJ
Ject Is wealth, or political Importance,
or some form of worldly ambition lead
ing to power and prominence. With the
women, IT Is social leadership, authority
in matters of dress. the reputation Of
entertaining with splendor and success,
beauty, style, or fascinating manner,
acquaintance with the mighty person
ages of the earth and all the minor de-
tails of their lives.
Now the attainment of the first place
in all these matters involves the pushing
somebody else back into the second
place, and if this is not selhshness what
Can be!
But Loves first lesson is unselfshnessi
His pupil must learn 10 put herself in
the background and consider what Will
make another person happy or De to
his advantage; she must hold her own
plans and wishes in so light grasp that
she can instantly reinquish them and
take up another set originating in an
other will. She must learn to think very
lightly Of her own ideas and convictions,
and accept with delight and admiration
those she has never dreamed of or has
looked upon as quite erroneous. She
must learn to look upon her own beauty,
grace and requirements as only valuable
because somebody else values them, and
not in the least because they are her
Yes, Love teaches unselhshness, and if
one takes the full course. and acquires
it thoroughly, as alas, few have strength
to do, he adds sincerity, tact, docility,
silence under provOcation, patience,
sweetness, energy, and untiring deter
minatiOn to do and to be whatever will
make the beloved one happy. and holy
hypocrisy in Disgusting all the disap-
pointments, self sacrifices and changes
of purpose involved in giving up ones
life to become the counterpart of an
other life.
But where nature is strong enough,
and at the same time yielding enough
to take the whole course and learn every
lesson to the end. which is also the end
of life, that woman, be she fashionable
girl or a country girl, will make a good
wife and become the delight and the JOY
of her husband, although he probably
will never half appreciate her, for it is
one Of the many contradictions of the
masculine nature that the more perfect
woman is the less they admire and try
to please her. A perfect woman. or one
as nearly perfect as we ever find in this
world of imperfection. must either be
satisfied with the approval of her own
sex, who do rs a general thing appre-
ciate and admire her, or, if she remains
in Love school and faithful TO his guild
ance, he will keep her supplied with
rose cOlOred glasses through which not
only the man she loves but her own life
and the sacrifices she makes for him,
and his stOlid acceptance Of those sacri-
fees Will all show in a soft radiance, a
lovely Claude Lorraine effect which can
transform the most stupid landscape,
the most commonplace surroundings into
a scene of ideal beauty.
Civilization does not materially change
the basis Of human nature and fashion
able life is not half so powerful an agent
for good or bad 40 questionable people
are apt % think. | have known q good
many men and women on both sides of
the Atlantic who would no doubt be-
marked as leaders of sOciety-the typical
fashionable people, although, by the
way, society objects just now 10 the
term fashionable, and, especially IN lon
don, holds itself aloof from and far
above those 20 whom il sets fashions in
its own arbitrary mode But, however
you may style them, these are the people
who hold themselves at the head Of the
social system In the great centers Of
and, having studied them
a good deal and rather critically, | am
quite ready to aver that they are Just
men and women like the rest Of us.
The men like 10 fancy themselves
wiser than other men. and are most
charmed by those who most defer 70
them; they are suspicious in the wrong
place. and easily blinded and led by
the women who know how 10 do II,
they are highly polished on the surface.
and rather coarse and material under the
surface; in fact. they are like al other
men. And the women love % be ad- /
mired for whatever charms they pride /
themselves upon plDst highly, love % SEE /
men turn from other women % them, /
love 70 be attended to and sought out, |
love 20 De loved This - the b4sIs Of 4
human nature, and whether u /
is covered up by the silks and lIces of
woman. or Is hidden n the /
folds Of muslin and wooden, and the /
pretty devices Of \ giTfs own fingers and
happy inventions 6eCause sne has no
money u buy those Of other p>-opls, II i
always the tcoHs0H VINO Is underneath, I
and who, when the man and the hour
arrive. breaks forth fresh and radiant
as GalateS from her marble under Pyg- 1
nations touch.
Do Won see TIE kernel q TIE whole