The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-05

T no waste of tirae or degradation of in- tellect. to bring forward the weight of his worldly experience and natural wisdom for the benefit of a young lady, whom he shrewdIy suspected would hold them both in light esteem. As the young ladies of the early year of the twentieth century very closely resembied those of the closing decade of the eighteenth, in feminine reliance upon their own opinion concerning the right man, we doubt not that they will appreciate the sentiments of the recip- tent of the letter from the illustrious commander. even if they may wonder at her choice of a correspondent This recipient was Miss Eliza Parke Custis. sister of the brilliant and beautiful Nelly. whose madcap ways were so dear to the heart of the first Presi- dent At the date of the letter Wash ington was in Philadelphia, and Miss Custis was in Hope Park, Fairfax County, Virginia, with her mother. This letter is too good from every point of view. including even the hu- morous. which was far enough from washington's intention. not to be giv- en in full
 Philadelphia, Jan. G. 1796.
 My Dear Betsey-While you confide in and do those things which you have reason to believe are pleasing and gratifying to me you may be assured of an affectionate return. Whenever there Is a dereliction of them on your part, 1t will, no doubt, produce cor respondent effect on my part. Having fixed these data as the basis of cor respondence which you have solicited. I promise to answer all your letters in as prompt manner as my leisure will permit; and do assure you more over that the same candid adyice will be given to you as If you were my own daughter.
 In your letter you say you shall al- was be thankful to me for my advice. On what occasions? Am to await your explanation, or am I to guess at your meaning? If the former pro- pound your subjects and do it with frankness. If the latter. I may wan der in the field of conjecture; but with a girl of nineteen it may not be so diff ficult to conceive, because love and it's |concomitants are supposed to be all ways in the foreground.
 Taking love, then. for the theme, let me ask If you have already drank cf this cup; or do you wish to know my description of a person who would be proper to administer 1t to you? If the first. advice will come too late, for your answer, am persuaded, would be similar to that of lady of my ac- quaintance who, asking the opinion of her friend on the propriety of yield ing to the addresses of her lover, add ed she hoped 1t would meet her ap- probation; but concluded she "was re- solved to marry him." If the latter my description of a suitable character | may receive some attention. Upon that ground I proceed to offer the fol- lowing sentiments:
 Neither shun by too much coyness the addresses of a suitable character whom you may esteem; nor encourage | them by any advances on your part however predisposed toward them youi inclination may be. The first may discourage, the other may disgust, the man of sensibflity.
 | Connect yourself with a person of congenial age; for youth and old age
 no more than winter and summer, can
 be assimilated-the frigidlty of the
 latter cannot be in unison with tho
 warmth of the former. and besides thg
 habits of the two are widely dissimi-
 lar.
 In choosing a partner for life, pre-.
 fer one of your own countrymen (bS
 this I mean an American) of visible
 property. whose family Is known ana
 whose circumstances (not dependins
 upon advantages or fortuitous mat
 ters) may not like foreigners re
 duce you to the heartrending alterna tive of parting with him, or bidding
 adieu to your country, family anC | friends forever.
 In forming a connection of this du
 rability. let the understanding, as wei
 as the passion be consulted; withou the appreciation of the first, the indul gence of the latter may be compared
 to the rose, which will bloom, glow for a while, then fade and dle, leaving
 nothing but thorns behind them There are other considerations, which
 though secondary, are nevertheless i'm lportant. Among these, congeniality O
 temper is essential, without which dis
 cord will ensue, and that walk mus
 be unpleasant and toilsofhe when twt persons linked together can not nov,
 in it without jostling each other. And
 alas! how often is this found to be tn, case.
 Next in order to love, you may hay,
 placed friendship. On this, then, I vii
 touch, and 1t might be sufficient per haps simply to say of 1t. as Lord Chat  ham did on another occasion, that |
 is Cor ought to be) a plant of slow growth. Otherwise, like the moro
 powerful passion of love that kindlei | in q moment and burns furiously, easi lily consumed with it's own heat ol
 evaporates in smoke. Friendship i!
 highly to be prized when it is sincere
 but discretion is necessary in the choice of a friend before cur conf dence Is given.
 To enumerate all the requisite quail fcations to justify this confidence would run me into prolixity, and there fore rather chose to name some which ought to be avoided.
 Effectiveness, satirists and inter- meddlers in the conversation of others are of this description. The itch which those of the first class have to be talk | ing always carry them beyond the limit of prudence. A satirical person ridicules and eXpOseS the foibles of