"She had never desired any man or been able to live without a cat." I like that one, but I am not sure what to make of it. I do know that in some mythologies, woman are said to possess feline qualities—beautiful, graceful, dangerous, and especially inscrutable. Perhaps that accounts for the fact that a fairly large number of men hate cats. Now not liking cats is perfectly okay, but when I see more effect than apparent cause, as when men have an irrational hatred of cats, I know I am not seeing the whole cause. Note to young ladies: Do not date, do not marry a man that has a strong hatred of cats. Quite likely he will have a deep seated hatred of women, and will eventually take it out on you.
"...there seemed to be a contradiction between the look in her eyes, which tended to be melancholy, and the brightness of her smile. This had a somewhat disconcerting effect, so that at moments her charming face was puzzling without ceasing to be beautiful." That is a description of a yearning look, that most rare and most powerful look of any woman. That is, there seems to be something mysterious about such rare women, as if they are yearning, even sensing for something not part of this world. It's a look that a man may want to satisfy, but never will.
Hugo expanded on that a little later: "Knowing herself to be beautiful, she lost the grace of unawarenesss; an exquisite grace, for beauty enhanced by by innocence is incomparable. Nothing is more enchanting than artless radiance that unwittingly holds the key to a paradise."
"... a woman's gaze
is like a mechanical contrivance of a kind that is harmless but in
fact is deadly...the machine swallows us...we are the grip of forces
against which we struggle in vain...and according to whether we have
fallen into the clutches of a base creature or a gentle heart we
shall be disfigured by shame or transformed by worship."
If Hugo were here today, he would wonder why why contemporary
American women, in their if their determination to ape men,
have lost that power. What's worse, is that contemporary men
have lost their fear of such women, thus the men tend to prey on
woman as a bear that has lost its fear of man.
“Effrontery is an
expression of shame...In the animal world no creature born to be a
dove turns into a scavenger. This happens only among men.” Which is
to say that, as the Church teaches, human nature is basically good
but weakened by original sin. Therefore, there is always a tendency
to fall into animal nature.
"Bodies huddle
together in poverty as they do in cold, but hearts grow distant."
Furthermore, "Moments of danger occur when these two extremes,
of poverty and intelligence, come together." Cold hearts,
impoverished people, and intelligent leadership is a witches brew
producing horrific social upheaval. Think French Revolution, 1789.
"The state of a soul
that loves and suffers is sublime." Later Hugo added, “There
are women with warm hearts whose instinct is to give...Often they
give their hearts where men take only their bodies. Their heart
remains their own, for them to contemplate in shivering darkness.”
That should serve as a warning to young women—be careful about men.
“In a first love it is
the soul that is first captured, then the body. Later the body comes
before the soul, which may be forgotten altogether.” There is a
lot of human marital history in that precise statement.
“A real man avoids
display, as much as he does effeminacy.” Drawing unnecessary
attention to one's self is spiritually dangerous. Moreover, think of
our political leadership. Democracy attracts the ambitious rather
than the able. And to be politically successful, politicians must
constantly attract attention to themselves. Those who delight in
being public spectacles are not likely to have the masculine
qualities necessary for leadership during a crisis.
“A civilizing race must
be a masculine race. It must be Corinth, not Sybaris. Those who
become effeminate basterdize themselves.” And our contemporary
schools attempt to remake masculine nature, to make boys with a
girl's mindset. Personally, a man takes charge of social situations
for which he is responsible (and only those situations). Boys should
be encouraged to do so because when they are adults, they must take
control, albeit it gentle control, of a family.
“The plight of a child
concerns its mother and the plight of a young man may concern a girl.
But the plight of an old man concerns no one. It is the most lonely
of all despairs.”
“The smell of money
attracts women like the smell of lilac.”
“The ennobling quality
of danger is that it brings to light the fraternity of strangers.”
“There is a lucidity
inspired by the nearness of the grave—to be close to death is to
see clearly.” That is God' gift to the dying.
“What is the turmoil in
a city compared to that of the human heart? Man the individual is a
deeper being than man in the mass.”
“Panic, such as occurs
in human nature, may lie down as irrationally as it arises.” That
is true for both individuals and their society. In re the latter,
social scientists know that riots, for example, follow a certain
course, and then end after a few days. Revolutions last longer than
riots, but they too follow a well defined course and then the
revolutionary fervor subsides.
“People have to look
important and the end result is they all look insignificant.” That
reminds me of a quote from St. Alphonse Liguori, “Quid hoc ad
aeternum” Or, “How does this look to eternity?” I keep in mind
that I belong to the Communion of Saints; therefore I am in their
presence at all times, and any time I am tempted to call unnecessary
attention to myself, I will look like a fool to them.
“Unwitting innocence is
sometimes more penetrating than cunning.”
END OF PART TWO
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