The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1915-11-06

ROUSSEAU AND HIS THERESA.
Story Of Genius Who Welded an Ia
norant Kitchen Maid and Never Re-
GREETED it--BuIwsr Lytton's Tragic
Observation-Disclosures and Fate.


Observation-Disclosures and Fate.
Some affinities really defy explana-
ton. Take Rousseau as an instance.
A distinguished writer has said:
lin the whole story OF the human
race | question II there is anything so
wonderful as the prolonged affection OF
Rousseau for Theresa"
Here was one or the outstanding lit
erary geniuses OF his time, man who
could talk on equal terms at least with
the most brilliant women OF his day.
marrying a kitchen maid, who never
could be taught TO read with ease. who
could not follow the order OF the twelve
months OF the year or count Il sum OF
money or reckon the price OF a thing.
Even a months instruction left her still
unable to read the hours on the clock
face.
Theresa lie Yasseur could never have
given Rousseau one hour OF true com
partnership She could neither have
read HIS books nor have understood
him when he explained them. She was
even without beauty and grace. Yet
this mighty spirit chose her. loved her
and went on loving her. The alliance
lasted happily, for by some mysterious
spell she held him. and after twenty
Ave years Rousseau could write TO her:
~ never had, my dearest. other than
one single solace, but that the sweet
est IL was 10 pour out all my heart
in yours. My every resource, my whole
confidence Is In you. and In you only"
Here was a mystery indeed.
Bulwer Lytton, the novelist. provid
ed another OF the matrimonial mystic
ries. Lytton was one OF the sanest
men in ordinary matters, but he was
foolish enough 10 marry vulgar girl,
Rosina Wheeler, who proved 10 be
wasteful. improvident and Il wretched
housekeeper. The marriage ended mis-
erably, and all through her life Lady
Lytton pursued her husband with the
after book In which she held him up
as a monster and did everything I'm her
power to render his life unhappy.
She made herself the heroine of a
most extraordinary episode on the day
when I.ytton. then colonial secretary,
was reelected by his Hertfordshire
constituents He was I'm the middle
OF his address when there advanced. a
female with rouged face and dyed
hair. brandishing yellow umbrella.
Mounting the hastings, Lady Lytton-
for II was she saluted the newly made
minister with:
"Fiend, villain. monster cowardly
wretch, outcast! am told you have
been sent TO the colonies. IL they
knew as much about you as ! do they
would have sent you there long ago"
For once Lytton's presence OF mind
failed him, or, rather, he tainted, and
knew no more TIL he found himself
back at Knebworth in bed. Husband
and wife had not seen each other for
twenty-five years before this, and they
never met again.
Probably the most mysterious OF all
marriages was that OF Tschaikoysky.
the great Russian composer whose
%Pathetic" symphony is such favor
tie in the concert room today. Tschai-
kovsky was moody, pessmistic, shy,
reserved man. AS he said himself, he
had lived for thirty seven years lin
antipathy TO marriage" and then was
made "A bridegroom by sheer force OF
circumstances without being In the
least charmed by the bride" II Is one
OF the queerest stories imaginable. a.
told by Tschaikoysky himself.
lie says that one day he received
letter from poor girl whom he had
known for some time. She declared
her love for him IN the most passionate
terms. lie went the next evening 10
see her and told her that he could give
her nothing but sympathy and graft
tude Later when he had thought Il
over he feared that Antonina might
make way with herself, SO he went
10 see her again. pleaded his irritable
ity, his uncertain finances, his antipa-
thy 10 matrlmony. and then asked her
II. after all this, she still wished 10 be
his wife.
Her answer was Yes" Tschaikov-
sky bowed before the inevitable, as he
regarded H.
my conscience Is clear" he wrote
"If l marry without loving It Is be
cause circumstances have forced this
upon me. console myself with the
thought thar no one can escape his
fate, and my meeting with that girl
was fatality"
The marriage took place IN 1877, and
the pair lived together barely three
weeks. Tschaikovsky got into state
OF nervous collapse, and his mind was
more or less unhinged. The doctors de-
cIared that n complete change was his
only chance, and the poor wife never
saw him or heard bis voice again after
he said hoarsely 10 her at the railway
station: Now go! God be with your
Need we wonder that the Pathetic"
symphony is 50 patheticf--J, Cuthbert