The Washington times., 1927-10-29
Mystery Lends New
Impetus to Love
and Romance
BY Beatrice Fairfax
An Authority on the Problems Of
Love and Marriage

Love and Marriage
uALLoWEEN--night Of ro-
N nance and mystery!
How we love it-unless we have
grown too old to enjoy anything
not strictly matter-of.fact.
Many a match can trace its be.
ginning to q Halloween festivity!
Jack and Jill, let US say. found
themselves partners at Halloween
games. Jack was told by witch
fortune teller that he would marry
q red.headed girl. Jill has red
hair.
Jill clung-perhaps unnecessar-
ily--to her partner when the lights
went suddenly out~-all but the
pumpkin lanterns-and walls and
shrieks from q violin filled the
air.
Fortunes by means Of apple
needs and nuts splutterink in the
ernbers Of rhe CRATE fire foretold
that both Jack and Jill would wed
within a year. And now, sure
enough, they are engaged to marry
each other. How Halloween did
help.
What Is the lure Of Halloween
which has made 1t such a loved
holiday, dear TO the spirit of
youth and fun and romance?
Why does it draw young hearts
together.
1t was said the ancient Assy.
riAns had some kind of fire fes.
tiyal similar to the holiday we
now call Halloween. The
Romans on November first held
feast In honor of Pomona, god.
dess Of fruit and harvest. The
first day Of each November more
than 1000 years ago. the Druids
lighted bonfires in old England
to their sun.god, invoking the
spirits of the dead. with weird
lamentations. through witches and
Borcerers, to fortell the future.
As the result Of folklore pre-
serving these traditions, young
people still make merry on the
eve OF November first, which is
now called Halloween or All Hal
lows Eve. because 1t IL the eve
OF All Saints Day. They eat
apples and nuts as the Romans
did in tribute to a harvest god.
dess and play games ana deck
their homes with images Of
witches riding broomsticks, black
cats and fire-goblins, suggestive
Of the rites of the Druids.
Mystery--half serious, half in
fun-is the keynote Of Halloween's
charm. Does not mystery give all
romance its enchantment, lifting
love from a sordid, fleeing merely
physical attraction to the plane of
unfailing, loyal inspiring affection
between man and woman, heart
OF the home, the greatest thing
In tie world"
The holidays teach us the value
Of mystery, the incomprehensible
wonder all about us. II the
things we see. smell, touch, taste
and hear were all Of life, the
world would be an unbearable
prison. But the beautiful Tnys-
terieS Of sunset and sunrise, OF
whispering winds, of courage. self.
sacrifice, heroism, of love in a
mothers eyes, Of our very longing
for beauty and good. throw open
the prison doors to stAr.lit, sun.
lit mystery and infinity.
Let us cherish Christmas and
Thanksgiving, st. Valentines and
Halloween, just as we cherish art
and music, because they lead lis
away from boring, matter.of-fact
things Of joy. innocent fun, poe.
try, romance, mystery.
just as it's mystery gives charm
to life, mystery also ads lure to
q woman. That girl Is most loved
who appeals to the imagination
of men, suggesting infinite sweet.
ness, grace, daintiness, Joy, mod.
Asty, and loneliness Of spirit, as
we'll as body. This mystery makes
girl as interesting as a story.
appears from day to day, always
uncertain about the conclusion.
There ID little OF the lure Of
mystery to the type Of tlapper
whose eagerness for self-expres-
sion leads her to frankly and
openly put on her complexion
from the contents Of her vanity.
case, to make shrill. aggressive,
blatant remarks in cheap slang,
to. pursue men, and in general ex-
press the ugly, the blatant. and
the obvious In her manner and
appearance. -
Such a girl would never merit
the tributue Shakespeare paid to
a sworId-famous charmer:
cage cannot wither nor Gus
tom stale