The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-08-19
LADS IN LOVE.
NEMo'S SECOND LETTER.
STEP CAUTIOUSLY, LADS.
Some Rambling Thoughts.
BY "NEMO."
Copyrighted by Dave & Tabor.)

(COpyrlgnted Dy Dave q IabOr.)
To YOUNG MEN IN LovE-Admittln,
the truth of all said to you last weel
about the compelling force of love ant
its moulding influence, so strange tha
purified thought has forced out gross
ness, so Transforming that music is il
your soul and poetry on your tongue
so volcanic that the crust OF selfshnes
thick over your heart is rent asunde
and stream of thoughtfulness for an
other gushes forth-admitting this, ]
say, you must concede another fac
that exists in every Christian civiliza
ton. Every young fellow, no matter
how lowly or lofty, no matter how un
educated or learned, no matter how
badly or we'll brought up, gains from
his feeling OF devotion to one deal
woman-choice of his heart-a glimpse
at least of the real grandeur of living
and a ray at least of the sunshine o1
life possible to all OF us forever and ever
through woman, the weak-strong com.
plement of man. This gift of better
understanding of the responsibility oil
existence comes to all who truly love
with some it fingers for aye, with 9th
ers it vanishes like the dew on sum-
mer morning. But to all it comes,
whether treasured or disregarded.
Please now-for here my heartfelt
appeal to you VIII ose steps are springy
with hope must begin-look around
you. Look well at many of those who
having loved each other and truly,
years ago passed into marriage, state
which in your present feeling seems
the one thing above all others to be
desired. Study them closely, for may
hap you are looking in a prophet
ic mirror The youth OF ten summers
ago goes to his daily duties now like a
machine, and like mere machine he
turns homeward at night. Buoyancy
has disappeared. He plods much like
horse plods, with no motion taken
unless forced to it by external necessl-
ty. Where he once obeyed gentle
voice with alacrity, glorylng in sacrl-
fee, leaping to her tasks, Che was just
as sincere as you are) he is apt now to
grumble at even the harnessing OF the
horse for her to drive. He approaches
the maiden of ten years ago more often
with compIainings than with praise.
Ateventide he wraps himself up in 81
lence, doing nothing to enllven the
hours, or away he goes to the society OF
the club or the grocery or the saloon
or worse. The ordinary courtesy prompt
ed by civilized feelings towards women
is forgotten when with his wife, and
he finds in marriage merely permission
to be rude to one woman without fear
of rebuke. The fragrance of love that
exists in tiny attentions like opening
the door, raising the hat, and saving
choice portions for her at table, has
evaporated and left. no trace behind.
If occasionally he (his name is Legion)
thinks backward along the way he has
travelled, his puzzled heart will admit
with a groan that no matter how sweet
the uncertainties and hopes and dream
lngs of courtship, marriage with its
knowledge and intimacy has scattered
all. Sunshine has been followed by
gloom the rosy tints OF the dawn OF
love by the unrelleved stretches Of a
dun colored day.
So lads, though you are likely to
deny such thing and probably ready
to argue with me most vigorously
about it, there is possibility, not very
remote, it we may Judge from others,
that your hearts feelings will change
and the glorius oasis you are resting In,
Capable of becoming beauteous king
dom under your care,) will witness
your back turned on its pleasures and
YOUR face set towards dreary, desert
Journey, like the one you have Travelled
before you found your dear love. AS
fellows traversing but once the path
way of life, let us talk with our hearts
close together.
To avoid the misery I depict, you
must keep alive in your heart its pres
ent conviction that perfect love con-
sists as much in communion with her
dear mind and spirit as it does in secur-
ing contact with her precious body. |
know YOU have felt this way and ought
to still, for you like to think as she
does opinions and beliefs expressed by
her tender lips and her bright eyes