Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-12-08
Love as an Investment.

In q lecture Of Col. Robt Ingersoll on
''Skulls' occur the following eloquent
passages:
Love is the only thing that will pay
ten per cent. OF interest on the outlay. Love
Is the only thing In which the height Of
extravaganza Is the last degree of econ
omy. Joy Is wealth. Love IL the legal
tender of the soul, and you need not be
rich to be happy. tell you the happy man
Is the successful man. The man who has
won the love Of one good woman, who
has been the emperor Of one good heart,
has been . success. IL another has been
the emperor of the round world and has
never loved, his life Is a failure. Let US
teach our children that the happy man 10
the successful man, and he who Is . happy
man Is the one who is always trying to
make some one else happy. A little while
ago stood by the grave Of the old Napo-
leon-a magnificent tomb Of gilt and gold,
ht almost for . dead deity, and gazed
upon the sarcophagus Of black Egyptian
marble, where rest at least the ashes Of
the restless man. leaned over the bslus-
trade and thought about the career Of the
greatest soldier of the modern world.
saw him walking along the banks of the
Seine, contemplating suicide. l saw him
mob In the streets OF Paris, saw him at
the head Of the army in Italy, saw him
crossing the bridge at Lod, with the tri-
color in his hand. | saw him in Egypt in
the shadow Of the pyramids, saw him con-
quer the Alps and mingle the eagles OF
France with the eagles OF the crags. saw
him at Marengo, at Ulm and Austerlitz.
| saw him In Russia where the infantry of
the snow and the cavalry of the wild blast
scattered his legions like winters withered
leaves. saw him at Leipsic in defeat and
disaster, driven by million bayonets
back upon Paris-clutched like wild
beast, banished to Elba. | saw him escape
and retake an empire by force of his
genius. saw him upon the frightful fields
of Waterloo, where chance and fate com
bined to wreck the fortunes of their
former king. And | saw him at St. Helena
with his bands crossed behind him, gazing
out upon the sad solemn sea- thought of
the orphans and widows he had made, of
the tears that had been shed for his glory. |
and of the only woman who ever loved
him pushed from his heart by the cold
hand of ambition. And | said | would
rather have been a French peasant and
worn wooden shoes, | would rather have |
lived In hut with vine growing purple |
rather have been that poor peasant with |
my wife by my side, knitting AS the day |
died out of the sky. with my children upon !
my knees and their arms about me would |
rather have been that man and gone down |
to the tongueless silence of the dreamess !
dust than to have been that imperial imper- |
of force and murder, known as |
Napoleon the Great. | like to think that |
love Is eternal; that If you really love the |
woman, for her own sake, you will love /
her through all that she really loves you,
the same. Love does not look at altera-
tions through the wrinkles of time
through the mask of years-you will
always see the fsce you loved and won.
She will not grow old to you nor you to
her-she will always see the same gallant
fellow what won her hand and heart, like
to think OF 1t in that way, and as Shakes
peare says: Let time reach. with his sick |
lie, as far as ever he can; although he can
reach ruddy cheeks and ripe lips and fash
Ing eyes, he cannot quite reach love- We |
Will go down the hill of life together. and |
as we go down may we hear the ripple and |
laughter of our grandchildren, and the |
birds and spring and youth and love will |
sing once more upon the leahess branches
Of the tree of age"