\'IhavebeenlookingupJackson\'scase,\'Isaidabruptly。
Hewasallinterestedattention,andwaitedformetogoon,thoughIcouldseeinhiseyesthecertitudethatmyconvictionshadbeenshaken。
\'Heseemstohavebeenbadlytreated,\'Iconfessed。\'I—I—thinksomeofhisbloodisdrippingfromourroof—beams。\'
\'Ofcourse,\'heanswered。\'IfJacksonandallhisfellowsweretreatedmercifully,thedividendswouldnotbesolarge。\'
\'Ishallneverbeabletotakepleasureinprettygownsagain,\'I
added。
Ifelthumbleandcontrite,andwasawareofasweetfeelingthatErnestwasasortoffatherconfessor。Then,aseverafter,hisstrengthappealedtome。Itseemedtoradiateapromiseofpeaceandprotection。
\'Norwillyoubeabletotakepleasureinsackcloth,\'hesaidgravely。\'Therearethejutemills,youknow,andthesamethinggoesonthere。Itgoesoneverywhere。Ourboastedcivilizationisbaseduponblood,soakedinblood,andneitheryounorInoranyofuscanescapethescarletstain。Themenyoutalkedwith—whowerethey？\'
Itoldhimallthathadtakenplace。
\'Andnotoneofthemwasafreeagent,\'hesaid。\'Theywerealltiedtothemercilessindustrialmachine。Andthepathosofitandthetragedyisthattheyaretiedbytheirheartstrings。Theirchildren—
alwaystheyounglifethatitistheirinstincttoprotect。Thisinstinctisstrongerthananyethictheypossess。Myfather！Helied,hestole,hedidallsortsofdishonorablethingstoputbreadintomymouthandintothemouthsofmybrothersandsisters。Hewasaslavetotheindustrialmachine,anditstampedhislifeout,workedhimtodeath。\'
\'Butyou,\'Iinterjected。\'Youaresurelyafreeagent。\'
\'Notwholly,\'hereplied。\'Iamnottiedbymyheartstrings。IamoftenthankfulthatIhavenochildren,andIdearlylovechildren。
YetifImarriedIshouldnotdaretohaveany。\'
\'Thatsurelyisbaddoctrine,\'Icried。
\'Iknowitis,\'hesaidsadly。\'Butitisexpedientdoctrine。Iamarevolutionist,anditisaperilousvocation。\'
Ilaughedincredulously。
\'IfItriedtoenteryourfather\'shouseatnighttostealhisdividendsfromtheSierraMills,whatwouldhedo？\'
\'Hesleepswitharevolveronthestandbythebed,\'Ianswered。\'Hewouldmostprobablyshootyou。\'
\'AndifIandafewothersshouldleadamillionandahalfofmen*intothehousesofallthewell—to—do,therewouldbeagreatdealofshooting,wouldn\'tthere？\'
*ThisreferenceistothesocialistvotecastintheUnitedStatesin1910。Theriseofthisvoteclearlyindicatestheswiftgrowthofthepartyofrevolution。ItsvotingstrengthintheUnitedStatesin1888was2068;in1902,127,713;in1904,435,040;in1908,1,108,427;andin1910,1,688,211。
\'Yes,butyouarenotdoingthat,\'Iobjected。
\'ItispreciselywhatIamdoing。Andweintendtotake,notthemerewealthinthehouses,butallthesourcesofthatwealth,allthemines,andrailroads,andfactories,andbanks,andstores。Thatistherevolution。Itistrulyperilous。Therewillbemoreshooting,I
amafraid,thanevenIdreamof。ButasIwassaying,nooneto—dayisafreeagent。Weareallcaughtupinthewheelsandcogsoftheindustrialmachine。Youfoundthatyouwere,andthatthemenyoutalkedwithwere。Talkwithmoreofthem。GoandseeColonelIngram。
LookupthereportersthatkeptJackson\'scaseoutofthepapers,andtheeditorsthatrunthepapers。Youwillfindthemallslavesofthemachine。\'
AlittlelaterinourconversationIaskedhimasimplelittlequestionabouttheliabilityofworkingmentoaccidents,andreceivedastatisticallectureinreturn。
\'Itisallinthebooks,\'hesaid。\'Thefigureshavebeengathered,andithasbeenprovedconclusivelythataccidentsrarelyoccurinthefirsthoursofthemorningwork,butthattheyincreaserapidlyinthesucceedinghoursastheworkersgrowtiredandslowerinboththeirmuscularandmentalprocesses。
\'Why,doyouknowthatyourfatherhasthreetimesasmanychancesforsafetyoflifeandlimbthanhasaworking—man？Hehas。Theinsurance*companiesknow。Theywillchargehimfourdollarsandtwentycentsayearonathousand—dollaraccidentpolicy,andforthesamepolicytheywillchargealaborerfifteendollars。\'
*Intheterriblewolf—struggleofthosecenturies,nomanwaspermanentlysafe,nomatterhowmuchwealthheamassed。Outoffearforthewelfareoftheirfamilies,mendevisedtheschemeofinsurance。Tous,inthisintelligentage,suchadeviceislaughablyabsurdandprimitive。Butinthatageinsurancewasaveryseriousmatter。Theamusingpartofitisthatthefundsoftheinsurancecompanieswerefrequentlyplunderedandwastedbytheveryofficialswhowereintrustedwiththemanagementofthem。
\'Andyou？\'Iasked;andinthemomentofaskingIwasawareofasolicitudethatwassomethingmorethanslight。
\'Oh,asarevolutionist,Ihaveabouteightchancestotheworkingman\'soneofbeinginjuredorkilled,\'heansweredcarelessly。\'Theinsurancecompanieschargethehighlytrainedchemiststhathandleexplosiveseighttimeswhattheychargetheworkingmen。Idon\'tthinkthey\'dinsuremeatall。Whydidyouask？\'
Myeyesfluttered,andIcouldfeelthebloodwarminmyface。Itwasnotthathehadcaughtmeinmysolicitude,butthatIhadcaughtmyself,andinhispresence。
Justthenmyfathercameinandbeganmakingpreparationstodepartwithme。Ernestreturnedsomebookshehadborrowed,andwentawayfirst。Butjustashewasgoing,heturnedandsaid:
\'Oh,bytheway,whileyouareruiningyourownpeaceofmindandIamruiningtheBishop\'s,you\'dbetterlookupMrs。WicksonandMrs。Pertonwaithe。Theirhusbands,youknow,arethetwoprincipalstockholdersintheMills。Likealltherestofhumanity,thosetwowomenaretiedtothemachine,buttheyaresotiedthattheysitontopofit。\'
CHAPTERFOUR。
SlavesoftheMachine。
THEMOREITHOUGHTOFJACKSON\'Sarm,themoreshakenIwas。Iwasconfrontedbytheconcrete。ForthefirsttimeIwasseeinglife。Myuniversitylife,andstudyandculture,hadnotbeenreal。Ihadlearnednothingbuttheoriesoflifeandsocietythatlookedallverywellontheprintedpage,butnowIhadseenlifeitself。
Jackson\'sarmwasafactoflife。\'Thefact,man,theirrefragablefact！\'ofErnest\'swasringinginmyconsciousness。
Itseemedmonstrous,impossible,thatourwholesocietywasbaseduponblood。AndyettherewasJackson。Icouldnotgetawayfromhim。ConstantlymythoughtswungbacktohimasthecompasstothePole。Hehadbeenmonstrouslytreated。Hisbloodhadnotbeenpaidforinorderthatalargerdividendmightbepaid。AndIknewascoreofhappycomplacentfamiliesthathadreceivedthosedividendsandbythatmuchhadprofitedbyJackson\'sblood。Ifonemancouldbesomonstrouslytreatedandsocietymoveonitswayunheeding,mightnotmanymenbesomonstrouslytreated？IrememberedErnest\'swomenofChicagowhotoiledforninetycentsaweek,andthechildslavesoftheSoutherncottonmillshehaddescribed。AndIcouldseetheirwanwhitehands,fromwhichthebloodhadbeenpressed,atworkupontheclothoutofwhichhadbeenmademygown。AndthenIthoughtoftheSierraMillsandthedividendsthathadbeenpaid,andIsawthebloodofJacksonuponmygownaswell。JacksonIcouldnotescape。
Alwaysmymeditationsledmebacktohim。
DowninthedepthsofmeIhadafeelingthatIstoodontheedgeofaprecipice。ItwasasthoughIwereabouttoseeanewandawfulrevelationoflife。AndnotIalone。Mywholeworldwasturningover。Therewasmyfather。IcouldseetheeffectErnestwasbeginningtohaveonhim。AndthentherewastheBishop。WhenIhadlastseenhimhehadlookedasickman。Hewasathighnervoustension,andinhiseyestherewasunspeakablehorror。FromthelittleIlearnedI
knewthatErnesthadbeenkeepinghispromiseoftakinghimthroughhell。ButwhatscenesofhelltheBishop\'seyeshadseen,Iknewnot,forheseemedtoostunnedtospeakaboutthem。
Once,thefeelingstronguponmethatmylittleworldandalltheworldwasturningover,IthoughtofErnestasthecauseofit;andalsoIthought,\'Weweresohappyandpeacefulbeforehecame！\'AndthenextmomentIwasawarethatthethoughtwasatreasonagainsttruth,andErnestrosebeforemetransfigured,theapostleoftruth,withshiningbrowsandthefearlessnessofoneofGod\'sownangels,battlingforthetruthandtheright,andbattlingforthesuccorofthepoorandlonelyandoppressed。Andthentherearosebeforemeanotherfigure,theChrist！He,too,hadtakenthepartofthelowlyandoppressed,andagainstalltheestablishedpowerofpriestandpharisee。AndIrememberedhisenduponthecross,andmyheartcontractedwithapangasIthoughtofErnest。Washe,too,destinedforacross？—he,withhisclarioncallandwar—notedvoice,andallthefineman\'svigorofhim！
AndinthatmomentIknewthatIlovedhim,andthatIwasmeltingwithdesiretocomforthim。Ithoughtofhislife。Asordid,harsh,andmeagrelifeitmusthavebeen。AndIthoughtofhisfather,whohadliedandstolenforhimandbeenworkedtodeath。Andhehimselfhadgoneintothemillswhenhewasten！Allmyheartseemedburstingwithdesiretofoldmyarmsaroundhim,andtoresthisheadonmybreast—hisheadthatmustbewearywithsomanythoughts;andtogivehimrest—justrest—andeasementandforgetfulnessforatenderspace。
ImetColonelIngramatachurchreception。HimIknewwellandhadknownwellformanyyears。Itrappedhimbehindlargepalmsandrubberplants,thoughhedidnotknowhewastrapped。Hemetmewiththeconventionalgayetyandgallantry。Hewaseveragracefulman,diplomatic,tactful,andconsiderate。Andasforappearance,hewasthemostdistinguished—lookingmaninoursociety。Besidehimeventhevenerableheadoftheuniversitylookedtawdryandsmall。
AndyetIfoundColonelIngramsituatedthesameastheunletteredmechanics。Hewasnotafreeagent。He,too,wasbounduponthewheel。
IshallneverforgetthechangeinhimwhenImentionedJackson\'scase。Hissmilinggoodnaturevanishedlikeaghost。Asudden,frightfulexpressiondistortedhiswell—bredface。IfeltthesamealarmthatIhadfeltwhenJamesSmithbrokeout。ButColonelIngramdidnotcurse。Thatwastheslightdifferencethatwasleftbetweentheworkingmanandhim。Hewasfamedasawit,buthehadnowitnow。And,unconsciously,thiswayandthatheglancedforavenuesofescape。Buthewastrappedamidthepalmsandrubbertrees。
Oh,hewassickofthesoundofJackson\'sname。WhyhadIbroughtthematterup？Hedidnotrelishmyjoke。Itwaspoortasteonmypart,andveryinconsiderate。DidInotknowthatinhisprofessionpersonalfeelingsdidnotcount？Helefthispersonalfeelingsathomewhenhewentdowntotheoffice。Attheofficehehadonlyprofessionalfeelings。
\'ShouldJacksonhavereceiveddamages？\'Iasked。
\'Certainly,\'heanswered。\'Thatis,personally,Ihaveafeelingthatheshould。Butthathasnothingtodowiththelegalaspectsofthecase。\'
Hewasgettinghisscatteredwitsslightlyinhand。
\'Tellme,hasrightanythingtodowiththelaw？\'Iasked。
\'Youhaveusedthewronginitialconsonant,\'hesmiledinanswer。
\'Might？\'Iqueried;andhenoddedhishead。\'Andyetwearesupposedtogetjusticebymeansofthelaw？\'
\'Thatistheparadoxofit,\'hecountered。\'Wedogetjustice。\'
\'Youarespeakingprofessionallynow,areyounot？\'Iasked。
ColonelIngramblushed,actuallyblushed,andagainhelookedanxiouslyabouthimforawayofescape。ButIblockedhispathanddidnotoffertomove。
\'Tellme,\'Isaid,\'whenonesurrendershispersonalfeelingstohisprofessionalfeelings,maynottheactionbedefinedasasortofspiritualmayhem？\'
Ididnotgetananswer。ColonelIngramhadingloriouslybolted,overturningapalminhisflight。
NextItriedthenewspapers。Iwroteaquiet,restrained,dispassionateaccountofJackson\'scase。ImadenochargesagainstthemenwithwhomIhadtalked,nor,forthatmatter,didIevenmentionthem。Igavetheactualfactsofthecase,thelongyearsJacksonhadworkedinthemills,hisefforttosavethemachineryfromdamageandtheconsequentaccident,andhisownpresentwretchedandstarvingcondition。Thethreelocalnewspapersrejectedmycommunication,likewisedidthetwoweeklies。
IgotholdofPercyLayton。Hewasagraduateoftheuniversity,hadgoneinforjournalism,andwasthenservinghisapprenticeshipasreporteronthemostinfluentialofthethreenewspapers。HesmiledwhenIaskedhimthereasonthenewspaperssuppressedallmentionofJacksonorhiscase。
\'Editorialpolicy,\'hesaid。\'Wehavenothingtodowiththat。
It\'suptotheeditors。\'
\'Butwhyisitpolicy？\'Iasked。
\'We\'reallsolidwiththecorporations,\'heanswered。\'Ifyoupaidadvertisingrates,youcouldn\'tgetanysuchmatterintothepapers。A
manwhotriedtosmuggleitinwouldlosehisjob。Youcouldn\'tgetitinifyoupaidtentimestheregularadvertisingrates。\'
\'Howaboutyourownpolicy？\'Iquestioned。\'Itwouldseemyourfunctionistotwisttruthatthecommandofyouremployers,who,inturn,obeythebehestsofthecorporations。\'
\'Ihaven\'tanythingtodowiththat。\'Helookeduncomfortableforthemoment,thenbrightenedashesawhiswayout。\'I,myself,donotwriteuntruthfulthings。Ikeepsquareallrightwithmyownconscience。Ofcourse,there\'slotsthat\'srepugnantinthecourseoftheday\'swork。Butthen,yousee,that\'sallpartoftheday\'swork,\'hewoundupboyishly。
\'Yetyouexpecttositataneditor\'sdesksomedayandconductapolicy。\'
\'I\'llbecase—hardenedbythattime,\'washisreply。
\'Sinceyouarenotyetcase—hardened,tellmewhatyouthinkrightnowaboutthegeneraleditorialpolicy。\'
\'Idon\'tthink,\'heansweredquickly。\'Onecan\'tkickovertheropesifhe\'sgoingtosucceedinjournalism。I\'velearnedthatmuch,atanyrate。\'
Andhenoddedhisyoungheadsagely。
\'Buttheright？\'Ipersisted。
\'Youdon\'tunderstandthegame。Ofcourseit\'sallright,becauseitcomesoutallright,don\'tyousee？\'
\'Delightfullyvague,\'Imurmured;butmyheartwasachingfortheyouthofhim,andIfeltthatImusteitherscreamorburstintotears。
IwasbeginningtoseethroughtheappearancesofthesocietyinwhichIhadalwayslived,andtofindthefrightfulrealitiesthatwerebeneath。ThereseemedatacitconspiracyagainstJackson,andI
wasawareofathrillofsympathyforthewhininglawyerwhohadingloriouslyfoughthiscase。Butthistacitconspiracygrewlarge。
NotalonewasitaimedagainstJackson。Itwasaimedagainsteveryworkingmanwhowasmaimedinthemills。Andifagainsteverymaninthemills,whynotagainsteverymaninalltheothermillsandfactories？Infact,wasitnottrueofalltheindustries？
Andifthiswasso,thensocietywasalie。Ishrankbackfrommyownconclusions。Itwastooterribleandawfultobetrue。ButtherewasJackson,andJackson\'sarm,andthebloodthatstainedmygownanddrippedfrommyownroof—beams。AndthereweremanyJacksons—hundredsoftheminthemillsalone,asJacksonhimselfhadsaid。JacksonI
couldnotescape。
IsawMr。WicksonandMr。Pertonwaithe,thetwomenwhoheldmostofthestockintheSierraMills。ButIcouldnotshakethemasIhadshakenthemechanicsintheiremploy。Idiscoveredthattheyhadanethicsuperiortothatoftherestofsociety。ItwaswhatImaycallthearistocraticethicorthemasterethic。*Theytalkedinlargewaysofpolicy,andtheyidentifiedpolicyandright。Andtometheytalkedinfatherlyways,patronizingmyyouthandinexperience。TheywerethemosthopelessofallIhadencounteredinmyquest。Theybelievedabsolutelythattheirconductwasright。Therewasnoquestionaboutit,nodiscussion。Theywereconvincedthattheywerethesavioursofsociety,andthatitwastheywhomadehappinessforthemany。Andtheydrewpatheticpicturesofwhatwouldbethesufferingsoftheworkingclasswereitnotfortheemploymentthatthey,andtheyalone,bytheirwisdom,providedforit。
*BeforeAvisEverhardwasborn,JohnStuartMill,inhisessay,OnLiberty,wrote:\'Whereverthereisanascendantclass,alargeportionofthemoralityemanatesfromitsclassinterestsanditsclassfeelingsofsuperiority。\'
Freshfromthesetwomasters,ImetErnestandrelatedmyexperience。Helookedatmewithapleasedexpression,andsaid:
\'Really,thisisfine。Youarebeginningtodigtruthforyourself。Itisyourownempiricalgeneralization,anditiscorrect。Nomanintheindustrialmachineisafree—willagent,exceptthelargecapitalist,andheisn\'t,ifyou\'llpardontheIrishism。*
Yousee,themastersarequitesurethattheyarerightinwhattheyaredoing。Thatisthecrowningabsurdityofthewholesituation。Theyaresotiedbytheirhumannaturethattheycan\'tdoathingunlesstheythinkitisright。Theymusthaveasanctionfortheiracts。
*Verbalcontradictions,calledbulls,werelonganamiableweaknessoftheancientIrish。
\'Whentheywanttodoathing,inbusinessofcourse,theymustwaittilltherearisesintheirbrains,somehow,areligious,orethical,orscientific,orphilosophic,conceptthatthethingisright。Andthentheygoaheadanddoit,unwittingthatoneoftheweaknessesofthehumanmindisthatthewishisparenttothethought。Nomatterwhattheywanttodo,thesanctionalwayscomes。Theyaresuperficialcasuists。TheyareJesuitical。Theyevenseetheirwaytodoingwrongthatrightmaycomeofit。Oneofthepleasantandaxiomaticfictionstheyhavecreatedisthattheyaresuperiortotherestofmankindinwisdomandefficiency。Therefromcomestheirsanctiontomanagethebreadandbutteroftherestofmankind。Theyhaveevenresurrectedthetheoryofthedivinerightofkings—
commercialkingsintheircase。*
*Thenewspapers,in1902ofthatera,creditedthepresidentoftheAnthraciteCoalTrust,GeorgeF。Baer,withtheenunciationofthefollowingprinciple:\'TherightsandinterestsofthelaboringmanwillbeprotectedbytheChristianmentowhomGodinHisinfinitewisdomhasgiventhepropertyinterestsofthecountry。\'
\'Theweaknessintheirpositionliesinthattheyaremerelybusinessmen。Theyarenotphilosophers。Theyarenotbiologistsnorsociologists。Iftheywere,ofcourseallwouldbewell。Abusinessmanwhowasalsoabiologistandasociologistwouldknow,approximately,therightthingtodoforhumanity。But,outsidetherealmofbusiness,thesemenarestupid。Theyknowonlybusiness。Theydonotknowmankindnorsociety,andyettheysetthemselvesupasarbitersofthefatesofthehungrymillionsandalltheothermillionsthrownin。History,someday,willhaveanexcruciatinglaughattheirexpense。\'
IwasnotsurprisedwhenIhadmytalkoutwithMrs。WicksonandMrs。Pertonwaithe。Theyweresocietywomen。*Theirhomeswerepalaces。
Theyhadmanyhomesscatteredoverthecountry,inthemountains,onlakes,andbythesea。Theyweretendedbyarmiesofservants,andtheirsocialactivitieswerebewildering。Theypatronizedtheuniversityandthechurches,andthepastorsespeciallybowedattheirkneesinmeeksubservience。*（2）Theywerepowers,thesetwowomen,whatofthemoneythatwastheirs。Thepowerofsubsidizationofthoughtwastheirstoaremarkabledegree,asIwassoontolearnunderErnest\'stuition。
*Societyishereusedinarestrictedsense,acommonusageofthetimestodenotethegildeddronesthatdidnolabor,butonlygluttedthemselvesatthehoney—vatsoftheworkers。Neitherthebusinessmennorthelaborershadtimeoropportunityforsociety。
Societywasthecreationoftheidlerichwhotoilednotandwhointhiswayplayed。
*（2）\'Bringonyourtaintedmoney,\'wastheexpressedsentimentoftheChurchduringthisperiod。
Theyapedtheirhusbands,andtalkedinthesamelargewaysaboutpolicy,andthedutiesandresponsibilitiesoftherich。Theywereswayedbythesameethicthatdominatedtheirhusbands—theethicoftheirclass;andtheyutteredglibphrasesthattheirownearsdidnotunderstand。
Also,theygrewirritatedwhenItoldthemofthedeplorableconditionofJackson\'sfamily,andwhenIwonderedthattheyhadmadenovoluntaryprovisionfortheman。Iwastoldthattheythankednooneforinstructingthemintheirsocialduties。WhenI
askedthemflatlytoassistJackson,theyasflatlyrefused。Theastoundingthingaboutitwasthattheyrefusedinalmostidenticallythesamelanguage,andthisinfaceofthefactthatI
interviewedthemseparatelyandthatonedidnotknowthatIhadseenorwasgoingtoseetheother。Theircommonreplywasthattheyweregladoftheopportunitytomakeitperfectlyplainthatnopremiumwouldeverbeputoncarelessnessbythem;norwouldthey,bypayingforaccident,temptthepoortohurtthemselvesinthemachinery。*
*InthefilesoftheOutlook,acriticalweeklyoftheperiod,inthenumberdatedAugust18,1906,isrelatedthecircumstanceofaworkingmanlosinghisarm,thedetailsofwhicharequitesimilartothoseofJackson\'scaseasrelatedbyAvisEverhard。
Andtheyweresincere,thesetwowomen。Theyweredrunkwithconvictionofthesuperiorityoftheirclassandofthemselves。Theyhadasanction,intheirownclass—ethic,foreveryacttheyperformed。AsIdroveawayfromMrs。Pertonwaithe\'sgreathouse,I
lookedbackatit,andIrememberedErnest\'sexpressionthattheywereboundtothemachine,butthattheyweresoboundthattheysatontopofit。
CHAPTERFIVE。
ThePhilomaths。
ERNESTWASOFTENATTHEhouse。Norwasitmyfather,merely,northecontroversialdinners,thatdrewhimthere。EvenatthattimeI
flatteredmyselfthatIplayedsomepartincausinghisvisits,anditwasnotlongbeforeIlearnedthecorrectnessofmysurmise。ForneverwastheresuchaloverasErnestEverhard。Hisgazeandhishand—claspgrewfirmerandsteadier,ifthatwerepossible;andthequestionthathadgrownfromthefirstinhiseyes,grewonlythemoreimperative。
Myimpressionofhim,thefirsttimeIsawhim,hadbeenunfavorable。ThenIhadfoundmyselfattractedtowardhim。Nextcamemyrepulsion,whenhesosavagelyattackedmyclassandme。Afterthat,asIsawthathehadnotmalignedmyclass,andthattheharshandbitterthingshesaidaboutitwerejustified,Ihaddrawnclosertohimagain。Hebecamemyoracle。Formehetoretheshamfromthefaceofsocietyandgavemeglimpsesofrealitythatwereasunpleasantastheywereundeniablytrue。
AsIhavesaid,therewasneversuchaloverashe。Nogirlcouldliveinauniversitytowntillshewastwenty—fourandnothaveloveexperiences。Ihadbeenmadelovetobybeardlesssophomoresandgrayprofessors,andbytheathletesandthefootballgiants。ButnotoneofthemmadelovetomeasErnestdid。HisarmswerearoundmebeforeIknew。HislipswereonminebeforeIcouldprotestorresist。
Beforehisearnestnessconventionalmaidendignitywasridiculous。
Hesweptmeoffmyfeetbythesplendidinvinciblerushofhim。Hedidnotpropose。Heputhisarmsaroundmeandkissedmeandtookitforgrantedthatweshouldbemarried。Therewasnodiscussionaboutit。
Theonlydiscussion—andthataroseafterward—waswhenweshouldbemarried。
Itwasunprecedented。Itwasunreal。Yet,inaccordancewithErnest\'stestoftruth,itworked。Itrustedmylifetoit。Andfortunatewasthetrust。Yetduringthosefirstdaysofourlove,fearofthefuturecameoftentomewhenIthoughtoftheviolenceandimpetuosityofhislove—making。Yetsuchfearsweregroundless。Nowomanwaseverblessedwithagentler,tendererhusband。Thisgentlenessandviolenceonhispartwasacuriousblendsimilartotheoneinhiscarriageofawkwardnessandease。Thatslightawkwardness！Henevergotoverit,anditwasdelicious。Hisbehaviorinourdrawing—roomremindedmeofacarefulbullinachinashop。*
*Inthosedaysitwasstillthecustomtofillthelivingroomswithbric—a—brac。Theyhadnotdiscoveredsimplicityofliving。Suchroomsweremuseums,entailingendlesslabortokeepclean。Thedust—demonwasthelordofthehousehold。Therewereamyriaddevicesforcatchingdust,andonlyafewdevicesforgettingridofit。
Itwasatthistimethatvanishedmylastdoubtofthecompletenessofmyloveforhim（asubconsciousdoubt,atmost）。ItwasatthePhilomathClub—awonderfulnightofbattle,whereinErnestbeardedthemastersintheirlair。NowthePhilomathClubwasthemostselectonthePacificCoast。ItwasthecreationofMissBrentwood,anenormouslywealthyoldmaid;anditwasherhusband,andfamily,andtoy。Itsmemberswerethewealthiestinthecommunity,andthestrongest—mindedofthewealthy,with,ofcourse,asprinklingofscholarstogiveitintellectualtone。
ThePhilomathhadnoclubhouse。Itwasnotthatkindofaclub。
Onceamonthitsmembersgatheredatsomeoneoftheirprivatehousestolistentoalecture。Thelecturerswereusually,thoughnotalways,hired。IfachemistinNewYorkmadeanewdiscoveryinsayradium,allhisexpensesacrossthecontinentwerepaid,andaswellhereceivedaprincelyfeeforhistime。Thesamewithareturningexplorerfromthepolarregions,orthelatestliteraryorartisticsuccess。Novisitorswereallowed,whileitwasthePhilomath\'spolicytopermitnoneofitsdiscussionstogetintothepapers。Thusgreatstatesmen—andtherehadbeensuchoccasions—
wereablefullytospeaktheirminds。
Ispreadbeforemeawrinkledletter,writtentomebyErnesttwentyyearsago,andfromitIcopythefollowing:
\'YourfatherisamemberofthePhilomath,soyouareabletocome。ThereforecomenextTuesdaynight。Ipromiseyouthatyouwillhavethetimeofyourlife。Inyourrecentencounters,youfailedtoshakethemasters。Ifyoucome,I\'llshakethemforyou。I\'llmakethemsnarllikewolves。Youmerelyquestionedtheirmorality。Whentheirmoralityisquestioned,theygrowonlythemorecomplacentandsuperior。ButIshallmenacetheirmoney—bags。Thatwillshakethemtotherootsoftheirprimitivenatures。Ifyoucancome,youwillseethecave—man,ineveningdress,snarlingandsnappingoverabone。I
promiseyouagreatcaterwaulingandanilluminatinginsightintothenatureofthebeast。
\'They\'veinvitedmeinordertotearmetopieces。ThisistheideaofMissBrentwood。Sheclumsilyhintedasmuchwhensheinvitedme。She\'sgiventhemthatkindoffunbefore。Theydelightingettingtrustful—souledgentlereformersbeforethem。MissBrentwoodthinksIamasmildasakittenandasgood—naturedandstolidasthefamilycow。I\'llnotdenythatIhelpedtogiveherthatimpression。Shewasverytentativeatfirst,untilshedivinedmyharmlessness。Iamtoreceiveahandsomefee—twohundredandfiftydollars—asbefitsthemanwho,thougharadical,onceranforgovernor。Also,Iamtoweareveningdress。Thisiscompulsory。I
neverwassoapparelledinmylife。IsupposeI\'llhavetohireonesomewhere。ButI\'ddomorethanthattogetachanceatthePhilomaths。\'