The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-11-25
THE HATTTESBUR(3 NEWS
Latent Passions.

Latent Passions.
The three years which had elapsed
had made q vast change in the rela-
tons between the man and the woman.
In the beginning and for q long time
hers had been the dominant position.
So absolutely had she ruled that to
him she had been as a god. So en-
tirely had he obeyed that to her he
had been a devotee. Once she discov-
cred his ductility and had begun to
teach him, the relationships had COM
menced to change. Gradually each had
recognized the humanity of the other.
Together students they had naturally
approached common level. Every
new knowledge she impaired to him
was an abdication of some of her su-
premacy. Every new knowledge he &C.
quired was an inspiration to her high
level.
Three years is a short time in the
educational life of human being,
but she brought to her side of what
was slowly developing into an equa-
ton the highest training, a natural
ability to impart> what she knew. an
absolute devotion to the endeavor and
an entire freedom from other interests.
So fascinating had the experiment
been that she had scarcely missed the
rest Of the world. l wonder if he had
been a woman instead of a man II
that absorption would have resulted
from their intercourse?
On his part, he brought to bear upon
the problem of learning, it was soon
developed, an intellect which although
entirely unframed was unusually
acute, q faculty of acquiring knowl-
edge as great as was her ability to i'm
part 1t and reasoning capacity which
kept pace with his other qualities. In
deed, the main thing with which she
had to contend at Arst was his lack of
application. But so soon as he had
learned enough to enable him to rea-
lie the Importance of learning more
she had no trouble on that score. It
was as If a mature mind had been
brought to bear upon the problems of
adolescence. He grappled with things
| in that way. Whatever she taught him,
he learned. he mastered all; and the
mastery inspired him to learn more.
His mnemonic ability was prodigious;
for all the years of his life he had not
been storing up the Insignificant, the
immaterial, the unnecessary, in his
brain cells. He remembered all that
she taught him with unvarying accu-
racy. His was q powerful. vigorous
mentality which had known nothing
and upon which she wrote what she
pleased. To the judgment of q man
he added the receptivity and ductility
of child.
She had taught him first of all to
speak and then to read; then rudi-
mentary mathematics such as he could
do In his head. There was nothing
that she could devise that was prac-
ticable for writing. There was no
slate on the island, the rock was not
suitable. Therefore he had never
learned to write, although he knew
what writing was, for she had ex-
planned it to him, and had made shift
to teach him the Arabic letters. She
also taught him geography, astronomy,
natural sciences, and above all, his
tory. She unfolded the kingdoms of
this world and the glory of them be-
fore his vision, touching lightly, as has
been the fashion of such unfolders,
upon the misery and the shams. His
was a singular knowledge indeed.
There were some things about which
| oh
some things she could not tell him at
all; but being a man, with magma.
ton quickened, he thought of these
things the more-for these were some
Of the deeper things Of life and ma.
ture!
But the change In the relations be.
tween the two were not greater than
! the change In the woman herself. She
was no longer q philosopher. That
, which she had disdained. she admired;
that which she had abhorred, she loved
} that which she had refused, she &C
cepted. She was . Christian IN belief
/ IS last. Alone. or practically 30. face
to face with God in his world, God In
His Book, God in humanity, her spe
| CtOuS iuCoS vi ilO 6nQ u0I
J to 1t had broken down. She had
learned to kneel beside that man and
, pray. She had learned to seek else
, where than in herself for power t.
} enable her to live her life and fulfil
, her tasks.
She had not wished to be a Chris
tian. She had fought against it, strug
gled with it, agonized over it, but ,
compelling necessity was upon her
The convictions of her conversion tor,
: the veil from before her face, dispelle,
! the mist that hung about her. Sh,
saw herself as she was, woman VIII,
under the influence of wrong ideas
false conceptions, had branded hersel
forever. No, not in the eyes of tina
: God whom she had learned to fear
D not in the eyes that Christ whom
I she had learned to love, but in tn
:. eyes of men: yet she was a womal
| ,,,L< L.