country, and the climax was a mutual love and a happy marriage. 

Many of us know of similar cases. But as a rule the slow developing 

love is more reliable than the suddenly bursting out flame. 

* * * * * 

Love is the most complex, the most mysterious, the most unanalyzable 

of human emotions. It is based upon the difference in sex--upon the 

attraction of one sex for another. It is fostered by physical beauty, 

by daintiness, by a normal sexuality, by a fine character, by high 

aspirations, by culture and education, by common interests, by 

kindness and consideration, by pity, by habit and by a thousand other 

subtle feelings, qualities and actions, which are difficult of 

classification or enumeration. 

A great love, greatly reciprocated, is in itself capable of rendering 

a human being supremely happy. _Nothing else is._ Other things, such 

as wealth, power, fame, success, great discoveries, may give supreme 

satisfaction, great contentment, but supreme, buoyant happiness is the 

gift of a great love only. Such loves are rare, and the mortals that 

achieve it are the envy of the gods. But a great love, unreciprocated, 

especially when admixed to it is the feeling of jealousy, is the most 

frightful of tortures; it will crush a man like nothing else will, and 

the victims of this emotional catastrophe are pitied by the inmates of 

the lowest inferno. 

FOOTNOTES: 

[9] To avoid confusion, I will state here that I am discussing love 

between the opposite sexes, and not maternal love, homosexual love, 

love for one's country, etc.