Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-25

between twelve and twenty-five in girls
and between fourteen and twenty-six IN the
Maturity In love affairs marks. the termina-
ton OF this stage In both sexes His Idea
that man has not fully fnatured In this re-
speet until twsnty-six r. somewhat start.
at from twenty-five to old age and for man
from twenty-six to old age. while the NTH
stage for both he defines as throughout old
age.
with the financial aid of the Carnegie
Institution still another census Of lovers
has been lately taken by Miss Theodate
L. Smith, psychologist of Clark University
Not only have question blanks been dis
tributed among the many subjects OF this
inquiry. but schoolgirl diaries have been
analysed for the purpose. Both this study
and that of Prof. Bell were made under
the general direction OF DR.. Hail. Miss
Smith takes issue with Prof Bells theory
that love emotions In young children have
the physical elements of such affairs among
the more mature and she states that child
ish love Il conferred upon its own as well
as its opposite gender. or upon sister or
a brother: that where characteristics OF q
maturer love appear they are due to imita-
ton or to suggestions from older persons.
So far as II affects young children alone she
| terms her study one of Affection rather
than OF .love" The first stage noted In
her classification Is that between boys and
girls of approximately the same age, where
the girl Is under thirteen. She says elders
who think 1t 'cute" for children at this
age to have sweethearts produce precoctty
of ideas. Particularly in public schools
building is also greatly responsible for such
notions. due to imitation of older children
Falling In Love With Unknown People
Between. thirteen and sixteen. girls show
In their love affairs a strong tendency to-
ward idealism. The object Of affection u
often quite a total stranger, a character
4. fofo IA
of this kind Is that of Marie Bashkirtseff,
the young Russian artist and author, who
died in 1884. At the age Of twelve she
was passionately in love with an English
duke to whom she had never spoken and
who was unconscious Of her existence
She wrote Of him in her diary: 1T must
write his name. for IL / neither mentioned
1t to any one nor even wrote 1t down here
I could no longer live. 1t is some consola-
ton to write It," Boys sometimes are af-
fected In the same way. One fell in love
with a composite photograph of class of
college girls Pierre Lott, the French
novelist at fourteen fell in love with
beautiful girl seen in a dream. IT loved
her, loved her tenderiy, and the thought
of her always stirred into life an emotion
that was sweet but sad: and during thooe
moments everything unconnected with her
seemed coloriess and worthless" said he.
In one of the psychologists returns there
Is the case Of boy Of fifteen who fell IN
love with the picture Of a girl whom ne
about her and refrain from acts he thought
she would not like.
Love affairs at the high-school age are
of transcendent character, according to
the psychologist. One high school studied
had an average Of 100 pupils whose tntt-
macies covered four years. Only two love
| affairs here ended in marriage and one OF
| these In divorce. Few affairs at this stage
| survive any prolonged separations. Very
| few are based upon any real appreciation
| of character.
Few genuine love matches develop out OF
| affairs of young people under sixteen. ac-
| cording to Miss Smith. and where they
| have developed there has been no counting
| during the boy and girl period. Where o
| girl or boy at this second stage falls tn
| lies with the younger and influence
| either for good or bad-with the elder. FIRE.
| quently the devotion Of the younger l.
| quite unknown to the elder and fnds vent
| In diary or in letters written, but never
| sent. or in poetic effusions.
Prime Causes Of Attraction at Differ
| emit Ages.
| To find the prime causes of attraction at
different ages was the purpose OF one inves-
| tigation Of the psychologist. The results
show that the majority OF girls of high
/ school age are attracted more by dress
and manners than by anything else IN the
opposite sex. Next In order rank good
looks, social position, personal attentions
| and muscular strength. Among young peo-
ple past seventeen moral attractions count
more than physical. but physical more than
what might be termed manners" and man.
4 ners more than mental attractions. which
rank last. As twenty-five Is approached
| moral attractions not only continue to lead
hut forge still farther ahead OF the others
Mental attractions jump from asst to sec