The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-10-07
FRIDAY. OCTOBER Z, 1898.

WOlllU nO00 tne chinese Empire, there |
by forcing us to believe them near rel.
ativcs to i Mandarin. Friends these,
friends all, ah yes! But when the day
is over and the preserve jar is empty
and the tea caddy Is hollow and desti.
tute OF aught save those things most
plentiful in this curious life OF ours,
and known to hOnsekcepers as drcgs,
one throws himself wcarily into the
nearest arm chair, and dosily wishes
himself way, way of in dull little
corner Of the desert of Sahara--so
far of, so dull, so hot, so stupid that
not even "friendly campbell" would
not venture To intrllde on his mclan.
choly musings.
Other than these are friends; other
than this is friendship. Rainbow
wise, born OF storm and tear; kindling
a glory like the Northern aurora,
through the soul when disappoint-
ment and sorrow weave around it a
more than Polar darkness; leaping,
liglltning-likc, from heart to heart,
and infusing them with Celestial ra-
Qnce.
ii be my friend and teach me to be thine
Chc deepest hunger of faithful
fhithfulncsS",; the deepest
man soul is friendship.
len,ltlp of the drawing
rd n Where friendship mas
q,I yhtail 21at and patent
Nea the 1BNhdship of the
did EoNtp VQnsdh friendship must be
nourlshcQbn a'hhagus and poultry;
not the friendship of the afternoon
caller, when friendship, like Il patent
medicine, has its label on a bit OF
though all these things
are good in themselves and are not to
be neglected in the proper season,
they are not friendships SELF" but
conventionality, the garb that friend
ship Is sometimes forced to wear: but
the friendship Of heart and heart, OF
soul and soul; the friend. whose pres.
encc is an inspiration, who causes US
to think better thoughts and to do
better deeds, and who lifts us to a
higher plane Of life, Il plane that is
constantly ascending.
All true souls are capable OF this
friendship. and it is their paramount
obligation to sock it; for it is one of the
most perfect means appointed by the
Creator to develop the best that is in
us and to enable US to live the higher
life.
This friendship knows no sex; 1t
exists between soul and soul, lndifer.
ent whether the immortal spirit be
be clothed in man or woman form. 1t
exists between man and man; 1t exists
between woman and woman: 1t ex-
lists between man and woman, and this
brings us to Platonic friendship, the
friendship most abused In common
thought and speech, and SO little I'M
dcrstood in reality, that its name has
become a synonym for the impossible,
a theme for cynic and humorist.
Seriously speaking, then, CAN Pla-
tonic friendship exist? Does it exist:
Is companionship impossible between
man and woman? Is sex an insur
mnuntable obstacle to real mental
comradeship? Is there no medium
between indifference and passion?
All history answers in the affirma
tive. Platonic friendship has existed
in every age and it sholld exist pre-
emlnently in our own. Every land lla'
its shining examples, not of isolated
instances, but Of many. Few OF th'
men who stand first in the worlds
history have achieved greatness with
out some woman's mental companion
ship; and few OF the women who have
left their names on the annals OF the
nations have ascended their zenith'
without the living inspiration OF SOM
high sOuled man.
There Is venerable old man livin'
In Boston, whose hair is not white
than bis spirit, and whose years ar
not more numerous than the honor
he has won from his cOuntlymen.
refer to the Rev. VIM. r. Alger, who's
fame rs minister and as author Is ret
ognized abroad as well as at home
, Mr.. Alger, besides many other vo
umcs, has written one OF the most II
c markable books on friendship that ha
: ever been given to the world, In whic
: tracing the progress of science,
: art, and OF literature from their ca
a licst dawn, lie proves that nearly G
r erYgreat work of the human mind
4 have owed Its existence to PlatOn
friendship From the day OF Per
o clcs and Aspasia to the time Of Mic'
@ acl Angelo, who found the inspiratio
8 for his wondcrfufpainting OF tile Cr'
O clnxion In the words Of Victoria Co
@ Iona, dowu to our own day and cr'
Y when the friendship Of Elizabeth ha
r. rctt, long before there was any loV
r. passarcs between them, gave colo