The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1904-02-19
CAN A MAN LOVE TWICE?

from our grandfathers and grandmoth-
ers, and other old and exceedingly
wise persons, there Is one kindr d
soul born into the world who Is the
perfect companion to some other kim
bred soul II the two are only patient
enough to wait for one another.
But, like so many other stories
which have been handed down to us
from generation to generation, this
pretty little romance falls to the ground
when Viewed In the light of facts. At
the present time there are several mil
lions more women than men, and one
Is, therefore, forced to the conclusion
that pairs have not been made up.
Cases undoubtedly do occur of what
Is generally known as "love at first
sight" Sometimes a man and a girl
meet one another for the first time,
and realize then and there they are
face to face with their "fate."
Perhaps the finest story that was
ever written In English language set.
ting forth this view of love Is the last
story In Rudyard Kipllpg's volume,
entitled, 1.-THE Days Work." the sto-
~ being called, 1.-The Brushwood
Boy"
Lovers who meet like this are
tempted sometimes to believe In the
legands of the old Greeks, who thought
that true lovers on this earth had liv-
ed and loved before In some previous
existence, and had merely met again
In another age and, perhaps, another
world.
But for the majority of mankind,
love Is frequently more a gradual
growth than sudden revelation, and
the question that we are discussing
Is whether a man Is capable of low
Ing twice.
Doubtless, from time to time, In
stances come across the path OF each
of us men who have loved and lost
and have remained faithful to their
early love throughout their lives.
Such instances, In spite of the TO-
nance which seems to surround them,
are undoubtedly rare, and the world
will tell you that man Is never so
likely to fall In love as he is year or
so after he has regarded his life as
ruined by the loss of what
he will then term the lone woman in
the world"
When a man has idealized a girl
and looked forward to life of happi-
ness with her, and in the period be-
fore losing her has enjoyed her COM
partnership and allowed all his
thoughts, interests and ASPIRATIONS to
center round her, If she is suddenly
taken out of his life, either because
be brings matters to crisis and finds
that his hopes were vain, or because
death or some other cause puts an
end to his dreams, the loneliness
which that man Is bound to expert
ence Is too deep tor any one to realize
except those who have been through
1t.
For a time his feelings will be
numbed and he will merely contrast
every woman he meets with the girl
be has lost, to the detriment of the
In question, If they only knew
1t; but after time the bitterness of
his loss gives away to a feeling OF
loneliness and yearning for the
sympathy to which he has been &C.
customed transcends all other emo
lions. This state of mind Is probably
quite unknown to him, but after a
time, perhaps to his immense surprise,
and even In spite of struggles he
makes to be loyal to the old faith,
some new acquaintances comes into
his lie, which ripens into friendship |
and deepens into love.
And yet he feels that a fresh inter-
est of growing power and force has
come to him. How can he ever be
sure that the dawning love Is not
merely passing fancy? If he has
got over the loss OF the first, he will
not always have haunting dread
that, ever II he married what cynics
might call his second love, he might
not later on meet a third.
1t has been stated by someone who
had considerable knowledge of men
and things that mans first love Is
always his last, and his last Is always