A CONVERSATION ON THE PORCH.
Penloe had heard several times in regard to Charles Herne being an
exceptionally fine man, liberal in thoughts, as far as he went, very
just and generous to his men, so that the day that Penloe received a
very kind invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Herne to be their guest for a few
days, he accepted it knowing intuitively that he had a work to do there.
As a guest Penloe was not always talkative, but what he did say was very
interesting. He made himself one with men and they all took a great
liking to him; Mr. and Mrs. Herne were very much impressed with the
personality of their distinguished guest, and they enjoyed his visit
with them. He had been several times there since his first visit, and
they had become great friends.
Charles Herne remarked to his wife one day: "What a genial, sociable,
humorous companion Penloe is; while of course, he is thoroughly in
earnest and has but one purpose in all he does, which is to manifest
what he calls the Divine, yet he is not serious, sober, and grave all
the time; he is so joyous, hopeful, and full of good-natured fun, but he
never lets it overcome him. I like him because he never says and does
anything for effect or to be considered smart; he is so simple, humble,
and unassuming in his manners, keeping himself in the background. His
influence on me is so different to that of any other man, and impresses
me very deeply. I always feel a better man after a talk with him. In
short, I feel his fine influence in the room even when he is silent. He
gave the men a powerful talk in their parlors the other evening. He has
a faculty for adapting himself to each one; just knows what to say, when
to say it, and how to say it. Several of the men have made the remark
to me that he is a very dear brother to them."
He had visited the men several times since, and they had become great
friends. Any one in a very short acquaintance with Penloe could not help
being impressed with his sincerity of character, his genuineness and
honesty of purpose, as well as his deep spirituality. Therefore, it
naturally follows that he would attract the confidence of his friends.
It was so natural for them to give him their confidence, they could not
withhold it from him, for it seemed to belong to him. Then again, there
are some persons who possess that power of discernment, that spiritual
insight for seeing through and through any one; nay, more, they appear
to have the power of entering into your most secret thoughts, they enter
as if by right, the rooms of your soul and see all its furniture; they
open even the secret chambers, and enter as if they had been there
before many a time, and when you think you are about to take them into
your confidence, you find that they know what you are about to tell
them.
Penloe possessed that gift, and Mrs. Herne realized that he had read her
book of secrets, that he knew all, and, therefore, when she took him
into her confidence, she did so with the half thought that he was there
some time before. She knew that Penloe was competent to give information
on any subject, and he was her true friend, and, therefore, she could
trust him fully.
One day when Penloe and Mrs. Herne were sitting on the porch admiring
the beauties of Nature all around them, Mrs. Herne said: "Penloe, don't
you think this is a beautiful place?"
When she made that remark, he knew what she was going to speak to him
about.
Penloe replied: "There is not a ranch in Orangeville that has so much in
the way of the expression of fine taste and natural beauty as your
home."
Mrs. Herne said: "I shall never forget how delighted I was when I came
here as a bride, and thought could I wish for more, for my cup seemed
full to overflowing. With this comfortable house and beautiful grounds,
and such a feeling of brotherhood existing between my husband and the
men, and everything running so harmoniously, nothing appeared to be
wanting."
"Yes," said Penloe. "You certainly have an exceptionally fine man in
some respects for a husband; I admire him very much."
"And I know he does you," replied Mrs. Herne; continuing, she said:
"Since you have favored us with your company and he has been with you
more, I can just begin to see some kind of change come over him; I
hardly know how to describe it; for it is only just commencing; I notice
it a little at times."
Penloe seemed to be absorbed in thought and made no reply.
Mrs. Herne waited a minute or two, and then said: "I often think how
thankful I ought to be that I have such a fine man for a husband, and
yet, in one way, I have not realized my ideal, even with all these fine
surroundings, and such a good husband."
"Do you think that is strange?" asked Penloe.
"Well," said Mrs. Herne, "that is what I don't know; it is a query with
me, whether any one realizes her ideal in marriage; what do you think
about the matter, Penloe?"
"Well, I think there are quite a number who realize their ideal in
marriage," replied Penloe.
Mrs. Herne said: "Please, Penloe, describe those kind of marriages to
me, for I am interested; it being a matter I have thought a great deal
about."
"Certainly," said Penloe, "but which is it you wish me to describe: What
is an ideal marriage? or what are the ideals of those who get married,
and who realize them?"
"It is the first I am most interested in now, Penloe," said Mrs. Herne,
"because I know that is your ideal, and therefore, would be the correct
one to aim for, but Penloe, while I hope you will tell me that, yet, I
ask you as a trusted friend, can you tell me why I have not realized my
ideal?" said Mrs. Herne.
"I can when you tell me what your ideal is like," said Penloe.
"I am afraid you will laugh when I tell you for I know it is so
different from yours," replied Mrs. Herne.
"One need never fear a true friend," said Penloe. "To a true friend, if
it is necessary, one can speak of his ignorance or weaknesses, and it
may be a great help to him, because a true friend has only one motive in
friendship, and that is to lift the other up to a higher plane of
thought; I mean that is the highest kind of friendship, and is a good
test with which to gauge friendship."
Mrs. Herne was very much impressed with Penloe's idea of friendship; so
high and pure.
Mrs. Herne said: "Penloe, you are so near and dear to me as a friend,
that I don't fear to tell you anything, and to show my confidence in
your friendship, I am going to reveal to you something, that I have
never thought it best to tell my husband."
"Your confidence shall never be betrayed by me," said Penloe.
"Thank you, Penloe," said Mrs. Herne. "Now, let me tell you what it is.
Previous to my marriage to Charles Herne there was something in addition
to his true worth and genuine character that attracted me to him;
something about his personality, for I always felt a thrill of joy when
with him; even if I only heard the sound of his coming footsteps, or he
happened to touch my dress, there was a sensation of pleasure; and when
he took my hand, and pressed it and kissed me, it was bliss. Well, I
married him and we came to this beautiful home, and that thrill of
delight continued between me and Charles for about two months, and
during that time I was living in my ideal world. But after two months I
noticed a little less of that feeling, and it kept growing less and
less, till now there is none at all. I love him with my whole heart, and
am devoted to him, my environments are the same, or better in many ways,
seeing that I am a happy mother, and the place has now more comforts and
conveniences than when I came here as a bride; yet that attraction has
gone so that when Charles kisses me or touches me it seems as if it was
my own self kissed me and touched me--to make the union a perfect one,
the delight of attraction should always be present; in that way I have
not realized my ideal."
Penloe said: "Do you know, Mrs. Herne, there are more than a million
couples whose experience is exactly like your own; and if your
environments had not been so pleasant, and both of your dispositions
well blended, and well balanced, you would have separated long ago, as
many have done, not knowing the real cause, and thinking it was
something else. You see," continued Penloe, "before you were married,
you and your husband had both led pure, virtuous lives; and each of you
was like a strong electric battery, charged with the life forces of the
body, which produced this pleasant feeling of attraction, and when you
were married both of you thought and acted like most other married
people."
Mrs. Herne said: "Thank you, Penloe; the ideas you have advanced should
become common property of the many."
Penloe replied: "Yes; but there are some who have these ideas, but don't
wish to put them in practice."
Mrs. Herne said: "Penloe, suppose that two married persons having been
living as most married persons do, and one of the two wished to live the
better way which you have just described, while the other wished to live
as they have been doing, what would be best to do in a case like that?"
Penloe replied: "That is a matter that requires the best judgment
possible, so as not to give offence. Great diplomacy must be used where
hard feelings are liable to be produced; but there is one thing that
must always be kept in view and that is that the one who wishes to live
the better way must be true to himself or herself. The matter should be
presented in a very kindly way, showing that it is as much for the
interest of the one not wishing to live the new way as it is for the one
desiring it. Patience must be used, and, above all, kindness and love.
"I am going to ask you now, Penloe," said Mrs. Herne, "to tell me from
your standpoint, what kind of unions would you consider the best ones?"
To Mrs. Herne's astonishment, Penloe replied: "All marriages are the
best ones; even where they are so unhappy as to separate the next day.
The two can only work out their unfoldment from the plane they are now
on, and not from any other plane or place."
"Yes," said Mrs. Herne, "but supposing I am living the old way, and
after hearing you explain the new way, I wish to live that way."
Penloe said: "That would show that you were tired of living on your old
plane, and you were now ready to leave a lower plane for the higher one.
But, supposing I had seen you a week before you were married to Charles
Herne, and explained to you the new way, do you think you would have
been ready to commence your married life by living the new way?"
Mrs. Herne laughed, and said: "I see it all now; I had to go through
this experience in marriage in order to be ready for the better way. But
are there not some who are ready to live the better way without having
any experience?"
"Yes," said Penloe, "because they were already on a higher plane.
Supposing I take a watch and explain its works to you and your husband;
after I get through, you understand all about its movements because you
were on the mechanical plane to receive the instruction, but your
husband does not, because he has not reached the mechanical plane to
receive it. So it is in regard to receiving ideas on any social, moral,
or spiritual plane."
"I understand it now," said Mrs. Herne, "for you have the faculty of
making any subject very clear; but I am going to push my question and
get you to describe the grades of the higher planes in marriage."
Penloe replied: "There are very, very few persons who are living the
pure life in marriage who have not reached that plane through
experience. Now, it is possible that of two who are about to be
married, one previous to that union may have reached the plane of purity
through experience; while the other, not having had any such experience,
and intending in the main to live purely under marriage, but for several
reasons desires to have some experience before living the pure life.
"Again, where the purpose of the union is to live the pure life, then
the union belongs to the higher plane. But the highest plane of all is
where the two, at the time of marriage, consecrate themselves to each
other and to the service of the Lord in His humanity, keeping their
bodies, as the temples of God, pure and sacred; where both live above
all lustful desires for each other, keeping the life forces for making
the mind and body strong, and fitting themselves to be instruments of
the Divine. Such a union brings the highest bliss to each of them, and
the greater good to the world at large. They do not require children to
make them happy, for their life is in the Divine One. They fully realize
that in Him they live, move, breathe, and have their being, and they
forego for themselves the pleasures of parentage in order to become a
spiritual father and a spiritual mother to the many."
Mrs. Herne gave Penloe her hand, and said: "I sincerely thank you for
the light you have this day given me."
That evening Clara Herne told her husband Penloe's ideas on the marriage
relationship. After listening very closely to all she said, Mr. Herne
sat thinking for a while, then said: "Clara, for a long time I have been
reflecting on that subject, and it perplexed me much, but now that
Penloe has made it so very clear, it seems like so many other things
which are hard to find out and understand, but when explained by a
master mind like Penloe, appear simple.
"Clara, can you estimate what a great gift Penloe gave you in imparting
those very important truths? and the knowledge he gave you, he knew you
would tell me; therefore, I feel he has given us both a precious gift,
more than if we had received a present of five thousand dollars. We
cannot prize such a dear friend too highly."
They had an hour's very agreeable talk on the matter, and they were both
of one mind, and decided that there and then they would live the new
way; and they both sealed their sacred vow with a pure love kiss.