Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-10-17
A Philosophical
Discussion
BY REGINALD D. HAVEN

audiyItCal geometry anu I'LL Thai, Dut
had during the. summer encampments
escorted young ladies' to "Old Fort
Put" and over Filtration walk and
danced with them at hops.
He was a major of artillery in the
United States army and stationed at
Fort Smelling. 1t was August, and he
thought he would run over to Lake
Minnetonka at the time the resort was
filed with persons enjoying their sum
mer vacations. He was thirty-fve and
unmarried. His friends said that he
had proposed to SO many girls when
he was at West Point that there were
nom left for him to marry when he
really meant business.
He had passed out of the reckless
~1ovemaking OF youth. 1t had left him
dreamy, imaginative, with a vein of
sentiment such al belongs to the poet
He was fond Of musing upon the won
ders of the universe. The most inter
esting study to him was mankind
that is, after womankind-for, being
unmarried, he considered woman a fit
subject for study. although a married
friend told him he had better stick to
nebulae and let woman alone.
"Major Donaldson, have you met
Miss Kenworthy? 2, said a lady by way
of an introduction.
81 have not, but 1t gives me great
pleasure to do so now said the major
The introducer dropped out, and the
officer drew a chair beside Miss Ken
worthy. 1t was the hour of twilight.
and the planet Venus was looking
down, radiant, on the god of day that
had sunk beneath the horizon. :.
Beautiful sight" remarked the ma
5or by way of opening the
ton. "This hour at this season is my
favorite of all parts of the year"
'Very beautiful" Miss Kenworthy
nssented.
"I wonder how the planet happened
10 be named for the goddess of lover"
"That,s easily answered Venus Is
the only one Of the planets that APP
pears to us to be always changing"
The major glanced suspiciously al
his companion. She was looking on
upon the landscape with a sober face
"'Your explanation does not hold. The
phases of Venus are not apparent to
the naked eye, and the ancients had
no telescopes. l wonder If the planets
are inhabited"
IF there are human beings on Venus
I presume the women are all Venuses.
Again Major Donaldson cast an In
~terrogative Ounce at Miss Kenworthy
was her remark intended to be humor
Gus or satirical? Her face was still
sober. There was no twinkle in hel
eye.
do you know" said the major, tina,
the philosopher, Sir William Hamilton
suggested that life may have beer
transmitted to the earth from one OF
the other planets as the wind watt
pollen from flower to lower?"
'.In the same principle, presume
love was sent down to us from Venus
you are not of a serious vein. !
perceive. AS for me, I'm quite in low
with these speculations. One of m.
sfavorite topics of thought is whethe
we have lived before and whether W,
shall live again."
do you ever have a feeling that yo,
have been before In the position tina
you occupy at the present moment2'
II don't exactly understand you"
ITO illustrate. we two are sittin;
together of a summer evening at the
twilight hour. looking out on land an
water and sky. Supposing that l.
should occur to you that you have beef.
sitting with me before amid the SAM
conditions-that is what l mean"
Now / comprehend. There are pei
sons who have experienced such sen
sations, and these incidents have beeL
used as arguments hat we have ex
listed before we came upon earth"
II have such an experience at the
present moment"
You don't mean it."
81 am conscious of having sat will
you at twilight overlooking land and
water and sky, and, though instead OF
looking westward we were looking
northward. the planet Venus shon,
forth resplendent- Singular, isn't it?'
Very the major assented thought
fully. "Have you any idea of the time
that has elapsed since this previous
experienced Was it a few years. thou
sands of years, millions of years OF
eonsY"
"It was exactly twelve years."
The major once more turned and
scrutinized the lady's face.
"Can you not pa~rticularize further?'
he asked.
II can. We were sitting OF the real
porch at the hotel at West Point look
ing cut on that beautiful view up ths
Hudson river. You were a cadet, and
/ was just out of short dresses"
"And the planet Venus. What ha
that to dc with it?" stammered the
major, reddening.
'You told me you loved me and
would never love another"
The major sat intently looking at the