The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-24


H w MI being men of the
M world, are prone to
regard the romantic
passion of love when they have reached
middle age as part Of the folly Of
youth and TO speak Of it with dc.
gree Of compassionate disdain. They
do this naturally and expectedly if they
are bachelors. But if husbands and
fathers they do it likewise. apparently
forgetting the incongruities and absurdi
ties of which they were guilty in their |
unfedged years Even the remembrance
of their absurdities seems to make them
more merciless on themselves. They de-
clare that in those salad days they were |
destitute Of common sense; that they
were the spooniest Of spoons, the very
DEVILS own fools. They Intimate that
now they are the reverse of what they
were at that tune; that the experience
Of years has changed them completely,
absolutely. Their opinions of love and
lovable women are limitless.
To hear them talk you would believe
that Venus herself, if she were to de-
scend from Olympus and specially exer-
else ell her destinations upon them,
would no more stir their blood than if
they were brazen images. They who
are well acquainted with middle aged
men know them better. These are still
susceptible to feminine charms-more
so perhaps to veritabe charms than they
were between Is and 20. In their Adde'S
cence they could scarcely determine
what an attractive member of the other
sex was. Mere difference Of gender was
attraction enough. They were then in
capable of discrimination, of judging OF
women 9sthetically. intellectually, crit
ically, of distinguishing between really
/ fine and q very ordinary woman. 1t IS
% high compliment TO her to have man
( whose youth has past drawn to her, IN
terested in what she is, i'll what she re
veals, in what she is capable of, And
if she knows anything Of human nature
she is very apt to feel that it is COM
/ pliment
The opinions Of middle aged--even OF
older men - about woman are often
worth listening TO, though they may not
be true and frequently are not. But
they are usually founded on close obser-
walton, on no little study Of their nature
and characteristics. Men who have opin-
ions of her are likely to have great
many, and their opinions are much di-
versified, often contradictory. None OF
their opinions differs moro than those
referring TO the sort OF women men are
most inclined to fall in love with. OF
course each man forms his opinion on
his own experience, and mems expert
ences are as varied as the kinds OF WON
en- they come in contact with.
It ia commonly said by men that such
or such woman is very attractive; that
she is vivacious, clever, interesting; that
she will always have admirers and fol-
lowers, but that she will have difficulty
lin securing q husband. This merely
shows that the men who talk thus make
a distinction, or think they do, between
a woman they would want to marry and
q woman they would like to flirt with
The opinion is very widespread, but is
il correct? Do men begin to pay par
ticular attention to a woman with
definite intent to make her their wifef
Or do they pay her attention because sne
pleases them, or because she invites III
Do they have any conscious intent. IN
deed, when they begin what may be
called q sentimental skirmish prepare
tory to the deadly battle that ends in
marriage? 1t is doubtful if many OF
them have.
The sexes generally tend to one an
, other by law of nature, in which, sc
|, far as we can perceive, there is no de'
sign. unless perpetuity Of the species can
be so regarded. Do men select their
wives, or do circumstances decide the
matter for thems Hundreds OF men
marry every day who at the outset OF
, their acquaintance with the women mac
no thought of marriage; may even have
: been opposed to it on principle. The
senses, the emotions. conduce more &c
) matrimony than the mind or the heart
Passion, for the most part, kindles
flame that sweeps everything before Il
and at last compels connubiality. WON
on are not labeled beforehand wives
a or "spinsters. " Their conjugal or anti
coniupal destiny is settled by their ON
v;ropmept. by their own disposition anc
bv the men within the sphere OF thei'
, ;nf,pence The women who remain sin
ole frequently have more love aifair
than they who wed. Is there not prov
erb tbat says, "They who love muci
seldom marry" Love, i'll truth. ma.
no considered inevitable; wedlock de
, ponds OH chance.
II is an article of common faith tina
, pretty women are lovable and piai,
women unlovable. But Is such faitl
, generally borne out' Far from it. Ac
, cording to the old saw; Beauty 10 on
skin deep. and love goes much deepe