The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-11

NERO FIDDLED WHILE ROME WAS BURN
1NG."
buys me a piece of johnnycake and n
couple of fried sausages when the flesh
Is weak and demands sustcnance. My
one sole object in life is TO make the
world brighter and better, and when
have left town behind me with its
people singing new songs Of gladness
| feel amply repaid for any sacrifices
have made.
81 see before me seven men and nine
women with sober, serious faces. There
haye been mighty changes in the world
mentally and physically since you were
young. 1t is one of those mental
changes am going TO speak OF to-
night. IN our desire for something
new, in our leaving old things behind
us. in our ambition TO improve on the
ways of our forcfathers. we have COM
mltted a grievous error. We have left
old fashioned love behind us and adopt
ed something that Is a combination of
business ana Formally. Today we love
and marry by machinery. There Is lit
tie more sentiment about it than In
buying a brickyard or trading horses.
He that mentions love among the SEN
tlments is sneered at. The man that
loves or thinks he loves Is an object
of ridlcule. The change has been grad
ual but 1t has been sure. IT. has done
more than any one other thing to make
the world hard hearted and wicked and
TO bring those sentiments that follow
love into dsrepute.
Alexander the Great was rich
enough TO have made the greatest cor
ner in corn this world ever saw and
brainy enough TO have organized a
trust and jumped the price OF flour 100
per cent. He did nothing of the kind.
lie loved. He loved in the old fashion
ed way, and there was no room Cor
speculation in his mind. He courted
Mrs. Alexander in the way the Lord
intended all men TO court for all time
TO come. He didn't love her for the
herd of cattle and the cash In bank
her father had, but for her own sweet
self. she was in his mind day and
night. lie could scarcely wait for his
sparkling nights TO come.
"And the girl was actuated by love
alone. She wasn't marrying him for
the rhlno or place in society. She
blushed when she heard his footstepa.
She was shy and coy when they sat
down together ON some chair. The
thought never came TO her that he
mi ght be great some day and that the
name of Mrs. Alex the Great might
he engraved on her visiting cards.
Just love just old fashioned love! And
it was that love that made him great,
that made him conqueror. Love was
with him when he went Into battle.
and it was love that helped TO lick the
other fellow out Of his boots.
Franklin and Love.
"Does any one In this audience imag-
Inc that Benjamin franklin would
have amounted to what he did without
old fashioned love behind him? Up to
the time he met the girl who later be-
came his wife he was simply sloshlng
around. He had done no playing with
lightning, aud he had not written one
of the good things in Poor Richards
Almanack. He was thinking of open
ing grocery when he fell in love. He
didn't sit down in cold blood and fig
nre out how much cash that girl was
going TO bring him. He was simply
filled up 20 the chin with love. lie
WHISPERED II TO the trees OF the forest
and he sang II to the babbling brooks
When the day came that she called
him Ben and he called her Polly they
were the happiest couple In the state
that Quay afterward came to carry
around In his vest pocket. They drank
buttermllk out OF the same glass. They
ate strawberries and cream with the
same spoon. They were not ashamed
of their love.
"And what did the result OF that love