The Irish standard., 1905-10-14

lnasmuch as she is worthy of love.
The Catholic sweetheart has not gig.
gled or boldly coquetted her way into
Encouragement "for fun" or IL
desire for solitaire ring! She has no,
invited or encouraged advances, moral.
ly or otherwise unworthy of her, for the
sake Of exploiting an admirer. She has
not desecrated and sullied love by light
and sentimental fltrtations, or been in.
fiuenced in her choice of the marriage
vocation by any INSCRIPTIONS motive
She has not been the slave of mere
fancy, or of soulless ambition, or been
enslaved to the mere beauty-man, pei
se-the rich man, the society man, the
fascinating man. the popular man
whose preference flatters her because
her dearest friend or bitterest foe is
dead in love" with him! Above all
she has not cast to the winds her Sc.
lective privilege, lest fastidiousness re-
suit in celibacy! No, the Catholic
sweetheart, enshrined in the pride and
purity of spIritualized and self-re-
specting maidenhood, has stood apart
and afar from vulgar folly, responding
only when true love claimed her!
Therefore she is sweetheart, not only
beloved but reverenced, and reverence
is true loves more sacred name and
synonym, in the hearts and the souls
of men!
For men have souls, though the
sweetheart of devotional practices, es-
pecially il brotherless youth has
failed to familiarize her with masculine
simplicity of spirit, is apt to resent
the spiritual torpor and unresponsive
ness she seems to discover in her hap
-go-lucky lover. and to jump at the
conclusion that all men are soulless.
But no! Men have souls, though starve
and stunted by temporal ambitions and
worldly avocations-souls that cry out
to the sweetheart and wife for spiritual
as we'll as perfect human complement
The girl of material standards, of lax
ethics, of frivolous sentiments, of
selfish ideals or rather non-ideals of
life, fails this supreme challenge, and
disappoints loves most dear demand
She may be courted and married by
men at their worst, but she is not truly
loved by them-and where true love is
not, marriage is a tragical failure.
But the Catholic sweetheart will
make marriage a success, if the Sd
cial evils OF the day have not brought
Gods curse on 1t. From her cradle
she has been prepared for this special
apostolatc. Her long, long thoughts
of YOUTH" inspirational and revelative,
have been celestial texts for her wifely
mission. AS child and girl she has
been infused with the grace that not
only sanctiies but strengthens. Her
innocence the dream and desire Of all
men and lovers, was not lost" with
childish ignorance, but gently matured
by knowledge into the nobler purity
of mind and heart which is the shrine
at which the worst man kneels. She
has grown 50 instinctively and nat
urally into full moral responsibility
and vital sense of Divine and human
duty that to take life and love consci-
entiously and earnestly is no conscious
effort, but as second nature to her,
establishing her as the inspiring and
congenially intelligent life-companion
and comrade, as well as the worthy
love-mate. Man can ask no more of
woman in any or all of her possible re-
lations to him than the Catholic sweet
heart holds him. She blends spiritu-
ality with sweet feminine humanity
and no ideal surpasses this dual real
ity.
What she is in spirit and in truth
however, 1t is for her lover alone to
learn, in the communion of loves more
sacred hours, or of lifes deep or cru
cial experiences. Superflcially, she is
neither more nor less than normal girl
"a girl as proud of her lover, as hap.
py in loving and being loved, as simply
pleased with her gifts. and gratified by
her social honors, as gay at the dance
and the dinner, as absorbed in hel
trousseau, as thrilled In anticipation
of the mere external glory of the wed.
| ding day-as the most inveterate lit.
tie wording with whom love dallie!
| and trifles. But beneath these emo.
tional shadows, what a Divine under
current the lover is breasting! VIVA
pure prayers, what grand resolves
what sublime conservation, what vi
sions Of life beautiful, of love mystical
Of sweet homes ideal domesticity, O
tender wifehood, of proudly dignifiet
yet gracious social matronliness, Of tn,
divine mystery Of human motherhood
the immortal visions that are the de
vitalizing, demoralizing lack Of the so
ciety Of the day! Nor does she fore
cast the conservative span Of her owl
love-life only. The chord Of love
the perfect chord Of universal life, har
monizing both major and minor note
of humanity.
That "1ove begets love" is a trutl
stopping short of the whole truth
Love begets nobler charity-tru