Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-12-14
The Result Of a
Lecture
A Young Professor Gets OF
His Beat on the SUBJ
ject Of Love
By EVAN HARRINGTON
Bx EVAN HARRINGTON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

! Copyright. 1870 by American Press ;
Association.
was but twenty-eight years old
| when | was called to the chair of
mental philosophy in the University Of
| B.. wonlan's college. | was given
! to rationalism. material:sm and all
that 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.
| was lecturing one morning. my SUBJ
ject 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. excit-
ing the ina ginative faculty. now soothing
the listener into a pleasant languor, as
| In the case Of lullaby. now stirring the
passions, as in the case of martial strains.
All our emotions are based on such in
| f1uences. Love. though far more durable.
Is apt to be excited in the same way. The
stances. When these circumstances are
attractive love is produced: when they
are disagreeable they engender hate.
Love once excited may absorb ones
whole being. But that it is not in itself
spiritual-in other words. eternal-is man.
ifest from the fact that it may be repeat
ed again or again. Were this not so the
indian custom Of the wifes immolation on
the funeral pyre Of her husband would be
necessity.
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
dred pen points on as many lecture
books. | was a bit uneasy ut this por
ton Of my discourse. fearing the girls
might do Or say something that would
, embarrass me. | was about to pro-
coed after the last word. necessity"
when Kate Swami. the chief mischief
7 maker in the class. laid down her pen
I and rose from her seat
May ask. professor" she said de-
murely, while her eyes snapped vi
: ciously. docs a sense Of justice per-
tain to the subject we are studying?"
"CertainIy."
"Then If love were eternal would
it not be just that the husband should
immediate himself on the funeral pyre
of his wife as we'll as the wife on the
funeral pyre of the husband?'
The class Uttered.
MAN." l said. with an affectation OF
modesty for my sex. lis not supposed
to be endowed with as strong. unchang
ing love proclivities as woman. This
is because be is not as emotional
Nevertheless grant that if love were
spiritual. which consider to be the
same as eternal, q husband who los
bis wife might do well to end bis
mourning on the funeral pyre Of his
wife"
You mean then. professor. sup
pose." pursued the MINK that. while
it would be necessity on the part O.
a widow to so end her mourning j.:
man under similar circumstance
might do well to thus immediate him
self"
was in for it. The satire was dell
cate. but sufficiently biting to be I'm
derstood by Miss Swans classmates
Their faces were turned up to me
each wearing antalizing smiles ant
all expecting my rejoinder. | resolves
to silence the young lady by complj
ment.
lam quite sure. Miss Swami" sale
that if you were widow and pre-
posed to end your earthly existence o
your husbands funeral pyre mob Q
bachelors would prevent it."
Amid another litter, this time not a
my expense. signitied that the dix
cussion was ended by proceeding wit
my dictation. Unfortunately there wa
a lot more in my lecture on what
called the emotion OF love. and feare
that Miss Swami or some other men
Der of the class would trip me u
again. ! would have omitted the res
were It not that could not do so an
preserve the continuity Of my iectur
was not long in striking a passae
that brought about more trouble:
That the emotion is human instead
divine is indicated by the fact that a 10,
which has existed for years may turn
hate. Again it may be lost. Indeed, witt
out another mental faculty. memory.
| cannot continue even through life The,
are many instances where. the faculty
memory having been destroyed. person
have not even been cognizant OF tho
they have loved AS the brain Is a can
era as well as a storehouse Of phot
graphic plates. SO love-
l stopped. l realized that might :
well fire canister of ideas antagoni
tic to woman's nature rs finish tt
sentence.
'Go on cried every one in the roof
is conglomerate union Of emotion
produced by the perceptive faculties Of
organic brain.
~. Smothered groans were mingled wit
the sound of scribbling To escal
from situation which l considere
appalling closed the book from whit
! had ben debating and. rising. boy
ed dismissal to the class. Half Il
girls bad risen to hurl back my view
but. the lecture being ended. they we
unable to do So A dozen came to n
~. desk with defiance in their eyes: b,
taking up my hat, said with smil
40 Pardon me. young ladies': have ;
lit engagement at this hour. and to be {
@ time must 20 at once" ~
10 That was the last lecture deliver,
before that class. knew that 4 stor
OF opposition to the views l had e
pressed would meet me on my next e