The San Francisco call., 1896-03-08

and the man VINO taxes ner out 10 dinner
doesn't dream that her beautiful fan is
against her hostess; that her gown was
presented to her by woman to whom she
wrote this note: 'My Dear Dolly: have
just heard the story OF your visit to Nice.
II is most interesting. l am sure you
would hate to have it get into print.
Would you kindly let me have, by bearer,
couple of hundred dollars? l will pay
you when my rents come in next
month. Lovingly yours, 'Margie." A
threat2 Oh, no. But the woman who
got that note could read between the lines,
and she knew, unless she sent that $500,
that the story of her escapade, which was
not really bad, only compromising, would
be published in so-called society paper,
so slightly disguised that everybody would
recognize the heroine. How do women
reach this depth? From an overweening
desire to pay proper attention to their
social duties. To such women it is hard
to decline an invitation because proper
gown is not possessed, because new gloves
cannot be got, or because the money
for a cab is not at hand, and they stain
their characters and blacken their souls,
else because they never err from social
standpoint.
There is another woman, beautiful
woman, a woman fond of society, but one
who has vowed to love and honor man
who has become an invalid. She thinks
her duty is done when she knows that he
has good doctors and good nurses; she
she starts to the dance, or whatever it may
be, and she drops kiss lightly on his
forehead and says, Goodnight; you will
be in bed before am back And
away she goes. Society gives her the
right to do this; society counts her
as among it's decorations, and de-
mands her. But what about the man
ill and lonely at home? What are trained
nurses to him? 1t is true they may know
how to attend to his physical wants better
than the wife he loves, but be sure that he
longs for her presence; he longs for her
womanly words, and he longs for what he
has right to 6emand-the presence of his
wife. Women need not speak or act to
tell OF loving devotion, when there are
nurses and doctors. 1t is the being there
only that is wanted; it is the knowledge
that to somebody this sick man is more
than all the world, and that he comes be-
fore the duties of society.
And the little valentine says, "This love
that makes the world go round" And it
means not just to-day, but yesterday, to-
day and forever. 1t means that finest OF
which is wOrth-well, it is worth all that
there is in the world to come. l
do not mean by this the love which
finds its best expression in continual
caresses, in continual words of love. but l
mean the love that works always in one
way or the other, the love that denies
itself something for dear loves sake, the
love that can endure and keep quiet. l
have never been much of believersin the
love that told of itself continually in
words. But there are those who think
this love the finest. Think of a woman
who knew that death was only a matter of
few months, vet who during that time
made herself lovely in appearance, charm
ing in manner, and never once let the man
she loved know that that most dreadful of
all things, cancer, was eating away her
life. She died looking pretty. Those
months when she suffered had been
months not of life, but OF aeath, but at the
last she could say again II love you,"
and she knew that during that time
she had created strong love that
would make all the world better for
her purpose. 1t does, my friend, it does.
There can be no great love without this
world gaining from it. The man who
loves woman we'll will respect and be
gentle with all other women for her sake
The man who loves q woman who has
shown to him how beautiful is an unself-
ish love, how beautiful it is to think of
others first, to care for others most, and to
W
sermon in her life greater than any that
ever came from the pulpit. Men, as a
general thing, are not prone to speak of
their loves-when they are great-but they
are influenced by them, and he who IS
hard of heart will suddenly one day find
himself growing tender for woman's
sake. He who is stern in judgment will
discover mercy because he has loved we'll.
and he who saw nothing but that which
was dark and gloomy will grow hopeful
because woman bids him to, and believe
in future since she earnestly asks him
to, because there their love will be con-
summated in the finest way.
And always when | say that there comes
back to me the one line in play, elf there
were more women whose hearts were full
of sentiment, there would be fewer un-
happy men," All the great and noble
actions in this world have been prompted
by sentiment. Men who have loved
women, men who have been patriots, have
all been men of sentiment. You cannot
cite hero who did not love woman, and
there is not one in the history of the world
in whose life this woman love was not the
best and tenderest part. 1t seems TO me
that what we women of to-day reed to
learn is not our social duties (those of us
who are not acquainted with them may
learn them from books of etiquette) but
to love well-that means to make better
men OF our SONS anu OF our UuSDtUQS, 10
make all life better. Do you remember
what great woman writer said, woman
not like that petty new woman of to-day,
but a woman great of heart, great of brain
and overfowing with love toward her own,
toward all the world and toward God?
The world waits
For help. Beloved, let as love so well,
Our work shall still be better for our love,
And still our love be sweeter for our work,
And both, commended, for the sake of each,
BY all true workers and true lovers, born.
Isn't that the ideal love? And the man
standing beside her said, seeing their love
in the world to come, framed by that
wondrous wall that had
Jasper first,
And second, sapphire; third, chalcedony;
The rest in order-last an amethyst.
And so it stands forever; the perfect
love of the man and the woman-unselfish
beautiful, greater than all the social duties
that may arise it is writ upon an amethyst,
the sacred stone which means Gods love
and mans love in union. A preacherP
"'Tis love that makes the world go round"
and in its whirl are drawn all human be-
ings. 1t reaches out and makes sweeter
the heart of humanity, and to form that
heart-that great, kindly, unselfish loving
hearts needed you and your neighbor,
and" Bah.