Evening star., 1923-02-02
Love Letters That Made History
BY JOSEPH KAYE.

while he was in London Every day
h" wrote Il letter In her. the letters
which form the now famous journal
to Stella" IT is not known what their
actual lationsh!p was. save that
Stella loved Swift passionately.
While Stella was in Ireland, an
other girl in London whose mind
Swift was also improving, Hester
Nanhomrlgh, known thereafter as
''Nanessa," conceived the most ardent
love for him, and Swift encouraged
her. though perhaps Unconscously
Nanessa had estates in Ireland, and
when her mother died SHE went TO
that country to live and settled not
far from where Stella lived. Swift
had got himself INTO the position
whore he had 20 preserve balance
between hath his loves and keep each
in ignorance Of the other.
Naue=sa at icuEth discovered Stella
and wrote. asking Her whether she
WAS married to Swift. Swift at this
time had neglected NancsSa and she
was literally pining away for love
Of him and had fallen into consump-
tion. While she lay on her sick bed,
Swift rushed into her room one day,
in the darkest rage, threw her letter
to Stella in her face and stalked out
without a word. That was a death
warrant for Vanessa. She shrank
into herself and died shortly after
ward.
Five years later Stella followed her.
no longer able to bear her position.
though It is said Swift offered to
marry her IT the wedding were not
made public, There was some
mystery concerning Swift and Stella.
but whatever il was. II is certain that
Stella died Of a broken heart. They
! bore her body past his window and
he sat there in his room, in the most
ahject misery. quaking at the
thoughts conjured up by an outraged
| conscience.
The letter that follows was written
| by Swift to Farina- when he urged
| her immediate acceptance Of his love.
| It is strange missive for love
April %, 1895.
-" Surely, varina, you have
| but a very mean opinion of the joys
| that accompany a true ana unilmiteo
| love; yet either nature or our owr
| ancestors have highly deceived ua OF
else other sublunary things are dross
| In comparison. Is 1T possible you car
| be vet insensibie to the prospect of q
| rapture and delight so innocent ano
| so exalted? Trust me, Narlna, HEAVIER
! has given us nothing else worth the
| loss of thought. Ambition, high ap
| pearances, friends and fortune are al
| tasteleSs and insipid when they are
| in competition: Yet millions oil sucf
| glorious minutes are we perpetua y
| iosing-forever losing, trrecoVerah hi \
/ losing, TO crafty empty forms anc
| wrong notions, and affected coldness
| and peevish manner.
| These are the unhappy ercum-
brsnces which we, who are distin,
guished from the vulgar create tc
| torment ourselves. The only felicity
| permit ed to human life We clog Will
tedious circumstances and barbarou:
| formality.
| "By heaven. varina, you are more
experienced and have less virgin In
Innocence than I. Would not your con
duct make one think you were highl,
skilled in all the little polite methods
| of intrigue? Love. with the gall o
too much discretion. is a Thousand
times worse than none at all. To re
sist the violence of our incltnation'
| in the beginning is d strain of self
denial that may have some pretence
to set up for a virtue; but when the,
are grounded at first upon reason
when they have taken firm root ant
grown up to height, tits folly
folly as well as injustice to withstand
their dictates; for this passion has
property peculiar to itself, to be mos
commendable in its extremes, and I'll
as possible to err in the excess o
piety as of love. %'
! Copyright. 1921