The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1897-08-21

Some Rambling Thoughts.
BY ..NEMor

Some Rambling Thoughts.
/ BY s'NEMO.n
To YOUNG MEN IN LOVE end Arti-
cle:(-Admitting the truth of all
said to you last week about the COM
polling force of love and its molding
influence, so strange that purified
thought has forced out grossness, so
Transforming that music is in your
soul and poetry on your tongue, so
volcanic that the crust Of selfish
ness thick over your heart is rent asun-
der and a stream of thoughtfulness for
another gushes forth--admittin this,
! say, you must concede another fact
that exists in every Christian ciyiliza-
ton Every young fellow, no matter
how lowly or lofty, no matter how
uneducated or learned, no matter how
badly or well brought up, gains from
| his feeling of devotion to one dear
woman--choice of his heart-a glimpse
at least OF the real grandeur Of living
and a ray at least of the sunshine of
life possible TO all of us forever and
ever through woman, the weak-strong
complement of man. This gift of
the better understanding of the re-
sponsibllity of existence comes to all
who truly love; with some it fingers
| for aye, with Others it vanishes like
the dew on summer morning. But to
all 1t comes, whether treasured or
disregarded.
Please now-for here my heartfelt
appeal TO you whose 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, a 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 prophetic
mirror. The youth Of ten summers
ago goes to his daily duties like ma
chine, and like a 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 neces-
oity. w bCit lO Ontt Ot3t1 tu Il Rti1Ilt
voice with alacrity, glorying in sacri-
flee, leaping to her tasks, (he was just
as sincere as you are) he is apt now to
grumble at even the Harvesting of the
horse for her to drive. lie approach
es the maiden of ten years ago more
often with complainings than with
praise. At eventide he wraps himself
up In silence, doing nothing to enliven
the hours or away he goes to the soci-
ETY. of the club or the grocery or the
saloon or worse. The ordinary court
esy prompted by civilized feeling to-
wards 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, rails
ing the hat, and saving choice por-
tions for her at table, has evaporated
and left no trace behind. If oeca-
sionally he (his name is LEGION thinks
backward along the way he has tray
eled, his puzzled heart will admit with
a groan that no matter how sweet the
uncertainties and hopes and dream
ings 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 unrelieved stretches Of
dun colored day.
-
So lads, though you are likely to
deny such a thing and probably ready
to argue with me most vigorously
about it, there is a possibility, not
very remote, If we may Judge from
Others, that your hearts feelings will
change and the glorious oasis you are
resting in, Capable OF becoming
beauteous kingdom 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 travers-
ing but once the pathway of life, let
US talk with our hearts close togeth-
er.
w
To avoid the misery | 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 Sc
curing 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 express
ed by her tender lips and her bright
eyes have become for while more
real touches of Divine wisdom than
you think you ever heard before. OF
course she is not the wisest mortal, but
the effect on you is just as good as If
she were: for it draws you to her side
and you both rejoice in being together.
II this feeling can be made TO last,
your future will be one of beautiful
growth in wisdom and happiness.
~
To avoid the misery | depict, bear
in mind that fire is good servant but
a frightful master; that the added
freedom of marriage will have ten
dency to confuse your thought so that
the minor Junction. function whose
qualification has not hitherto been es-
SS.oiui W Jott huppJ SOhllbuliOl WIFI
hers in danger of becoming the
major feature of the united life. In
stead of being a subordinate enjoy
ment, merely added that the mental
and spiritual attachment may be
more firmly welded, it will, like a
cuckoo, in the home nest, grow and
fight for the mastery of all and will
succeed unless you watch. The abuse
OF the physical duties and privileges
will, like the scorching heat of des-
ert, destroy the fragrance and delcacy
of life. The dividing line between
love and lust is easily crossed, and
then, like paralyzed king in the
lower floor of his three-storied palace,
it will be hard to reach the higher
stories of her mind and spirit, in whose
beauties you once gloried. Where
there is complete surrender of the best
of each, there will never be content
ment with grossness: the completion
Of love will remain lofty and sancti-
| fed. But where the act degenerates
into lust, it becomes as unlovely as
the satisfied grunting of breeding
swine. Then our little Eden will be-
come closed to us by the flaming sword
Of the outraged higher qualities.