The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-25
PHlLOSOPHIC DISCUSSION
OF. LOVE AND MARRIAGE

From the New York Sun.
INEVITABLY the somewhat astonish-
ing letter of ii woman LAWYER on
which we commented the other dav
has tarted a discussion amon~ our cor
, respondents ON the subject of love and
marriage. 1t is a provocative subject and
every man and every woman is sure to
give a large amount of attention to it.
Love has been the theme of poetry and
romance from the time when ideality
began to be evolved in man, and still the
most of the literature produced in the
world of civilization bears on it. The
reading Of poetry is said to be less gen.
eral than formerly, though as our expert
ence with verse writers proves, the pro-
duction of it has increased rather than
diminished. Romances, moreover, are pro-
duced at a far greater rate than ever,
and of those printed the circulation is
far more numerous than was that of the
most famous novels of the past. The
main reading of the great body of the
public, outside of newspapers, is of novels,
good, bad and mediocre
Consequently everybody regards himself
as an adept in the philosophy of love
and competent to lay down its laws, if 1t
has any laws. He may not assume to be
so illustrious an authority on the subject
as Mr. Henry James. for instance; but
he imagines that even il he has not had
personal experience of the emotion in its
most romantic developments he has ac-
quired an imaginative conception of what
ii ought to be from tireless novel read
ing
Mr.. James seems to have a theory that
there is something mysterious about this
sentiment called love; that human nature
is so complex that the emotions which in
fiuence men and women most f.indamen-
tally are discoverable only By rare an
alytical faculty. In truth normal human
nature is very simple 1t divides itself up
into broad classiications easily dis
tinguished. The love affairs of one young
man and one young woman are very
much the same in their impulse and man.
Hesitation as those of another, more espe-
cially of the same general social sphere
and antecedents. They are in their basis
instructive in humanity, though happily
for the moral elevation of mankind mag
nation surrounds them with a beautiful
halo of poetry and romance. Unless they
have that halo they drop very close to
the british level.
The theory of the woman lawyer that
true love- is a selfish passion and apart
from duty works ths greatest mischief.
AS she propounds it, her theory is that
this emotion of true love" is law to
itself and its qualification by any means
which can be used W it is justified, even
holy. OF course, that is free love-" So
cial anarchy, moral dissolution 1t SUBJ
stitutes the vagarles of what is really no
more than a passing emotional condition
for the marriage ordained by society. 1t
recognizes no marriage in which the pas
sion she calls true love" is not pre-
served in its most tyrannical form.
The strongest bond which holds mar
ried people together, however, is and
must be sense of duty whose obliga-
ton is increased by affection; and the
mere habit of the association helps pow
erfully. Are the pair happy? That is a
matter of relatively small consequences
If they are not happy in doing their duty
to each other and their children they do
not deserve happiness.
A correspondent suggests today that
the new advancement of women intellect.
ually and their greater self-dependencs
interfere with martial harmony and hap
piness and necessitate more general re-
sort to the divorce courts. Possibly the
omergence of tie new woman has not
been accompanied b., a corresponding
masculine Improvement. Superiority in
woman implies the necessity for supe-
riority in man: and all the better.
The truth is, the motives in marriage