The age-herald., 1902-03-16
THE MURMUR OF THE WORLD.

, lectual centerJ, great society event unattended by ministers of the Gospel would be odd enough.
 Enjoying every gala time in the White House are seen dignitaries of the various churches, ranging all the way from cardinal to plain preacher elected by his own congregation.
 l At the magnificent Southern charity ball and at the noble reception and dance given by MT. Hanna and his family, who belong to the grand old Methodist church, preachers were present and happy amongst the happy. Those two society events, both of which took place shortly before Lent, Mir. Hanna's being but five days before Ash Wednesday, were the most brilliant Washington has known. and it is because of their importance that they are especially referred to in this | relation.
 | And because of the extraordinary ac- tivity and brilliancy of the society sea- son, from the first week of January to Shrove Tuesday, 1t is pleasing to note in | these closing days of the religious season | of penance, that Lent has been more full
 
 ever before Judging by the statements of reliable persons who have spent uncount- | ed society seasons and Lenten periods | here.
 Even the coming of Prince Henry and his entertainment by the President had no effect upon society. While the Presi- dent Is the graceful and charming head of society, as he is of all official life l here, his and other entertainments of the Prince were purely official or semi-public and no women were bidden to meet the l Prince. That much was necessarily true , of every entertainment of the Prince in this country, except a ball given by l the porkpacking crowd which constitutes | the society of Chicago; and one private | dinner given by MT. Cornelius Vanderbilt | in his own house opposite St. Patricks | Cathedral In Fifth Avenue, New York. 1 At the Chicago ball there were two or three hundred women. of course and | about fifteen women at MT. Vanderbilts 1 dinner.
 | This much Is said by way of emphasiz- ing the fact that Prince Henrys visit ! to this country was diplomatic and en- | tirely official. Society was not concern | ed, except as regarded packing two or | three playhouses and a few thousand | front windows.
 And, by the way, everybody continues to enjoy the fact that by the Emperor Williams wish his brother dined at but one private house In New York, or else where and that house was the residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Some years ago when this Vanderbilt, then twenty-one years old, loved, or imagined he loved. one Miss Wilson, who was four years older than himself and the daughter of millionaire stock-broker not of the Van derbilt Mass his attachment of the heart real or imaginary, was bitterly opposed by his father and the other Vanderhilts on the score of his youth and his sweet hearts greater number of years and less importance socially. Wisely or unwisely -one would venture to say most unwiselv the boy rebelled against the parental authority and married the mature wo- man; thereby sacrificing many millions of his prospective heritage. The bows fa ther and family never forgave him and besides depriving himself of millions of dollars the boy sacrificed the more affec- tonate goodwill of those closest to him "y ties or blood, and was dropped by the socieey ln which he was brought up. All rational folk would be incIined +o assume that almost any boy of ty*entv- one would be afflicted with a great deal or 1ooihardiness and a great lack of the most ordinary common sense to marry at all in any real or imaginable circum- stances whatever; and such folk would | ordinarily ascribe large measure of act ual lunacy to any boy of twenty-one who would marry for love" or for anything else mature woman of twenty-six But not so with the Vanderbilt bov After marrying his lovey-dovey of five ana twenty summers, of some seven win ters out or school and of some two or three hundred sleigh rides. he decided to go to work. Whether 1t was his intention to escape being bored by a woman who had passed the loving age; whether he was sorry for ignoring the wise counsel of his own father, or weary of being laughed at and cold-shouldered by hIs own "set" is not material. But he joined his Tat father-in-law, who is said to tuck his table napkin under his chin and amazed everybody by his hard work At first 1t was thought he would soon tire of both work and wife; but if he has, mo- body has discovered 1t. He is certainly sticking to business and is making loads Of money to take the place of the mill ions his wife cost him. In New York the popular saying is, Ines the only Van dcrbilt who ever worked" which is false as many other popular sayings are. His grandfather, whose name he bears be- gan life common laborer and lived and died an uncommonly hard worker, while tle DuTueH or great fortune made his wise father a slave to toll.
 But however all that may be, the honor shown by the Emperor William and his brother to young Cornelius and his Will son wife has placed the happy couple' In the far front lead of Moo Yark sas- siety; and that is why everybody is gay and laughing.
 It WAS, according to the old ballad 'in days of old when knights were bold" and sap-headed young lunaticT dressed in sheet-iron clothes were riding about the country. and each trying to stick a knife into everybody who didn't swear that the said 1unatics gal wasn't the purttiest thing that went barefooted and bare legged-it was then that one of these bold knights who never saw a bath tub 'got stabbed in ther back by a utter stranger" and in his pain cried, For love I lived and for love I die," the T die'' being long drawn out in bass beer groan. It was the properest way for such a bold knight in sheet-iron cloth hes to die.
 But the old ballad teaches a truth that governs all the world, the wise and the foolish the youthful and the aged alike: For love we life, for love we die!
 It calls to us forever through the day and through the night, through glad feasting time and through glad Lenten time-across all the years it comes in measure of gladness, gladness, gladness.
 LUCIEN JULIEN WALKER.
 
 ENSLEY