第5章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Herland",免费读到尾

  Ihavetogeneralize,ofcourse,rathertelescopingmanyimpressions;butthefirsteveningwasagoodsampleoftheimpressionwemade。Jeffhadafollowing,ifImaycallitthat,ofthemoresentimental——thoughthat’snotthewordIwant。

  Thelesspractical,perhaps;thegirlswhowereartistsofsomesort,ethicists,teachers——thatkind。

  Terrywasreducedtoarathercombativegroup:keen,logical,inquiringminds,notoverlysensitive,theverykindhelikedleast;

  while,asforme——Ibecamequitecockyovermygeneralpopularity。

  Terrywasfuriousaboutit。Wecouldhardlyblamehim。

  \"Girls!\"heburstforth,whenthateveningwasoverandwewerebyourselvesoncemore。\"CallthoseGIRLS!\"

  \"Mostdelightfulgirls,Icallthem,\"saidJeff,hisblueeyesdreamilycontented。

  \"WhatdoYOUcallthem?\"Imildlyinquired。

  \"Boys!Nothingbutboys,mostof’em。Astandoffish,disagreeablelotatthat。Critical,impertinentyoungsters。Nogirlsatall。\"

  Hewasangryandsevere,notalittlejealous,too,Ithink。

  Afterward,whenhefoundoutjustwhatitwastheydidnotlike,hechangedhismannersomewhatandgotonbetter。Hehadto。

  For,inspiteofhiscriticism,theyweregirls,and,furthermore,allthegirlstherewere!Alwaysexceptingourthree!——withwhomwepresentlyrenewedouracquaintance。

  Whenitcametocourtship,whichitsoondid,Icanofcoursebestdescribemyown——andamleastinclinedto。ButofJeffI

  heardsomewhat;hewasinclinedtodwellreverentlyandadmiringly,atsomelength,ontheexaltedsentimentandmeasurelessperfectionofhisCelis;andTerry——Terrymadesomanyfalsestartsandmetsomanyrebuffs,thatbythetimehereallysettleddowntowinAlima,hewasconsiderablywiser。Atthat,itwasnotsmoothsailing。

  Theybrokeandquarreled,overandover;hewouldrushofftoconsolehimselfwithsomeotherfairone——theotherfaironewouldhavenoneofhim——andhewoulddriftbacktoAlima,becomingmoreandmoredevotedeachtime。

  Shenevergaveaninch。Abig,handsomecreature,ratherexceptionallystrongeveninthatraceofstrongwomen,withaproudheadandsweepinglevelbrowsthatlinedacrossaboveherdarkeagereyeslikethewidewingsofasoaringhawk。

  IwasgoodfriendswithallthreeofthembutbestofallwithEllador,longbeforethatfeelingchanged,forbothofus。

  Fromher,andfromSomel,whotalkedveryfreelywithme,IlearnedatlastsomethingoftheviewpointofHerlandtowarditsvisitors。

  Heretheywere,isolated,happy,contented,whentheboomingbuzzofourbiplanetoretheairabovethem。

  Everybodyheardit——sawit——formilesandmiles,wordflashedalloverthecountry,andacouncilwasheldineverytownandvillage。

  Andthiswastheirrapiddetermination:

  \"Fromanothercountry。Probablymen。Evidentlyhighlycivilized。

  Doubtlesspossessedofmuchvaluableknowledge。Maybedangerous。

  Catchthemifpossible;tameandtrainthemifnecessaryThismaybeachancetore—establishabi—sexualstateforourpeople。\"

  Theywerenotafraidofus——threemillionhighlyintelligentwomen——ortwomillion,countingonlygrown—ups——werenotlikelytobeafraidofthreeyoungmen。Wethoughtofthemas\"Women,\"andthereforetimid;butitwastwothousandyearssincetheyhadhadanythingtobeafraidof,andcertainlymorethanonethousandsincetheyhadoutgrownthefeeling。

  Wethought——atleastTerrydid——thatwecouldhaveourpickofthem。

  Theythought——verycautiouslyandfarsightedly——ofpickingus,ifitseemedwise。

  Allthattimewewereintrainingtheystudiedus,analyzedus,preparedreportsaboutus,andthisinformationwaswidelydisseminatedallabouttheland。

  Notagirlinthatcountryhadnotbeenlearningformonthsasmuchascouldbegatheredaboutourcountry,ourculture,ourpersonalcharacters。Nowondertheirquestionswerehardtoanswer。ButIamsorrytosay,whenwewereatlastbroughtoutand——exhibited(Ihatetocallitthat,butthat’swhatitwas),therewasnorushoftakers。HerewaspooroldTerryfondlyimaginingthatatlasthewasfreetostrayin\"arosebudgardenofgirls\"——andbehold!

  therosebudswereallwithkeenappraisingeye,studyingus。

  Theywereinterested,profoundlyinterested,butitwasnotthekindofinterestwewerelookingfor。

  Togetanideaoftheirattitudeyouhavetoholdinmindtheirextremelyhighsenseofsolidarity。Theywerenoteachchoosingalover;theyhadn’tthefaintestideaoflove——sex—love,thatis。

  Thesegirls——toeachofwhommotherhoodwasalodestar,andthatmotherhoodexaltedaboveamerepersonalfunction,lookedforwardtoasthehighestsocialservice,asthesacramentofalifetime——werenowconfrontedwithanopportunitytomakethegreatstepofchangingtheirwholestatus,ofrevertingtotheirearlierbi—sexualorderofnature。

  Besidethisunderlyingconsiderationtherewasthelimitlessinterestandcuriosityinourcivilization,purelyimpersonal,andheldbyanorderofmindbesidewhichwewerelike——schoolboys。

  Itwassmallwonderthatourlectureswerenotasuccess;andnoneatallthatour,oratleastTerry’s,advancesweresoillreceived。Thereasonformyowncomparativesuccesswasatfirstfarfrompleasingtomypride。

  \"Welikeyouthebest,\"Someltoldme,\"becauseyouseemmorelikeus。\"

  \"Morelikealotofwomen!\"Ithoughttomyselfdisgustedly,andthenrememberedhowlittlelike\"women,\"inourderogatorysense,theywere。Shewassmilingatme,readingmythought。

  \"Wecanquiteseethatwedonotseemlike——women——toyou。

  Ofcourse,inabi—sexualracethedistinctivefeatureofeachsexmustbeintensified。ButsurelytherearecharacteristicsenoughwhichbelongtoPeople,aren’tthere?That’swhatImeanaboutyoubeingmorelikeus——morelikePeople。Wefeelateasewithyou。\"

  Jeff’sdifficultywashisexaltedgallantry。Heidealizedwomen,andwasalwayslookingforachanceto\"protect\"orto\"serve\"them。Theseneededneitherprotectionnorservice。Theywerelivinginpeaceandpowerandplenty;weweretheirguests,theirprisoners,absolutelydependent。

  Ofcoursewecouldpromisewhatsoeverwemightofadvantages,iftheywouldcometoourcountry;butthemoreweknewoftheirs,thelessweboasted。

  Terry’sjewelsandtrinketstheyprizedascurios;handedthemabout,askingquestionsastoworkmanship,notintheleastastovalue;

  anddiscussednotownership,butwhichmuseumtoputthemin。

  Whenamanhasnothingtogiveawoman,isdependentwhollyonhispersonalattraction,hiscourtshipisunderlimitations。

  Theywereconsideringthesetwothings:theadvisabilityofmakingtheGreatChange;andthedegreeofpersonaladaptabilitywhichwouldbestservethatend。

  Herewehadtheadvantageofoursmallpersonalexperiencewiththosethreefleetforestgirls;andthatservedtodrawustogether。

  AsforEllador:Supposeyoucometoastrangelandandfinditpleasantenough——justalittlemorethanordinarilypleasant——

  andthenyoufindrichfarmland,andthengardens,gorgeousgardens,andthenpalacesfullofrareandcurioustreasures——

  incalculable,inexhaustible,andthen——mountains——liketheHimalayas,andthenthesea。

  Ilikedherthatdayshebalancedonthebranchbeforemeandnamedthetrio。Ithoughtofhermost。AfterwardIturnedtoherlikeafriendwhenwemetforthethirdtime,andcontinuedtheacquaintance。WhileJeff’sultra—devotionratherpuzzledCelis,reallyputofftheirdayofhappiness,whileTerryandAlimaquarreledandparted,re—metandre—parted,ElladorandIgrewtobeclosefriends。

  Wetalkedandtalked。Wetooklongwalkstogether。Sheshowedmethings,explainedthem,interpretedmuchthatIhadnotunderstood。ThroughhersympatheticintelligenceIbecamemoreandmorecomprehendingofthespiritofthepeopleofHerland,moreandmoreappreciativeofitsmarvelousinnergrowthaswellasouterperfection。

  Iceasedtofeelastranger,aprisoner。Therewasasenseofunderstanding,ofidentity,ofpurpose。Wediscussed——everything。

  And,asItraveledfartherandfarther,exploringtherich,sweetsoulofher,mysenseofpleasantfriendshipbecamebutabroadfoundationforsuchheight,suchbreadth,suchinterlockedcombinationoffeelingasleftmefairlyblindedwiththewonderofit。

  AsI’vesaid,Ihadnevercaredverymuchforwomen,northeyforme——notTerry—fashion。Butthisone——

  AtfirstInevereventhoughtofher\"inthatway,\"asthegirlshaveit。IhadnotcometothecountrywithanyTurkish—haremintentions,andIwasnowoman—worshipperlikeJeff。Ijustlikedthatgirl\"asafriend,\"aswesay。Thatfriendshipgrewlikeatree。

  ShewasSUCHagoodsport!Wedidallkindsofthingstogether。

  ShetaughtmegamesandItaughthergames,andweracedandrowedandhadallmanneroffun,aswellashighercomradeship。

  Then,asIgotonfarther,thepalaceandtreasuresandsnowymountainrangesopenedup。Ihadneverknowntherecouldbesuchahumanbeing。So——great。Idon’tmeantalented。Shewasaforester——oneofthebest——butitwasnotthatgiftImean。

  WhenIsayGREAT,Imeangreat——big,allthrough。IfIhadknownmoreofthosewomen,asintimately,Ishouldnothavefoundhersounique;butevenamongthemshewasnoble。HermotherwasanOverMother——andhergrandmother,too,Iheardlater。

  Soshetoldmemoreandmoreofherbeautifulland;andItoldherasmuch,yes,morethanIwantedto,aboutmine;andwebecameinseparable。Thenthisdeeperrecognitioncameandgrew。

  Ifeltmyownsoulriseandliftitswings,asitwere。

  Lifegotbigger。ItseemedasifIunderstood——asIneverhadbefore——

  asifIcouldDothings——asifItoocouldgrow——ifshewouldhelpme。

  AndthenItcame——tobothofus,allatonce。

  Astillday——ontheedgeoftheworld,theirworld。Thetwoofus,gazingoutoverthefardimforestlandbelow,talkingofheavenandearthandhumanlife,andofmylandandotherlandsandwhattheyneededandwhatIhopedtodoforthem——

  \"Ifyouwillhelpme,\"Isaid。

  Sheturnedtome,withthathigh,sweetlookofhers,andthen,ashereyesrestedinmineandherhandstoo——thensuddenlythereblazedoutbetweenusafartherglory,instant,overwhelming——quitebeyondanywordsofminetotell。

  Celiswasablue—and—gold—and—roseperson;Alma,black—

  and—white—and—red,ablazingbeauty。Elladorwasbrown:hairdarkandsoft,likeasealcoat;clearbrownskinwithahealthyredinit;browneyes——allthewayfromtopaztoblackvelvettheyseemedtorange——splendidgirls,allofthem。

  Theyhadseenusfirstofall,fardowninthelakebelow,andflashedthetidingsacrossthelandevenbeforeourfirstexploringflight。

  Theyhadwatchedourlanding,flittedthroughtheforestwithus,hiddeninthattreeand——Ishrewdlysuspect——giggledonpurpose。

  Theyhadkeptwatchoverourhoodedmachine,takingturnsatit;andwhenourescapewasannounced,hadfollowedalong—

  sideforadayortwo,andbeenthereatthelast,asdescribed。

  Theyfeltaspecialclaimonus——calledus\"theirmen\"——andwhenwewereatlibertytostudythelandandpeople,andbestudiedbythem,theirclaimwasrecognizedbythewiseleaders。

  ButIfelt,wealldid,thatweshouldhavechosenthemamongmillions,unerringly。

  Andyet\"thepathoftrueloveneverdidrunsmooth\";thisperiodofcourtshipwasfullofthemostunsuspectedpitfalls。

  WritingthisaslateasIdo,aftermanifoldexperiencesbothinHerlandand,later,inmyownland,Icannowunderstandandphilosophizeaboutwhatwasthenacontinualastonishmentandoftenatemporarytragedy。

  The\"longsuit\"inmostcourtshipsissexattraction,ofcourse。

  Thengraduallydevelopssuchcomradeshipasthetwotemperamentsallow。Then,aftermarriage,thereiseithertheestablishmentofaslow—growing,widelybasedfriendship,thedeepest,tenderest,sweetestofrelations,alllitandwarmedbytherecurrentflameoflove;orelsethatprocessisreversed,lovecoolsandfades,nofriendshipgrows,thewholerelationturnsfrombeautytoashes。

  Hereeverythingwasdifferent。Therewasnosex—feelingtoappealto,orpracticallynone。Twothousandyears’disusehadleftverylittleoftheinstinct;alsowemustrememberthatthosewhohadattimesmanifesteditasatavisticexceptionswereoften,bythatveryfact,deniedmotherhood。

  Yetwhilethemotherprocessremains,theinherentgroundforsex—distinctionremainsalso;andwhoshallsaywhatlong—

  forgottenfeeling,vagueandnameless,wasstirredinsomeofthesemotherheartsbyourarrival?

  Whatleftusevenmoreatseainourapproachwasthelackofanysex—tradition。Therewasnoacceptedstandardofwhatwas\"manly\"andwhatwas\"womanly。\"

  WhenJeffsaid,takingthefruitbasketfromhisadoredone,\"Awomanshouldnotcarryanything,\"Celissaid,\"Why?\"withthefrankestamazement。Hecouldnotlookthatfleet—footed,deep—chestedyoungforesterinthefaceandsay,\"Becausesheisweaker。\"Shewasn’t。Onedoesnotcallaracehorseweakbecauseitisvisiblynotacarthorse。

  Hesaid,ratherlamely,thatwomenwerenotbuiltforheavywork。

  Shelookedoutacrossthefieldstowheresomewomenwereworking,buildinganewbitofwalloutoflargestones;lookedbackatthenearesttownwithitswoman—builthouses;downatthesmooth,hardroadwewerewalkingon;andthenatthelittlebaskethehadtakenfromher。

  \"Idon’tunderstand,\"shesaidquitesweetly。\"Arethewomeninyourcountrysoweakthattheycouldnotcarrysuchathingasthat?\"

  \"Itisaconvention,\"hesaid。\"Weassumethatmotherhoodisasufficientburden——thatmenshouldcarryalltheothers。\"

  \"Whatabeautifulfeeling!\"shesaid,herblueeyesshining。

  \"Doesitwork?\"askedAlima,inherkeen,swiftway。\"Doallmeninallcountriescarryeverything?Orisitonlyinyours?\"

  \"Don’tbesoliteral,\"Terrybeggedlazily。\"Whyaren’tyouwillingtobeworshippedandwaitedon?Weliketodoit。\"

  \"Youdon’tliketohaveusdoittoyou,\"sheanswered。

  \"That’sdifferent,\"hesaid,annoyed;andwhenshesaid,\"Whyisit?\"hequitesulked,referringhertome,saying,\"Van’sthephilosopher。\"

  ElladorandItalkeditallouttogether,sothatwehadaneasierexperienceofitwhentherealmiracletimecame。Also,betweenus,wemadethingsclearertoJeffandCelis。ButTerrywouldnotlistentoreason。

  HewasmadlyinlovewithAlima。Hewantedtotakeherbystorm,andnearlylostherforever。

  Yousee,ifamanlovesagirlwhoisinthefirstplaceyoungandinexperienced;whointhesecondplaceiseducatedwithabackgroundofcavemantradition,amiddle—groundofpoetryandromance,andaforegroundofunspokenhopeandinterestallcenteringupontheoneEvent;andwhohas,furthermore,absolutelynootherhopeorinterestworthyofthename——

  why,itisacomparativelyeasymattertosweepheroffherfeetwithadashingattack。Terrywasapastmasterinthisprocess。

  Hetriedithere,andAlimawassoaffronted,sorepelled,thatitwasweeksbeforehegotnearenoughtotryagain。

  Themorecoldlyshedeniedhim,thehotterhisdetermination;

  hewasnotusedtorealrefusal。Theapproachofflatteryshedismissedwithlaughter,giftsandsuch\"attentions\"wecouldnotbringtobear,pathosandcomplaintofcrueltystirredonlyareasoninginquiry。IttookTerryalongtime。

  IdoubtifsheeveracceptedherstrangeloverasfullyasdidCelisandElladortheirs。Hehadhurtandoffendedhertoooften;

  therewerereservations。

  ButIthinkAlimaretainedsomefaintvestigeoflong—

  descendedfeelingwhichmadeTerrymorepossibletoherthantoothers;andthatshehadmadeuphermindtotheexperimentandhatedtorenounceit。

  Howeveritcameabout,weallthreeatlengthachievedfullunderstanding,andsolemnlyfacedwhatwastothemastepofmeasurelessimportance,agravequestionaswellasagreathappiness;

  tousastrange,newjoy。

  Ofmarriageasaceremonytheyknewnothing。Jeffwasforbringingthemtoourcountryforthereligiousandthecivilceremony,butneitherCelisnortheotherswouldconsent。

  \"Wecan’texpectthemtowanttogowithus——yet,\"saidTerrysagely。

  \"Waitabit,boys。We’vegottotake’emontheirownterms——ifatall。\"

  This,inruefulreminiscenceofhisrepeatedfailures。

  \"Butourtime’scoming,\"headdedcheerfully。\"Thesewomenhaveneverbeenmastered,yousee——\"This,asonewhohadmadeadiscovery。

  \"You’dbetternottrytodoanymasteringifyouvalueyourchances,\"Itoldhimseriously;butheonlylaughed,andsaid,\"Everymantohistrade!\"

  Wecouldn’tdoanythingwithhim。Hehadtotakehisownmedicine。

  Ifthelackoftraditionofcourtshipleftusmuchatseainourwooing,wefoundourselvesstillmorebewilderedbylackoftraditionofmatrimony。

  Andhereagain,Ihavetodrawonlaterexperience,andasdeepanacquaintancewiththeircultureasIcouldachieve,toexplainthegulfsofdifferencebetweenus。

  Twothousandyearsofonecontinuousculturewithnomen。

  Backofthat,onlytraditionsoftheharem。TheyhadnoexactanalogueforourwordHOME,anymorethantheyhadforourRoman—basedFAMILY。

  Theylovedoneanotherwithapracticallyuniversalaffection,risingtoexquisiteandunbrokenfriendships,andbroadeningtoadevotiontotheircountryandpeopleforwhichourwordPATRIOTISM

  isnodefinitionatall。

  Patriotism,redhot,iscompatiblewiththeexistenceofaneglectofnationalinterests,adishonesty,acoldindifferencetothesufferingofmillions。Patriotismislargelypride,andverylargelycombativeness。Patriotismgenerallyhasachiponitsshoulder。

  Thiscountryhadnoothercountrytomeasureitselfby——savethefewpoorsavagesfarbelow,withwhomtheyhadnocontact。

  Theylovedtheircountrybecauseitwastheirnursery,playground,andworkshop——theirsandtheirchildren’s。Theywereproudofitasaworkshop,proudoftheirrecordofever—increasingefficiency;theyhadmadeapleasantgardenofit,averypracticallittleheaven;butmostofalltheyvaluedit——andhereitishardforustounderstandthem——asaculturalenvironmentfortheirchildren。

  That,ofcourse,isthekeynoteofthewholedistinction——

  theirchildren。

  Fromthosefirstbreathlesslyguarded,half—adoredracemothers,alluptheascendingline,theyhadthisdominantthoughtofbuildingupagreatracethroughthechildren。

  Allthesurrenderingdevotionourwomenhaveputintotheirprivatefamilies,thesewomenputintotheircountryandrace。

  Alltheloyaltyandservicemenexpectofwives,theygave,notsinglytomen,butcollectivelytooneanother。

  Andthemotherinstinct,withussopainfullyintense,sothwartedbyconditions,soconcentratedinpersonaldevotiontoafew,sobitterlyhurtbydeath,disease,orbarrenness,andevenbythemeregrowthofthechildren,leavingthemotheraloneinheremptynest——allthisfeelingwiththemflowedoutinastrong,widecurrent,unbrokenthroughthegenerations,deepeningandwideningthroughtheyears,includingeverychildinalltheland。

  Withtheirunitedpowerandwisdom,theyhadstudiedandovercomethe\"diseasesofchildhood\"——theirchildrenhadnone。

  Theyhadfacedtheproblemsofeducationandsosolvedthemthattheirchildrengrewupasnaturallyasyoungtrees;learningthrougheverysense;taughtcontinuouslybutunconsciously——

  neverknowingtheywerebeingeducated。

  Infact,theydidnotusethewordaswedo。Theirideaofeducationwasthespecialtrainingtheytook,whenhalfgrownup,underexperts。Thentheeageryoungmindsfairlyflungthemselvesontheirchosensubjects,andacquiredwithanease,abreadth,agrasp,atwhichIneverceasedtowonder。

  Butthebabiesandlittlechildrenneverfeltthepressureofthat\"forciblefeeding\"ofthemindthatwecall\"education。\"Ofthis,morelater。

  CHAPTER9

  OurRelationsandTheirsWhatI’mtryingtoshowhereisthatwiththesewomenthewholerelationshipoflifecountedinaglad,eagergrowing—uptojointheranksofworkersinthelinebestloved;adeep,tenderreverenceforone’sownmother——toodeepforthemtospeakoffreely——andbeyondthat,thewhole,free,widerangeofsisterhood,thesplendidserviceofthecountry,andfriendships。

  Tothesewomenwecame,filledwiththeideas,convictions,traditions,ofourculture,andundertooktorouseinthemtheemotionswhich——tous——seemedproper。

  Howevermuch,orlittle,oftruesex—feelingtherewasbetweenus,itphraseditselfintheirmindsintermsoffriendship,theonepurelypersonallovetheyknew,andofultimateparentage。Visiblywewerenotmothers,norchildren,norcompatriots;so,iftheylovedus,wemustbefriends。

  Thatweshouldpairofftogetherinourcourtingdayswasnaturaltothem;thatwethreeshouldremainmuchtogether,astheydidthemselves,wasalsonatural。Wehadasyetnowork,sowehungaboutthemintheirforesttasks;thatwasnatural,too。

  Butwhenwebegantotalkabouteachcouplehaving\"homes\"ofourown,theycouldnotunderstandit。

  \"Ourworktakesusallaroundthecountry,\"explainedCelis。

  \"Wecannotliveinoneplaceallthetime。\"

  \"Wearetogethernow,\"urgedAlima,lookingproudlyatTerry’sstalwartnearness。(Thiswasoneofthetimeswhentheywere\"on,\"thoughpresently\"off\"again。)

  \"It’snotthesamethingatall,\"heinsisted。\"Amanwantsahomeofhisown,withhiswifeandfamilyinit。\"

  \"Stayinginit?Allthetime?\"askedEllador。\"Notimprisoned,surely!\"

  \"Ofcoursenot!Livingthere——naturally,\"heanswered。

  \"Whatdoesshedothere——allthetime?\"Alimademanded。

  \"Whatisherwork?\"

  ThenTerrypatientlyexplainedagainthatourwomendidnotwork——withreservations。

  \"Butwhatdotheydo——iftheyhavenowork?\"shepersisted。

  \"Theytakecareofthehome——andthechildren。\"

  \"Atthesametime?\"askedEllador。

  \"Whyyes。Thechildrenplayabout,andthemotherhaschargeofitall。Thereareservants,ofcourse。\"

  Itseemedsoobvious,sonaturaltoTerry,thathealwaysgrewimpatient;butthegirlswerehonestlyanxioustounderstand。

  \"Howmanychildrendoyourwomenhave?\"Alimahadhernotebookoutnow,andaratherfirmsetoflip。Terrybegantododge。

  \"Thereisnosetnumber,mydear,\"heexplained。\"Somehavemore,somehaveless。\"

  \"Somehavenoneatall,\"Iputinmischievously。

  Theypouncedonthisadmissionandsoonwrungfromusthegeneralfactthatthosewomenwhohadthemostchildrenhadtheleastservants,andthosewhohadthemostservantshadtheleastchildren。

  \"There!\"triumphedAlima。\"Oneortwoornochildren,andthreeorfourservants。NowwhatdothosewomenDO?\"

  Weexplainedasbestwemight。Wetalkedof\"socialduties,\"

  disingenuouslybankingontheirnotinterpretingthewordsaswedid;

  wetalkedofhospitality,entertainment,andvarious\"interests。\"

  Allthetimeweknewthattotheselarge—mindedwomenwhosewholementaloutlookwassocollective,thelimitationsofawhollypersonallifewereinconceivable。

  \"Wecannotreallyunderstandit,\"Elladorconcluded。\"Weareonlyhalfapeople。Wehaveourwoman—waysandtheyhavetheirman—waysandtheirboth—ways。Wehaveworkedoutasystemoflivingwhichis,ofcourse,limited。Theymusthaveabroader,richer,betterone。Ishouldliketoseeit。\"

  \"Youshall,dearest,\"Iwhispered。

  \"There’snothingtosmoke,\"complainedTerry。HewasinthemidstofaprolongedquarrelwithAlima,andneededasedative。

  \"There’snothingtodrink。Theseblessedwomenhavenopleasantvices。Iwishwecouldgetoutofhere!\"

  Thiswishwasvain。Wewerealwaysunderacertaindegreeofwatchfulness。WhenTerryburstforthtotrampthestreetsatnighthealwaysfounda\"Colonel\"hereorthere;andwhen,onanoccasionoffiercethoughtemporarydespair,hehadplungedtothecliffedgewithsomevagueviewtoescape,hefoundseveralofthemcloseby。Wewerefree——buttherewasastringtoit。

  \"They’venounpleasantones,either,\"Jeffremindedhim。

  \"Wishtheyhad!\"Terrypersisted。\"They’veneitherthevicesofmen,northevirtuesofwomen——they’reneuters!\"

  \"Youknowbetterthanthat。Don’ttalknonsense,\"saidI,severely。

  IwasthinkingofEllador’seyeswhentheygavemeacertainlook,alookshedidnotatallrealize。

  Jeffwasequallyincensed。\"Idon’tknowwhat`virtuesofwomen’youmiss。Seemstometheyhaveallofthem。\"

  \"They’venomodesty,\"snappedTerry。\"Nopatience,nosubmissiveness,noneofthatnaturalyieldingwhichiswoman’sgreatestcharm。\"

  Ishookmyheadpityingly。\"Goandapologizeandmakefriendsagain,Terry。You’vegotagrouch,that’sall。Thesewomenhavethevirtueofhumanity,withlessofitsfaultsthananyfolksIeversaw。Asforpatience——they’dhavepitchedusoverthecliffsthefirstdaywelitamong’em,iftheyhadn’tthat。\"

  \"Thereareno——distractions,\"hegrumbled。\"Nowhereamancangoandcutlooseabit。It’saneverlastingparlorandnursery。\"

  \"andworkshop,\"Iadded。\"Andschool,andoffice,andlaboratory,andstudio,andtheater,and——home。\"

  \"HOME!\"hesneered。\"Thereisn’tahomeinthewholepitifulplace。\"

  \"Thereisn’tanythingelse,andyouknowit,\"Jeffretortedhotly。\"Ineversaw,Ineverdreamedof,suchuniversalpeaceandgoodwillandmutualaffection。\"

  \"Oh,well,ofcourse,ifyoulikeaperpetualSundayschool,it’sallverywell。ButIlikeSomethingDoing。Hereit’salldone。\"

  Therewassomethingtothiscriticism。Theyearsofpioneeringlayfarbehindthem。Theirswasacivilizationinwhichtheinitialdifficultieshadlongsincebeenovercome。Theuntroubledpeace,theunmeasuredplenty,thesteadyhealth,thelargegoodwillandsmoothmanagementwhichorderedeverything,leftnothingtoovercome。Itwaslikeapleasantfamilyinanoldestablished,perfectlyruncountryplace。

  Ilikeditbecauseofmyeagerandcontinuedinterestinthesociologicalachievementsinvolved。Jefflikeditashewouldhavelikedsuchafamilyandsuchaplaceanywhere。

  Terrydidnotlikeitbecausehefoundnothingtooppose,tostrugglewith,toconquer。

  \"Lifeisastruggle,hastobe,\"heinsisted。\"Ifthereisnostruggle,thereisnolife——that’sall。\"

  \"You’retalkingnonsense——masculinenonsense,\"thepeacefulJeffreplied。HewascertainlyawarmdefenderofHerland。\"Antsdon’traisetheirmyriadsbyastruggle,dothey?Orthebees?\"

  \"Oh,ifyougobacktoinsects——andwanttoliveinananthill——!

  Itellyouthehighergradesoflifearereachedonlythroughstruggle——combat。There’snoDramahere。Lookattheirplays!

  Theymakemesick。\"

  Heratherhadusthere。Thedramaofthecountrywas——toourtaste——ratherflat。Yousee,theylackedthesexmotiveand,withit,jealousy。Theyhadnointerplayofwarringnations,noaristocracyanditsambitions,nowealthandpovertyopposition。

  IseeIhavesaidlittleabouttheeconomicsoftheplace;itshouldhavecomebefore,butI’llgoonaboutthedramanow。

  Theyhadtheirownkind。Therewasamostimpressivearrayofpageantry,ofprocessions,asortofgrandritual,withtheirartsandtheirreligionbroadlyblended。Theverybabiesjoinedinit。

  Toseeoneoftheirgreatannualfestivals,withthemassedandmarchingstatelinessofthosegreatmothers,theyoungwomenbraveandnoble,beautifulandstrong;andthenthechildren,takingpartasnaturallyasourswouldfrolicroundaChristmastree——itwasoverpoweringintheimpressionofjoyous,triumphantlife。

  Theyhadbegunataperiodwhenthedrama,thedance,music,religion,andeducationwereallveryclosetogether;andinsteadofdevelopingthemindetachedlines,theyhadkepttheconnection。Letmetryagaintogive,ifIcan,afaintsenseofthedifferenceinthelifeview——thebackgroundandbasisonwhichtheirculturerested。

  Elladortoldmealotaboutit。Shetookmetoseethechildren,thegrowinggirls,thespecialteachers。Shepickedoutbooksformetoread。ShealwaysseemedtounderstandjustwhatIwantedtoknow,andhowtogiveittome。

  WhileTerryandAlimastrucksparksandparted——healwaysmadlydrawntoherandshetohim——shemusthavebeen,orshe’dneverhavestoodthewayhebehaved——ElladorandIhadalreadyadeep,restfulfeeling,asifwe’dalwayshadoneanother。

  JeffandCeliswerehappy;therewasnoquestionofthat;

  butitdidn’tseemtomeasiftheyhadthegoodtimeswedid。

  Well,hereistheHerlandchildfacinglife——asElladortriedtoshowittome。Fromthefirstmemory,theyknewPeace,Beauty,Order,Safety,Love,Wisdom,Justice,Patience,andPlenty。

  By\"plenty\"Imeanthatthebabiesgrewupinanenvironmentwhichmettheirneeds,justasyoungfawnsmightgrowupindewyforestgladesandbrook—fedmeadows。Andtheyenjoyeditasfranklyandutterlyasthefawnswould。

  Theyfoundthemselvesinabigbrightlovelyworld,fullofthemostinterestingandenchantingthingstolearnaboutandtodo。

  Thepeopleeverywherewerefriendlyandpolite。NoHerlandchildevermettheoverbearingrudenesswesocommonlyshowtochildren。TheywerePeople,too,fromthefirst;themostpreciouspartofthenation。

  Ineachstepoftherichexperienceofliving,theyfoundtheinstancetheywerestudyingwidenoutintocontactwithanendlessrangeofcommoninterests。ThethingstheylearnedwereRELATED,fromthefirst;relatedtooneanother,andtothenationalprosperity。

  \"Itwasabutterflythatmademeaforester,\"saidEllador。

  \"Iwasaboutelevenyearsold,andIfoundabigpurple—and—greenbutterflyonalowflower。Icaughtit,verycarefully,bytheclosedwings,asIhadbeentoldtodo,andcarriedittothenearestinsectteacher\"——Imadeanotetheretoaskherwhatonearthaninsectteacherwas——\"toaskheritsname。Shetookitfrommewithalittlecryofdelight。`Oh,youblessedchild,’shesaid。`Doyoulikeobernuts?’OfcourseIlikedobernuts,andsaidso。Itisourbestfood—nut,youknow。`Thisisafemaleoftheobernutmoth,’shetoldme。`Theyarealmostgone。Wehavebeentryingtoexterminatethemforcenturies。Ifyouhadnotcaughtthisone,itmighthavelaideggsenoughtoraisewormsenoughtodestroythousandsofournuttrees——thousandsofbushelsofnuts——andmakeyearsandyearsoftroubleforus。’

  \"Everybodycongratulatedme。Thechildrenalloverthecountryweretoldtowatchforthatmoth,iftherewereanymore。

  Iwasshownthehistoryofthecreature,andanaccountofthedamageitusedtodoandofhowlongandhardourforemothershadworkedtosavethattreeforus。Igrewafoot,itseemedtome,anddeterminedthenandtheretobeaforester。\"

  Thisisbutaninstance;sheshowedmemany。Thebigdifferencewasthatwhereasourchildrengrowupinprivatehomesandfamilies,witheveryeffortmadetoprotectandsecludethemfromadangerousworld,heretheygrewupinawide,friendlyworld,andknewitfortheirs,fromthefirst。

  Theirchild—literaturewasawonderfulthing。Icouldhavespentyearsfollowingthedelicatesubtleties,thesmoothsimplicitieswithwhichtheyhadbentthatgreatarttotheserviceofthechildmind。

  Wehavetwolifecycles:theman’sandthewoman’s。Tothemanthereisgrowth,struggle,conquest,theestablishmentofhisfamily,andasmuchfurthersuccessingainorambitionashecanachieve。

  Tothewoman,growth,thesecuringofahusband,thesubordinateactivitiesoffamilylife,andafterwardsuch\"social\"orcharitableinterestsasherpositionallows。

  Herewasbutonecycle,andthatalargeone。

  Thechildentereduponabroadopenfieldoflife,inwhichmotherhoodwastheonegreatpersonalcontributiontothenationallife,andalltheresttheindividualshareintheircommonactivities。

  EverygirlItalkedto,atanyageabovebabyhood,hadhercheerfuldeterminationastowhatshewasgoingtobewhenshegrewup。

  WhatTerrymeantbysayingtheyhadno\"modesty\"wasthatthisgreatlife—viewhadnoshadyplaces;theyhadahighsenseofpersonaldecorum,butnoshame——noknowledgeofanythingtobeashamedof。

  Eventheirshortcomingsandmisdeedsinchildhoodneverwerepresentedtothemassins;merelyaserrorsandmisplays——

  asinagame。Someofthem,whowerepalpablylessagreeablethanothersorwhohadarealweaknessorfault,weretreatedwithcheerfulallowance,asafriendlygroupatwhistwouldtreatapoorplayer。

  Theirreligion,yousee,wasmaternal;andtheirethics,basedonthefullperceptionofevolution,showedtheprincipleofgrowthandthebeautyofwiseculture。Theyhadnotheoryoftheessentialoppositionofgoodandevil;lifetothemwasgrowth;theirpleasurewasingrowing,andtheirdutyalso。

  Withthisbackground,withtheirsublimatedmother—love,expressedintermsofwidestsocialactivity,everyphaseoftheirworkwasmodifiedbyitseffectonthenationalgrowth。Thelanguageitselftheyhaddeliberatelyclarified,simplified,madeeasyandbeautiful,forthesakeofthechildren。

  Thisseemedtousawhollyincrediblething:first,thatanynationshouldhavetheforesight,thestrength,andthepersistencetoplanandfulfillsuchatask;andsecond,thatwomenshouldhavehadsomuchinitiative。Wehaveassumed,asamatterofcourse,thatwomenhadnone;thatonlytheman,withhisnaturalenergyandimpatienceofrestriction,wouldeverinventanything。

  Herewefoundthatthepressureoflifeupontheenvironmentdevelopsinthehumanminditsinventivereactions,regardlessofsex;

  andfurther,thatafullyawakenedmotherhoodplansandworkswithoutlimit,forthegoodofthechild。

  Thatthechildrenmightbemostnoblyborn,andrearedinanenvironmentcalculatedtoallowtherichest,freestgrowth,theyhaddeliberatelyremodeledandimprovedthewholestate。

  Idonotmeanintheleastthattheystoppedatthat,anymorethanachildstopsatchildhood。Themostimpressivepartoftheirwholeculturebeyondthisperfectsystemofchild—rearingwastherangeofinterestsandassociationsopentothemall,forlife。

  ButinthefieldofliteratureIwasmoststruck,atfirst,bythechild—motive。

  Theyhadthesamegradationofsimplerepetitiveverseandstorythatwearefamiliarwith,andthemostexquisite,imaginativetales;

  butwhere,withus,thesearethedribbledremnantsofancientfolkmythsandprimitivelullabies,theirsweretheexquisiteworkofgreatartists;notonlysimpleandunfailinginappealtothechild—mind,butTRUE,truetothelivingworldaboutthem。

  Tositinoneoftheirnurseriesforadaywastochangeone’sviewsforeverastobabyhood。Theyoungestones,rosyfatlingsintheirmothers’arms,orsleepinglightlyintheflower—sweetair,seemednaturalenough,savethattheynevercried。IneverheardachildcryinHerland,saveonceortwiceatabadfall;andthenpeoplerantohelp,aswewouldatascreamofagonyfromagrownperson。

  Eachmotherhadheryearofglory;thetimetoloveandlearn,livingcloselywithherchild,nursingitproudly,oftenfortwoyearsormore。Thisperhapswasonereasonfortheirwonderfulvigor。

  Butafterthebaby—yearthemotherwasnotsoconstantlyinattendance,unless,indeed,herworkwasamongthelittleones。

  Shewasneverfaroff,however,andherattitudetowardtheco—mothers,whoseproudchild—servicewasdirectandcontinuous,waslovelytosee。

  Asforthebabies——agroupofthosenakeddarlingsplayingonshortvelvetgrass,clean—swept;orrugsassoft;orinshallowpoolsofbrightwater;tumblingoverwithbubblingjoyousbabylaughter——

  itwasaviewofinfanthappinesssuchasIhadneverdreamed。

  Thebabieswererearedinthewarmerpartofthecountry,andgraduallyacclimatedtothecoolerheightsastheygrewolder。

  Sturdychildrenoftenandtwelveplayedinthesnowasjoyfullyasoursdo;therewerecontinuousexcursionsofthem,fromonepartofthelandtoanother,sothattoeachchildthewholecountrymightbehome。

  Itwasalltheirs,waitingforthemtolearn,tolove,touse,toserve;asourownlittleboysplantobe\"abigsoldier,\"or\"acowboy,\"orwhateverpleasestheirfancy;andourlittlegirlsplanforthekindofhometheymeantohave,orhowmanychildren;

  theseplanned,freelyandgailywithmuchhappychattering,ofwhattheywoulddoforthecountrywhentheyweregrown。

  Itwastheeagerhappinessofthechildrenandyoungpeoplewhichfirstmademeseethefollyofthatcommonnotionofours——thatiflifewassmoothandhappy,peoplewouldnotenjoyit。

  AsIstudiedtheseyoungsters,vigorous,joyous,eagerlittlecreatures,andtheirvoraciousappetiteforlife,itshookmypreviousideassothoroughlythattheyhaveneverbeenre—established。

  Thesteadylevelofgoodhealthgavethemallthatnaturalstimulusweusedtocall\"animalspirits\"——anoddcontradictioninterms。

  Theyfoundthemselvesinanimmediateenvironmentwhichwasagreeableandinteresting,andbeforethemstretchedtheyearsoflearninganddiscovery,thefascinating,endlessprocessofeducation。

  AsIlookedintothesemethodsandcomparedthemwithourown,mystrangeuncomfortablesenseofrace—humilitygrewapace。

  Elladorcouldnotunderstandmyastonishment。Sheexplainedthingskindlyandsweetly,butwithsomeamazementthattheyneededexplaining,andwithsuddenquestionsastohowwediditthatleftmemeekerthanever。

  IbetookmyselftoSomeloneday,carefullynottakingEllador。

  IdidnotmindseemingfoolishtoSomel——shewasusedtoit。

  \"Iwantachapterofexplanation,\"Itoldher。\"Youknowmystupiditiesbyheart,andIdonotwanttoshowthemtoEllador——shethinksmesowise!\"

  Shesmileddelightedly。\"Itisbeautifultosee,\"shetoldme,\"thisnewwonderfullovebetweenyou。Thewholecountryisinterested,youknow——howcanwehelpit!\"

  Ihadnotthoughtofthat。Wesay:\"Alltheworldlovesalover,\"

  buttohaveacoupleofmillionpeoplewatchingone’scourtship——andthatadifficultone——wasratherembarrassing。

  \"Tellmeaboutyourtheoryofeducation,\"Isaid。\"Makeitshortandeasy。And,toshowyouwhatpuzzlesme,I’lltellyouthatinourtheorygreatstressislaidontheforcedexertionofthechild’smind;wethinkitisgoodforhimtoovercomeobstacles。\"

  \"Ofcourseitis,\"sheunexpectedlyagreed。\"Allourchildrendothat——theyloveto。\"

  Thatpuzzledmeagain。Iftheylovedtodoit,howcoulditbeeducational?

  \"Ourtheoryisthis,\"shewentoncarefully。\"Hereisayounghumanbeing。Themindisasnaturalathingasthebody,athingthatgrows,athingtouseandenjoy。Weseektonourish,tostimulate,toexercisethemindofachildaswedothebody。

  Therearethetwomaindivisionsineducation——youhavethoseofcourse?——thethingsitisnecessarytoknow,andthethingsitisnecessarytodo。\"

  \"Todo?Mentalexercises,youmean?\"

  \"Yes。Ourgeneralplanisthis:Inthematteroffeedingthemind,offurnishinginformation,weuseourbestpowerstomeetthenaturalappetiteofahealthyyoungbrain;nottooverfeedit,toprovidesuchamountandvarietyofimpressionsasseemmostwelcometoeachchild。Thatistheeasiestpart。Theotherdivisionisinarrangingaproperlygraduatedseriesofexerciseswhichwillbestdevelopeachmind;thecommonfacultiesweallhave,andmostcarefully,theespecialfacultiessomeofushave。

  Youdothisalso,doyounot?\"

  \"Inaway,\"Isaidratherlamely。\"Wehavenotsosubtleandhighlydevelopedasystemasyou,notapproachingit;buttellmemore。

  Astotheinformation——howdoyoumanage?Itappearsthatallofyouknowprettymucheverything——isthatright?\"

  Thisshelaughinglydisclaimed。\"Bynomeans。Weare,asyousoonfoundout,extremelylimitedinknowledge。Iwishyoucouldrealizewhatafermentthecountryisinoverthenewthingsyouhavetoldus;thepassionateeagernessamongthousandsofustogotoyourcountryandlearn——learn——learn!Butwhatwedoknowisreadilydivisibleintocommonknowledgeandspecialknowledge。Thecommonknowledgewehavelongsincelearnedtofeedintothemindsofourlittleoneswithnowasteoftimeorstrength;thespecialknowledgeisopentoall,astheydesireit。Someofusspecializeinonelineonly。Butmosttakeupseveral——somefortheirregularwork,sometogrowwith。\"

  \"Togrowwith?\"

  \"Yes。Whenonesettlestoocloseinonekindofworkthereisatendencytoatrophyinthedisusedportionsofthebrain。

  Weliketokeeponlearning,always。\"

  \"Whatdoyoustudy?\"

  \"Asmuchasweknowofthedifferentsciences。Wehave,withinourlimits,agooddealofknowledgeofanatomy,physiology,nutrition——allthatpertainstoafullandbeautifulpersonallife。

  Wehaveourbotanyandchemistry,andsoon——veryrudimentary,butinteresting;ourownhistory,withitsaccumulatingpsychology。\"

  \"Youputpsychologywithhistory——notwithpersonallife?\"

  \"Ofcourse。Itisours;itisamongandbetweenus,anditchangeswiththesucceedingandimprovinggenerations。Weareatwork,slowlyandcarefully,developingourwholepeoplealongtheselines。

  Itisgloriouswork——splendid!Toseethethousandsofbabiesimproving,showingstrongerclearerminds,sweeterdispositions,highercapacities——

  don’tyoufinditsoinyourcountry?\"

  ThisIevadedflatly。Irememberedthecheerlessclaimthatthehumanmindwasnobetterthaninitsearliestperiodofsavagery,onlybetterinformed——astatementIhadneverbelieved。

  \"Wetrymostearnestlyfortwopowers,\"Somelcontinued。

  \"Thetwothatseemtousbasicallynecessaryforallnoblelife:

  aclear,far—reachingjudgment,andastrongwell—usedwill。Wespendourbestefforts,allthroughchildhoodandyouth,indevelopingthesefaculties,individualjudgmentandwill。\"

  \"Aspartofyoursystemofeducation,youmean?\"

  \"Exactly。Asthemostvaluablepart。Withthebabies,asyoumayhavenoticed,wefirstprovideanenvironmentwhichfeedsthemindwithouttiringit;allmannerofsimpleandinterestingthingstodo,assoonastheyareoldenoughtodothem;physicalproperties,ofcourse,comefirst。Butasearlyaspossible,goingverycarefully,nottotaxthemind,weprovidechoices,simplechoices,withveryobviouscausesandconsequences。You’venoticedthegames?\"

  Ihad。Thechildrenseemedalwaysplayingsomething;orelse,sometimes,engagedinpeacefulresearchesoftheirown。Ihadwonderedatfirstwhentheywenttoschool,butsoonfoundthattheyneverdid——

  totheirknowledge。Itwasalleducationbutnoschooling。

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