[Footnote 1: "A Study of Death," by Henry Mills Alden; late editor Harper's Magazine.]
"Here in this one simple sentence of only one hundred and eighty-four short, brief, curt, compact, concise, terse, pithy, diffuse, verbose, prolix, copious, flowing, digressive, excursive, discursive, pleonastic and periphrastic words, with at least nine out of every ten of which you should be familiar, there are enough possibilities of meaning, and lack of meaning, to keep your benighted intellect busy guessing for the balance of your natural life.
"But dark as is your intellectual vision, you can not fail to note the frequent occurrence of such significant words as 'Bride,' 'Bridegroom,' 'espousal,' 'united,' 'heavenly consummation,' 'destination,' 'desolate Psyche,' 'Love,' 'indulged,' 'original majesty,' 'altogether lovely,' and 'wonderful.'
"You can not fail to note that in this wonderful revelation of the possibilities of a single sentence, the personal pronouns 'He' and 'Him' always begin with a capital 'H.' Can you further doubt that this refers to ME? Can you further protest that this union of ME and MINE is not an essential part of the great plan and purpose of the Cosmic Intelligence to whom alone I acknowledge equality?
"But if, perchance, there yet remains a lingering doubt, then listen once more to this inspired Mystic; for at page 197 he says,--
"'In the ascent of life, desire seems to compel its cosmic partner, as hunger its victim, suspending that operation of physical and chemical forces proper to them outside of this dominion of vitality; in its descent these forces more and more tend to resume their proper action, until finally they bring into their own domain the structure they have served; their hardening of the walls of life's outward temple, begun for protection, has gone on to the extreme of fragility and destruction--an office as kindly as any they have performed.'
"And once more, O, my benighted friend, at page 185 he again says,--
"'In this complex hierarchy of Nature discrete accords are sustained, so that they fall not into indifference and confusion; degrees of excellence are marked--of truth, beauty and goodness; individual sequestration and tranquillity are secured, and for each life a way--its own that no other can take, and yet open to accordant intimacies and correspondences; and in the psychical involvement life acquires a feeling of itself and a conscious control, the liberty of its dwelling.'