The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-07-10
A Philosophical
Discussion
By REGINALD D. HAVEN

He was graduate of the United
gtates Military academy at West Point
and had not only learned comic sections,
analytical geometry and all that, but
had during the summer encampments
escorted young ladies to "Old Fort
Put" and over "Flirtation 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-five and
unmarried. His friends said that he
had proposed to so many girls when
he was at West Point that there were
none left for him to marry when be
really meant business.
He had passed out of the reckless
bvemaking of youth. 1t had left him
1reamy, imaginative, with vein Of
sentiment such as 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 married
friend told him he had better stick to
nebulae and let woman alone.
Major Donaldson, have you met
Miss Kenworthy? said lady by way
of an introduction.
81 have not, but it gives me great
pleasure to do so now" said the major.
The introducer dropped out, and the
officer drew 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
jor by way of opening the conversa-
ton. "This hour at this season is my
favorite of all parts of the year"
every beautiful" Miss Kenworthy
assented.
"I wonder how the planet happened
to be named for the goddess of lover"
"That's easily answered. Venus Is
the only one of the planets that ap-
pears to us to be always changing"
The major glanced suspiciously at
his companion. She was looking out
upon the landscape with 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
presume the women are all Venuses." !"
Again Major Donaldson cast an in
terrogative glance at Miss Kenworthy.
Was her remark intended to be humor-
Gus or satirical? Her face was still
sober. There was no twinkle in her
eye.
do you know" said the major, that
the philosopher, Sir William Hamilton,
suggested that life may have been
transmitted to the earth from one of
the other planets as the wind watts
pollen from flower to fower?'
''In the same principle, presume,
love was sent down to US from Venus"
"You are not of serious vein, l
perceive. AS for me, I'm quite in love
with these speculations. One Of my
favorite topics of thought is whether
we have lived before and whether we
shall live again"
do you ever have feeling that you
have been before in the position that
you occupy at the present moment?"
Il don't exactly understand you"
"To illustrate, we two are sitting
together of summer evening at the
twilight hour, looking out on land and
water and sky. Supposing that ii
should occur to you that you have been
sitting with me before amid the same
conditions--that is what l mean"
"Now comprehend. There are per-
sons who have experienced such sen
sations, and these incidents have been
used as arguments that we have ex.
listed before we came upon EARTH"
"I have such an experience at the
present moment"
"You don't mean it,"
81 am conscious Of having sat with
you at twilight overlooking land and
water and sky, and, though instead OF
looking westward we were looking
northward, the planet Venus shone
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
experience? Was 1t few years, thou
sands of years, millions of years OF
eonsT
"It was exactly twelve years."
The major once more turned and
scrutinized the lady's face.
Can you not particularize furtherr
he asked.
II can. We were sitting on the real
porch at the hotel at West Point look
ing out ON that beautiful view up thu
Hudson river. You we're cadet, ant
! was just out of short dresses"
And the planet Venus. What hal
that to do with it?' stammered the
major, reddening.
"You told me you loved me an(
would never love another"
The major sat Intently looking at thu