Evening journal., 1911-12-30
Greatest Thing in the World
BY John S. Hamilton

And now it appears We are going
to have a new science, namely, the
science Of love. This ambitious pro-
iect has been launched, wonderful to
say, by woman and a Philadelphia |
woman at that. Love has been the "a.
yorite theme Of poet, romanticist and
philosopher since the birth of liter
ature and mankind sang and thought
and loved ever since and needed none
to tell them how.
It has been said that Philosophy
tells US Why and science tells US how.
It does appear therefore, as if love had
better perhaps remain as the theme Of
the poet or the subject of the philoso-
pher, It would be valuable to know
why, but we don't need to be told how.
So many remarkable things that look
ed impossible however, have taken
place that you always hesitate these
days before you are willing to say mo
it can't be done" There appear 70 be
two controlling passions in the human
heart-love and ambition. They are
both natural propensities and it would
appear that they had better be left
alone
Love is unquestionably the greatest
thing in the--vorld r Is the saving
force that peoples the earth and keeps
it peopled--and it will, the writer
thinks bring order out confusion
and stamp perfection on world at
last Love needs no promoter Those
who would promote and have it multi
ply must themselves love and there is
no other way They must not be dis
coura ged If the object of the love does
not respond Immediately. Don't be i'm
patient. Hurry is the bane Of reform
ers If you try to make others love
the way you believe is right, the
chances are you will interfere with
the very object you aim at. Love can
not be classified and arranged and
codifed aud sysrematized as a science.
/ II will never be an important part 10
| the curriculum of schools and treati-
] ses on the science of love Will never
| be a mob creating feature Of bargain
day sales in department stores or
picked up as valuable prizes on old
I book stalls. Mankind has many foolish
! superstitions and is the dupe Of many
ridiculous absurdities, but the science
/ of love as the boy on the street would
say is the limit.
Those who wonld interfere with love
should consider the evils which have
! followed interference with what might
perhaps be considered its counter pas
sion, ambition. All our teaching, all
our literature. all our history appears
to be written with the one idea OF
stimulating and promoting ambition.
observe the result Man is born selfish
/ and this Of itself is a saving force His
natural cupidfty therefore and the de-
sire TO excel would inspire him with
all the ambition necessary, but these
qualities. good in themselves have
been cultivated and encouraged until
they have become a curse to those
they were intended 10 bless Ambition
like love is a natural force and it may
be directed, but Will not be controlled
Together these two what we call pas
sions for the want Of better names ap-
pear 10 be the motive power OF the
race.
Those who interfered with ambition
did not call their foolish Efforts a
science but the mischief that they
worked IS known OF all men. It Is not
unlikely that those who would make a
science of love, while they do not in
tend to do so, would be merely inter-
fering with a natural law and while
It would probably have very little ef-
feet one way or the other it would
. probably act mischievously on the
scientists Love cannot be made a
science. and those who would bring
about the reign of love should love
themselves for that is the beginning
and the end OF all they can do.