The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-17


the poetry out OF tears for US; 1t makes
| all the sweet romance Of youth a mere
| myth. III gives the lie to all our past hap
| plness We feel as though we wanted
our money back. IL the scientist Will re.
fund what he has taken from us all Will
be forgiven and 10 questions asked, ana
he can have his old analysis. We Wouio
like to throw him ir a corner and jump
upon him. He has come like the tnlei
in the night he has stolen our hearts
treasures. he has fearlessly. heartiessiy
DESTROYED all the sweet ana holy senti-
| meats OF our Joys and sorrows. hallow-
ed as thew are in the loving memory of
| dear woman's tears. Oh, give us back
those other DAYS when our hearts were
| young tender and true, when we were
loving. when tears were tears, and not
| chloride of sodium ard other nauseating
| drugs Throw physic TO the dogs cast
| mockery of true science TO the idle winds,
let the bitter scorn Of every true man
| and woman In all this brave broad land
| help TO drive 1t from the earth. We Will
take no more scientific tears in ours.
| II we are 20 have tears at all-and we
will have them as long as man is cruel
| and heartless and woman is loving and
confidng-let them be the genuine Old ar
| ttcle. with no Paul Pry of a chemist talk
ing about lime, soda, and water
TT is quite possible our condition would
| be greatly improved with more true
| tears: mo lime and soda) and less doubt
full science.
1--WE cannot see that it matters very
| materially with us If our earth be eitFer
six thousand or six million years in age.
Is there anything in the great doctrine of
| evolution, or the still greater develop
ments of geology to satisfy us about
| this?
ut will not add to the health Of our
! bodies. the peace Of our minds, the Chris
tan virtues we should cherish, to lie
| awake in the quite, restful hours OF the
| night thinking over ST ch extremely per-
picking matters.
IF we roam at will through all the
| broad fields. the wide domains of doubt
| and conjecture, in the own undispUted
realm OF this 3o-called scieLce, we viii
not add any practical or satisfying facts
to our general stock of useful knowledge
Just here we are reminded that Mark
| Twain, the famous and conscientious
writer Of genial and truthful fiction, re-
fers to our science in the following very
apt and facetious Mariner There is
something Fascinating about fcier.e! one
| gets such Who'll. sale retur,s of cCnjec-
ture out Of such a triflng investment Of
| fact Then f0rsooth, why continue 10
ceaselessly worry ourselves?
| after all is said and do &c we can but
| think that all this scientific worry Is sure
| ly uncalled for and without any rec
| Ompense to the honest seeker after truth,
! its very grandest efforts in the direction
we have indicated is entirely lost, and
/ 20 wide of the really true and shining
| mark
"As we take ii. the honest pursuit OF
/ grand and noble science is rich in its re-
| ward. 1t sacredly embalms the past. IT
| plcriously beauties the present. IL
| wisely facilitates and generously widens
| the future. So we say if the grand old
| sun will only remain ninety one millions
| of miles from US we will still be thank
| fUl for his warmth and brightness in all
| the welcome seasons as they come and
| go; If the silvery neon so much nearer
| to us. (only 10000 miles distanO in all her
serenely glorious beauty will only con-
| tinue to smile upon us, we will try TO
grow old very gracefully in her sweet and
gentle presence; If the almost countless
| stars perhaps some ten or twelve mil
| lions. we learn there are six millions al
| ready duly registered on Prof. As
| charO will but wilfully persist in ever
| Beautifully scintillating and often glow
| ing in their distant homes, time and age
| can never diminish one lot of our ad-
n.ratiou for all thcir own true glory and
| beauty.
1T is far 1obler and grander. and more
| humane. TO help dry up, To wipe away
| tears. and cease causing them to flow
| than to be prying into and determining
| their composition. Tears thai flow down
| the smooth, soft check of childhood;
| tears that gather on the pale, sunken
| cheek Of old age; tears of Joy ana Of sor-
row, tears OF the past and present are
| all alike. possessing no gentle sentiment.
| either of time, place or circumstance. all
| Of these are plainly and simply known
| only as so much lime, soda, and water
| pray tell us who cares for lime, soda,
| and water in such shape. quantity and
| under such conditions? such scientific
| investigation only results ia dwarfing it,
i SELF I'm misconceiving the true purport
| Of grand and glorious mission. Surely
| this kind Of knowledge is but the very
| small game OF the pot-house hunter
| 1--WE greatly dislike tears. we are sorry
| they ever came into the world. but we
suppose they are only part and parcel Of
| mans heritage Of Woe; still, those
| that are happily shed for JOY we would
| lot suppress, while We would gladly
| check most Of those causil 2 sadness and
| sorrow. Tears that are Cr@el, tears that
| are sad may often come ana go in every
| lfe of Gods elring mortals, but they do
| not abide the same with all OF us; It Is
well known and sadly true with some Of
| us they are ever present, most tenacious
| ~ clinging like the stain on Lady Mac
| beth's hand, an ever indall5le. t,ll-taie
| mark Of murdered hopes and many sor-
| rows.
And yet, mirabile dictu, we are most
| pcrsistently informed that all these tears
| only possess the same simple clements
| OF lime, soda. and water We are per-
| fectly willing for our ipse dixt 60 20 on
| record, the same TO be our ultimatum I'm
! this whole matter, tO-wit, that there
| will never again be- any serious conflict
| certainly none causing tears) between
| science and any counterfeit or spurious
| presentn.ent Of it. In the due fulness Of
| time all its conqUests viii come and re-
main with Us without our ever once
| standing Oh the devious verge OF bat
| tie fought ali her victories will be those
| of peace, some of her trophies may be
tears, but only tears of happiness. such
as were seemly to Petrarch when laurel
crowned.
"And still we are told that the pearly
| tear the Peri offered at the golden gates
Of Paradise was a plain, pIosy solution
! of lime, soda and water We can but
| feel both sad and weary when we look
| over all the dead past and living present.
| fully knowing the very painful fact ever
| abiding with us that,
The saints ard sinners OF some thousand
yeGrs
| Were surely much sadder for all their
tears.
1--WE do not make any issue with the
great, the grand, the sublime investiga-
tons and Developments of noble science;
| 40 indeed Far from il. But. we will
most earnestly continue 70 look forward