The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-07-07
APLAT0NIC FRIENDSHIP
By MARGARET HANNIS,

y very enthusiastically to a lot of
other girls about ''P]atonic friendship"
That is ar old theme-yes, ever since
the days of Plato himself men and
women have discussed it; particularly
women. You will find that it is true,
if you stop a moment to think about
it, that men do not talk much about this
sort of regard for each other-between
men and women, mean. Plato's great
est number of converts are women.
You will also find that the man who
talks most about Platonic friendship
has been educated along that line, or has
by woman.
But to return to the girl who one
day talked to lot Of other girls about
this sort of friendship.
All the other girls listened to her in
tently. She was superior sort of girl
it is only such a one that can attract
the attention of other girls. She was
a ''co-ed," which made her all the more
interesting to the other girls who were
not ''co-eds," but thought what a love-
ly, jolly thing it must be to be one.
The "co-ed" girl was bright and
brainy and healthy. She had studied
as hard as any student who was not
burdened with trailing skirts ard be-
ruffled bodices, and many times had car
ried off honors that these same other
students, minus the referred-to badges
of fcmininity, envied her. Her cheeks
bloomed and her eyes sparkled and she
was good to look upon. With all her
ability and little out of the ordinary
advantages, she was not masculine.
Had she been, that would have spoiled
it all. AS it was, she was very charm
ing advocate of poor old Plato's philos-
ophy. She could reckon her "Platonic"
friends in goodly numbers, for these
admirers of the ''co-ed'' girl told them
selves that it was a long way from
being unpleasant, even this sort Of phil
osoph,cally regulated devotion to the
"co-e6."
But there was one out of all this num-
Der that, had Mr.. Plato been about, he
would have shaken his head over and
said: ''My dear child, far from stick
ing close to my teachings, and thus
keeping away from that wicked little
Cupid's way, you are getting nearer and
nearer to the danger and further away
from what I would have" But Plato
was not about. Lo! he had been dead
these many years-before there was
such thing thought Of as ''co-ed"
girl. And so the girl never knew until
but this is getting ahead of the story.
To this very particular 'Platonic
friend" "co-ed' told more of her affairs
than she did to any of the rest. They
said over and over to themselves and to
each other that they were the most con-
genial and matter-offact friends in the
world. At least the "co-ed' girl said
this unhesitatingly. She seemed to
have been the first to discover how
''matter-of-fact'' they were. And then,
you know, the man on whom she law
ished this particular friendship fell in
with her way of thinking. "Didn't he
know from the first they were only 'Pla-
tonic friends?'" Well, 1 don't know. I
think he admired the "co-ed" girl very
much and felt a little chill when philos-
ophy was brought to bear in the case.
But after the manner of men he took
his cue from the woman. Women are
the leaders of men in matters of love
and friendship.
They talked of love and marriage,
and did not blush. When two are still
young and do this, then Cupid gathers
up mis- arrows, let fall disappointed
ter or two, and seeks a spot where
two say nothing of marriage until
there is ring ready to plight troth
with. And so the ''co-ed" girl and the
man were never to be lovers. The
"co-ed" girl was quite sure that Pla-
tonic friendship was not only possible,
but ideal.
This was some time ago. The years
have passed by, adding much to the
"co-ed" girls store of knowledge, but
adding also to her store of womanliness.
Her particular Platonic friend has never
failed. Even Plato himself must have
been pleased to see man so much after
his own heart.
There came day when the man went
far away. Before parting he and the
'co-ed" girl talked it all overflow
happy they had been together for so
many years, and that if she, the ''co-ed''
girl, needed him, the Platonic friend, at
any time, that she must send for him,
and that he would come to her, his cit
tie sister," from the ends of the earth.
There was not even good-by kiss
wish there had been-for though kisses
might properly be part of Platonic
friendship, this age is even more prac-
Steal than the one in which Plato taught
It cannot be said of us of the present
that if we adopt philosophy, we do not
adopt it intensely. 1t is this intensity
that gives to that which we advocate
most strongly the epithet of "fad."
Somehow things did not go right
for the "co-ed' girl after the Platonic
friend went away on his travels. There
came troubles as troubles always come,
not singly, but in lots. She was brave
her absent friend had always said she
was the bravest woman he ever knew
but it would have been so comforting
to tell somebody "who understood" all
about it. In fact, there were affairs that
1t needed a manly hand to straighten.
Il r.. Z ...# e.. 4 e.