The times., 1893-10-06

ldCt. fOpular proverbs
especially are almost always indices to
popular conviction founded on expert
ence and for that reason are generally
worthy Of attention.
sometimes, however, the convictions
thus expressed are thoroughly repugnant
to those-what shall I say?-fner senti-
ments perhaps of our nature which, start
ing with us on the journey of life, are
apt to fray out, grow ragged and dubi-
GUS and finally wear away altogether,
much as the fringes and ribbons and
laces of a smart gown will gradually dis
appear if the garment is taken for every
day wear. Ili. iL1
One OF these proverbs, as we all know,
Is, "When Poverty comes in the door,
Love flies out Of the window" and our
question just now is to discover how
much fire goes to the manufacture Of
this smoke, how much hard angular fact
underlies this glittering generality.
OF course we none of us wish to be-
Eeve it. Human nature left to itself is
xyery sentimental, and the advance opti-
'mists are simply the people who decline
to be convinced Of the deceitfulness Of
sentiment. For myself, like to be de-
ceived by pretty sentiments. like to be
optimistic and to cherish my childish
faith that there is gold cup at the end
of the rainbow and some day shall find
it; that the moon is made of green cheese,
and that bit Of this same cheese, with
bread and kisses added, is wholesome
and sufficient diet for man or woman,
and especially for both together.
say I like to cherish these beliefs, but
the ugly question still arises, Are they
beliefs?
Well, how is it with you yourself? Are
you perfectly satisfied of the truth of
any one of these suggestions, or rather,
to throw aside hyperbole, are you per-
fectly satisfied that bread and cheese
and kisses, with the man of your choice,
is better than assured comfort for your
self and your family with the man whom
you didn't choose, but who chose you?
Mind you, my dear, am not saying
that 1 think it is or it is not, for in very
fact do not know and never have quite
made up my mind. AS I say, love to
be cheated by sentiment, but the trouble
is that there is shrewd little demon of
common sense lurking somewhere in my
composition who is forever pulling my
pretty sentimental beliefs to tatters and
showing the hollowness Of their founda-
tions. Sometimes, am sure, am able
to convince myself that he is mistaken.
!. Sometimes I can boldly silence him and
shut him up in closet But in gen.
eral way must confess that he has the
best of the argument, and j. is the senti-
ment that gets put in the closet. But
putting in the closet is not death, you
know, and both common sense and SEN
timent soon creep out again, and the
never ending conflict is renewed. Prob
ably my experience is also yours and
that Of plenty of other persons, for l
rather think it belongs to human nature
in general, and thank heaven "there is
a good deal of human nature in man
especially in the woman"
Riches or love-which will you have
If you can't have both? Of course, to
have both-that is, an unlimited amount
of love and not too large an amount Of
money-is the ideal condition, but who
POoocoScS ~ VI uOpco IL!
Not too much money, say, for the
multimillionaire is so hampered and
harassed and badgered and pursued and
Intrigued for money that he has neither
time nor heart left for love, for Eros is a
very exacting little deity and will not
give the fullness of his gifts to any but
those who give him their lives-that is
to say, their lives for the time being.
No, a man who is too rich cannot be
good lover, for not only are his mind
and time preoccupied, but before reach
ing maturity he has become inbued with
the conviction that every man he meets
is trying to cheat him and every woman
intends to marry him either to herself
or some Of her family. This condition
of mind is fatal to the mingled humility
and courage essential to the true lovers
character. A hare would not make q
good guardian for q confiding but timid
traveller, and if, as is often the case with
hares, he was conceited as well as timid
1t is so much the worse.
The overrich woman is not likely to
be good lover either, because as gen.
cral thing she does not believe that every
man she meets wants to marry her SIM
ply for her money. The natural vanity
of the sex works to her destruction by
suggesting that she herself is quite COM
petent to inspire all the devotion and ad-
miration professed by her adorers, and
she nothing doubts that were she the
beggar maid King Cophetua would WOO
her just as ardently as he does today.
Well, perhaps he would, but my little
demon Of common sense suggests that
more probably he would not, and in this
case feel inclined to agree with him.
But the unlucky millionairess, ac-
customed from her cradle to the servile
adulation which surrounds such persons,
has very likely never made the acquaint.
ance of cold, cruel Master Common.