Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-12-01
HOLP ON FLIRTING.
All Men Arc Flirters And There
Is No Kelley Cure For
1t Either.
The Devil Never Flirts But He
Likes to Sec 1t Developed
In Others.
What Bob Burdcttc and Others
Say on the Subject nI'
Flirting.
What Bob Burdcttc and Others

the lecture given Sunday night. NOV.
2oth. 1892. at Waterfowl, 5. D.. by /
Rev. T.. L. lIolp;
When Daniel Webster was asked .
how he obtained his clear ideas, he
replied, '.Byattcntion to definitions.
Long wears ago saw this definition
by Robert Burdettc: "i'lirtation is
attention without intention. 1t /
struck me as the best definition pos
siblc for this very questionable prac-
tice so common in life. The simplest |
and silliest form of flirting is with /
strangers, and consists OF the waving |
of fan or handkerchief, Il look. 4 |
smile. side remark. These many |
people will give to one on a train. or |
in a carriage. or walking If with a |
valisc, one whom they are sure they
will never see again, who would not /.
for any amount of money do these l
things to one whom they counted on
becoming acquainted with. That |
this is only too true assures us that
Burdctte was exactly right in his
definition: We ought never feel free
to do to stranger what we would
not do to Il ncighbor.'
Webster strikes deeper into our
subject when he says: "firting is
playing ut courtship." OF such 'lirt-
ing cannot do better than quote
another: lie WHO does it is a
wretch. He should be ranked with
thieves, robbers. Williams, murdcrcr>.
His theft is a robbery of the heart,
Its a yulgars;n and wickedness To
be compared only To blaSphcmy. IL
is awfully dcmoralzing in it, ten
dcncy and low and base in It's cliarac-
ter" A ease was recently tried in
Rutland. Vermont. in which Miss
Munson recovered fourteen hundred
and twenty-five dollars OF a Mr..
Hastings for Il breach OF marriage
contract. The curiosity OF the thing
is this: The Vermont jadgc charged
the jury that no explicit promise was
necessary to bind the parties to i
marriage contract, but that long con-
tinued alterations. or intimacy with
a female was as good as evidence OF
intended matrimony as special con-
tract. The principle of the case. is
that if Hastings did not promise, he
ought TO have done so. ~ most cN-
cellen, decision, Ii every young
lady treated as WAS Miss Mun>on.
acted as She did. and every judge
would decide rs this Judge. it would
not be long before this r.indof flirting
would become extinct I'VE cannot
hope reasonably TO have the married
relation held in right esteem until
our young men and women cease ito
play at coUrtship."
The nirt. male or female, is no bet
ter. because no different from a pro
fessional gambler, for like the gam
bier. their JOY is produced by the
exquisite pain of another. That that
pain is inflicted as kitten scratches
without thinking of the claws under
Meath the velvet touch. makes ii more
the easier to forgive or 10 forget
nc illll liilit-lS pam itli 80 NV
suffers pain. for it is just as true al
this offender is any other: ''llc made
a pit. and diggcd it, and is talienintC
the ditch which he made. His mis-
chief shall return upon his cwn head
and his violent dealing shall come
down upon his own pate.
Once ilirt always tiirt. is only
too near the truth to be of much com
fort. | knew man whOwas pas
senuer conductor on Michigan rail
wav for long years. He went Il
farming. bat he never could work j
a train was in sight. and ii nea
enough. he wanted TO call, "Al
aboard" and get on the train himself
| knew another man who was ser,
prolame for years. after hiseonrersiol
and chumh-membership would swea
like an old tar, even when II
conversation with his own pastor
He did it Internationally, erei
unknowingly. The tirt is like botl
of these men. They never see al
opportunity to tlirt but what the.
stop from their work and think of it
and if possible occupy the privilege
Yes, often do it merely from force 0
habit, would deny all knowledge of it
and rightly too. If they never accused
of it. am aware this is gospel 0
despair to husbands and wives tied t
an old tiirt, still it is only too true
and must be declared in order t
keep those still uncursed by it fror
its Immediate and lifelong cursings.
No Kelley Cure has as yet bee
discovered for the tlirt: Bcrwart
Quit before beginning! Water no,
and then destroys human life, bu
day by day saves the multitude. An
vet some men forswear water
r.u,;,oec hoe l,oon hrnuUlt tn q fa,