Page:Familiar letters of Henry David Thoreau.djvu/270

 246 FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS. [1852,

for the most intimate friends to communicate the pleasures and anxieties connected with this fact, much as the external affair of love, its comings and goings, are bruited. The Shakers do not exaggerate it so much by their manner of speaking of it, as all mankind by their man ner of keeping silence about it. Not that men should speak on this or any subject without having anything worthy to say ; but it is plain that the education of man has hardly com menced, there is so little genuine intercom munication.

In a pure society, the subject of marriage would not be so often avoided, from shame and not from reverence, winked out of sight, and hinted at only ; but treated naturally and simply, perhaps simply avoided, like the kin dred mysteries. If it cannot be spoken of for shame, how can it be acted of ? But, doubtless, there is far more purity, as well as more im purity, than is apparent.

Men commonly couple with their idea of mar riage a slight degree at least of sensuality ; but every lover, the world over, believes in its incon ceivable purity.

If it is the result of a pure love, there can be nothing sensual in marriage. Chastity is some thing positive, not negative. It is the virtue of the married especially. All lusts or base pleas-