The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-29

A man who says that he has all ways believed in love at first sight is greatly troubled by his inability to determine the state of his affections as regards a certain girl.
 He didn't fall in love with her at first sight because they made mud pies together when they were chil- dren, and he has known her all his life. He isn't smitten with the ehills and fever when he sees her, and he doesn't experience any particular thrills when her hand touches his. But hs is utterly happy and con tented when he is with her, and lone some and restless when he is away from her.
 He depends on her, and relieve on her strong common sense. He enjoys the things that she enjoys, and her presence gives a zip to any occasion. He feels that life without her would be a poor, flat thing, and yet he doesn't know whether. he is in love with her or not, because he isn't ex- periencing anX of the wild, surging emotion he expected to feel when he A fell in love.
 If were disposing the young mans case, I should say he had it, and had it badly. Love doesn't affect everybody the same way. It all de- bends upon the temperament of the individual. Some have violent at tacks that are soon over. With others the temperature hardly ever goes above normal, but these are generally chronic cases that last as long as the heart beats at all.
 The love- at first sight theory is pretty and romantic one. It intrigues our fancy to believe that, as our eyes idly roam over a crowd, we shall single out the face of some man or woman, and know that out of all the world We have found our own. But in real life these sudden love punches do not work It may be that the man who jostles us in the street car, or the girl in the blue hat we passed on the street, is the mate nature intended for us, but no prick ing of the thumbs of palpitatfon of the heart appraised us of it.
 Occasionally, a copule of foolhardy young creatures. who pin their faith to the loVe-at-first-sig fallacy, do meet like the color of each others eyes, and rush off to the preacher without even getting enough ac- quainted to find out each others first name, and how many minutes they like their eggs boiled. But these sud- den weddings almost invariably end III ulSdSUefi ana aQQ one more proof to the assertion that those who marry in haste repent at leisure. For in nothing are we so easily deceived as in affinities. It is practically im- possible to spot them at sight.
 Of course, there are hysterical peo- pie who are always violently emotion al. Such a man falls in love with woman, and is mad about her until he gets her. and then he drops her with dull, cold thud. Such a woman falls in love with a man, and dies of broken heart if he doesn't return her love, but if he does she wearies of him and finds some other soul mate.
 Practical, sane, well balanced peo- pie rarely feel these storms of pass ion that sway the hearts of the neurotic. They do not consider com hitting suicide because of blighted love. They do not believe that the world will have nothing left of joy in it if some man or woman fails to return their affections. They do not have hectic flushes at the sound ot a footstep, or perish with longing if they are separated from the beloved one "A hours.