Year: 1878

her bearing, And when the
dimly anticipated occurrence
actually takes place, she is
|placed in an almost over
whelming sense Of its pro-
fonud mystery, y conscious
ness of being the subject OF
something like. a supernatu-
raj influence gives her IA new
sense of dignity. She feels
herself raised by an immeas>
urable interval above the
crowd Of colnmon>place NOR
tails, The feeling of having
been called to undergo So
rare and strange an expert
ence is ait to prompt incon


vcnient demands upon others.
The favored person natural>
Iy thinks that the attainment
of so mysterious a knowledge
entities her to a new kind of
respect with Its accompany
ing services. 1t is curious
to note the difference in the
Ipertinscity of this feeling of
mystery in the case of th',
! tWupersons concerned. While
the young man usually finds
it easy after II time to- look
back on the occurrence in a
very prosaic manner as the
result Of an action which is
chiefly distinguished from
others by it's special degree
Of Observation-Disclosures the young
woman continues to cherish
an unaSailable belief in Its
inscratihIe and supernatural
character. Even after years
of neglect and harsh treat
ment might have shown her
that there was anything but
divine wisdom controlling
her choice, she clings TO the
idea that some beautiful be-
ncticcnt influence really su
perintended the proccss.


Though the process of fai>
ling in love is thus veiled in
Il mist Of romance, more es
pecialIy by the female mind
traces OF Il more matter Of
fact conception of the sub
ject are not wanting. Even
Tie most enthusiastic beliey
er in the sacred charm which
encircIcs this section Of hu
man life is apt 20 betray 1t
times il certain amount OF or
dinarv common sense in re
lation to it. Thus the ar
dent Young lady in her teens
who rumances on this theme
shows clearly enough that
she is familiar with some Of
the natural conditions of the
experience. She knows, for
example, that there are GER
tain circumstances peculiar
~ favorable to falling
in love; and the feeling
Of awe with which she Gus
tomarily regards the possibil-
lty Of her own case grows in
to IL visible huttef of excite
ment when she is packing up
for her annual visit to town
during the season, or for her
Summer trip to the saaside.
So, too, she is able to speak
with considerable minute
ness beforehand as to the
qualifications of the particu-
lar person who is to be the



instrument of bringing about
the miraculous event in her
own case. After it has taken
place, and she begins to re-
fleet npon its character, her
! attention can hardly fail to
be arrested by some of the
natural influences which have
co-operated to bring about
the strange Issue. Hence it
happens that married women
commonly preserve their
faith in the supermundanena- ma
ture of this experience more
through conscious resolve
than through complete in
sensibility to its natural as
jpects. In the views of the
subject entertained by the
| other sex common sense res
fection played a more prom
;nent part. Even the some
what indolent way Of accoun
ting for the phenomenon
which is resorted to by those
who refer it to a temporal
mental craze indicates an ap-
proach to the scientific point
Of view. The. inatter-of fact
method of looking at the sub
|ject is perhaps needlessly EN-
phasized by those who are "a