Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-09-21
The Result of a
Lecture
A Young Professor Gets OF
His Beat on the Sub
ject Of Love
BY EVAN HARRINGTON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.
BY EVAN HARRINGTON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association

$4,000
I was but twenty-eight years old
when I WINS called to tho chair Of
mental philosophy in the University OF
b.. woman'ss college, was given
to rationalism, materhlsm and all
TINT group OF isms popular at the time
and was fond OF embodying them in
my lectures to my classes. dictated
these lectures. and they were taken
down by the students IN blank books.
1 was lecturing one morning. my sub
)ect leading me into something at
which the girls pricked up their ears.
This was the passage that attracted
their attention:
Music Is an appeal to the fancy. exos<-
Ing the imaginative faculty. now soothing
the listener into a pleasant .lanR,lor as
In the case or n lullaby. now stirring the
passions. as In the case OF martial strains.
All our emotions are based on such in
nuences. Love. though far more durable.
Is apt TO be excited In the Same way. The
Inauguration IN operated on by circum-
stances. When these circumstances are
attractive love is produced: when they
are disaSreVablo they engender hate
Love once excited may absorb ones
whole being. But that Il Is not In itself
spirftusl-in othcr words eternaI--is man.
ifest from the fact that It may be repeat
ed again or again. We're this not 30 tho
Indian custom OF the wife's immoiation on
the funeral pyrs OF her husband would be
a necessity. 4.,.
There was no sound In the room ex-
cept my monotonous dictation and
during the pauses at the end Of every
half dozen words the ripple OF hun
ured pen points on as many lecture
books. 1 was a bit uneasy at this por-
ton OF my DISCOURSE fearing the girls
might do or say something that would
embnrrass me. was about to pro-
coed after the last word, necessity"
when Kate Swami. the chief mischief
maker In the class. laid down her pen
and rose from her seat.
May ask. professor" she said de-
murely, while her eyes snapped vi
ciously, does a sense OF justice per-
tain to the subject we are studyingY'
Certainly"
Then IL love were eternal would
1t not be just that the husband should
immediate himself on the funeral pyre
or his wife az well as the wife on the
funeral pyre OF the husbandr
The class Uttered
Man." / said. with an nffectation of
modesty for my sex, us not supposed
to be endowed with as strong, unchsng-
Ing love procliyities as woman. This
Is because he is not as emotional.
Nevertheless I grant that II love were
spiritual, which consider to be the
same rs eternal, husband who lost
his wife might do well TO end his
mourning on the funeral pyre OF his
wife"
You mean then, professor. sup
pose" pursued the mink, that, while
1t would be necessity on the part of
a widow to so end her mourning, a
man under similar circumstances
might do well 20 thus immediate him
self"
was in for It. The satire was deli
cate. but sufficiently biting TO be un-
derstood by Miss Swann's classmates.
Their faces were turned up to me.
each wearing tantalizing smiles and
all expecting my rejoinder. resolved
TO silence the young lady by compli-
ment.
II am quite sure. Miss swami" said,
that II you were a widow and pro-
posed to end your earthly existence on
your husbands funeral pyre n mob Of
bachelors would prevent It,"
Amid another litter. this time not at
my expense. signifed TINT the dis
cussion was ended by proceeding with
my dictation. Unfortunately there was
a lot more In my lecture OH what I
called the emotion OF love and feared
that Miss Swami or some other mem
Der OF the class would trip me up
again. ] would have omitted the rest
were IL not that could not do so and
preserve the continuity OF my lecture.
WIS not long in striking a passage
that brought about more trouble;
That the emotion IL human instead OF
divine r. indicated by the fact that a love
which has existed for years may turn 10
hate. Again II may be lost Indeed. with
out another mental faculty, memory, II
cannot continue even through life There
are many Instances where. the faculty Of
memory having been destroyed, persons
they have loved. As the brain Is cam
era as we'll as storehouse Of photo
graphio plates. so love
stopped. realized that might as
well fire a canister Of ideas antaRonis-
tic to womans nature. az flBish the
sentence.
go onp cried every ono in the room.
lis a congiomerate union OF emotions
produced by the perceptive faculties OF an
organic brain.
sm0tbered gFoans were mingled with
the sound Of scribbliDR. To escape
from situation which considered
appalling closed the book from which
] bad ben debating and, rising. bow
Cd n dismissal TO the class. Half the
girls had risen TO hurI back my views;
but, the.lecture being ended, they were
unable TO do so. A dozen came 10 my