The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-09-21
THE YOUNG
LECTURER
Ioriginal.l

[Originall
The young professor was lecturing
10 mixed class of men and women.
His subject was mental philosophy,
and he was treating of the emotions.
Love- he said, lis perhaps the emo
ton which is best calculated to illus
trate the actual shallowness of our
emotional natures. A man sees WON
an whom he desires to possess. The
faculty of imagination makes her a.
paragon in his eyes. Constant dwell
ing on one subject produces mania. II
he marries the ceremony is scarcely
performed before reality usurps the
place so recently occupied by emotion,
and the woman appears to him as her
real self, with the particular faults be-
longing to that particular woman If
he does not marry he is in time cured
of his mania, and the object that has
excited it becomes commonplace to
him. But he is not immune The love
emotion may again and again be ex-
cited, the object in each case being
a different woman"
When the class was dismissed the
students passed out of the lecture
room, and if any of them dissented
from his views the lecturer was not
made aware of the fact His remarks
upon love produced no marked effect
on the young men of his class but
among the girls there was a babel Of
tongues Indignantly denying the lee
turer's position, most of them averring
<1,O% \
One girl, and only one. stood by him,
a modest feminine creature who would
never be suspected of harboring such
heretical sentiments. But as she had
not cast off the awkwardness of her
girlhood and answered to the common
place name of Euphemia Smith the
other girls declared that she agreed
with the young professor because it
was not probable that she would ever
have a lover.
Ten years passed The man. who
used his'"chair' simply to gain live
lihood while he studied profession
had become an eminent attorney. He
had been recently introduced to lady
who had taken possession of his heart.
He had forgotten his lectures on men,
tai philosophy and on this particular
occasion was declaring his passion.
Nevertheless he had formed analyticar
habits and must needs fall into them.
"There is nothing" he said, that so
strongly points to a divinity in our ma
lures as love. Never have l been SO
impressed with this as since my heart
has been beating in unison with yours.
Selfshness dies in the presence of love
as noxious vapor is dispelled by the
sun. 1t is my delight to serve you I
would even die for you. Every flash
Of your beautiful eyes, every note in
your melodious voice, every one of your
many adorable traits, impels me to
cast myself at your feet and beg you
to permit me to forego all selfish pleas
ure for the one supreme joy of being
your slave"
Il regret said the lady coolly, that
cannot agree with you as to the ma
ture of love. Love is perhaps the emo
ton best calculated to illustrate the
actual shallowness Of our emotional
natures"
"How can you say that? You would
not did you love as love. My passion
for you is not an emotion; it is akin to
the nature of the great Creator,
spark from heaven, a blessed privilege
beside which the pleasures, the ambi-
tons. the successes of life dwindle into
nothingness."
''The faculty of the Imagination"
she replied in an argumentative tone,
makes Inc paragon in your eyes.
Constant dwelling on one subject has
produced mania. After marriage real
ity would usurp the place of emotion,
and I would appear to you with the
particular faults that belong to me in
dividually."
II would become every day, every
hour, more and more devoted. If I
am not blessed by being permitted to
spend my life in loving you the bright
prospects before me will wither like
burned parchment"
ION the contrary, you will soon be
cured of your mania, and l shall be-
come commonplace
II can never love another"
you will not be immune. The emo
ton may again and again be excited,
the object In each case being differ.
ent woman
Something in the lady's eye-the sus.
picion Of a smile-served to kindle the
fame Of memory. 1t rushed upon the
lover that the object Of his love had
been quoting his own words.
you are graduate Of -Y'
II am"
"And attended my lecturesT'
II did"
Strange" he said, that should
not have remembered you. There was
q girl-a Miss Smith-in the class of
~, I think, but she did not resemble
you"
Papa used to say that I looked like
a colt when was tn my teens"
\ There was a short silence, during
which the man endeavored to recover
\ from his confusion.
What rot must have talked in
those days! I was infatuated with