第4章

Whattheyweredoingwithuswaslike——like——well，saylikeNapoleonextractingmilitaryinformationfromafewilliteratepeasants。Theyknewjustwhattoask，andjustwhatusetomakeofit;theyhadmechanicalappliancesfordisseminatinginformationalmostequaltooursathome;andbythetimewewereledforthtolecture，ouraudienceshadthoroughlymasteredawell—

arrangeddigestofallwehadpreviouslygiventoourteachers，andwerepreparedwithsuchnotesandquestionsasmighthaveintimidatedauniversityprofessor。

Theywerenotaudiencesofgirls，either。Itwassometimebeforewewereallowedtomeettheyoungwomen。

"Doyoumindtellingwhatyouintendtodowithus？"Terryburstforthoneday，facingthecalmandfriendlyMoadinewiththatfunnyhalf—blusteringairofhis。Atfirstheusedtostormandflourishquiteagooddeal，butnothingseemedtoamusethemmore;

theywouldgatheraroundandwatchhimasifitwasanexhibition，politely，butwithevidentinterest。Sohelearnedtocheckhimself，andwasalmostreasonableinhisbearing——butnotquite。

Sheannouncedsmoothlyandevenly："Notintheleast。I

thoughtitwasquiteplain。Wearetryingtolearnofyouallwecan，andtoteachyouwhatyouarewillingtolearnofourcountry。"

"Isthatall？"heinsisted。

Shesmiledaquietenigmaticsmile。"Thatdepends。"

"Dependsonwhat？"

"Mainlyonyourselves，"shereplied。

"Whydoyoukeepusshutupsoclosely？"

"Becausewedonotfeelquitesafeinallowingyouatlargewheretherearesomanyyoungwomen。"

Terrywasreallypleasedatthat。Hehadthoughtasmuch，inwardly;buthepushedthequestion。"Whyshouldyoubeafraid？

Wearegentlemen。"

Shesmiledthatlittlesmileagain，andasked："Are`gentlemen’

alwayssafe？"

"Yousurelydonotthinkthatanyofus，"hesaiditwithagooddealofemphasisonthe"us，""wouldhurtyouryounggirls？"

"Ohno，"shesaidquickly，inrealsurprise。"Thedangerisquitetheotherway。Theymighthurtyou。If，byanyaccident，youdidharmanyoneofus，youwouldhavetofaceamillionmothers。"

HelookedsoamazedandoutragedthatJeffandIlaughedoutright，butshewentongently。

"Idonotthinkyouquiteunderstandyet。Youarebutmen，threemen，inacountrywherethewholepopulationaremothers——

oraregoingtobe。MotherhoodmeanstoussomethingwhichIcannotyetdiscoverinanyofthecountriesofwhichyoutellus。Youhavespoken"——sheturnedtoJeff，"ofHumanBrotherhoodasagreatideaamongyou，buteventhatIjudgeisfarfromapracticalexpression？"

Jeffnoddedrathersadly。"Veryfar——"hesaid。

"HerewehaveHumanMotherhood——infullworkinguse，"

shewenton。"Nothingelseexcepttheliteralsisterhoodofourorigin，andthefarhigheranddeeperunionofoursocialgrowth。

"Thechildreninthiscountryaretheonecenterandfocusofallourthoughts。Everystepofouradvanceisalwaysconsideredinitseffectonthem——ontherace。Yousee，weareMOTHERS，"sherepeated，asifinthatshehadsaiditall。

"Idon’tseehowthatfact——whichissharedbyallwomen——

constitutesanyrisktous，"Terrypersisted。"Youmeantheywoulddefendtheirchildrenfromattack。Ofcourse。Anymotherswould。Butwearenotsavages，mydearlady;wearenotgoingtohurtanymother’schild。"

Theylookedatoneanotherandshooktheirheadsalittle，butZavaturnedtoJeffandurgedhimtomakeussee——saidheseemedtounderstandmorefullythanwedid。Andhetried。

Icanseeitnow，oratleastmuchmoreofit，butithastakenmealongtime，andagooddealofhonestintellectualeffort。

WhattheycallMotherhoodwaslikethis：

Theybeganwithareallyhighdegreeofsocialdevelopment，somethinglikethatofAncientEgyptorGreece。Thentheysufferedthelossofeverythingmasculine，andsupposedatfirstthatallhumanpowerandsafetyhadgonetoo。Thentheydevelopedthisvirginbirthcapacity。Then，sincetheprosperityoftheirchildrendependedonit，thefullestandsubtlestcoordinationbegantobepracticed。

IrememberhowlongTerrybalkedattheevidentunanimityofthesewomen——themostconspicuousfeatureoftheirwholeculture。"It’simpossible！"hewouldinsist。"Womencannotcooperate——it’sagainstnature。"

Whenweurgedtheobviousfactshewouldsay："Fiddlesticks！"

or"Hangyourfacts——Itellyouitcan’tbedone！"AndweneversucceededinshuttinghimuptillJeffdraggedinthehymenoptera。

"`Gototheant，thousluggard’——andlearnsomething，"hesaidtriumphantly。"Don’ttheycooperateprettywell？Youcan’tbeatit。Thisplaceisjustlikeanenormousanthill——youknowananthillisnothingbutanursery。Andhowaboutbees？Don’ttheymanagetocooperateandloveoneanother？

AsthebirdsdolovetheSpringOrthebeestheircarefulking，asthatpreciousConstablehadit。Justshowmeacombinationofmalecreatures，bird，bug，orbeast，thatworksaswell，willyou？Oroneofourmasculinecountrieswherethepeopleworktogetheraswellastheydohere！Itellyou，womenarethenaturalcooperators，notmen！"

Terryhadtolearnagoodmanythingshedidnotwantto。

Togobacktomylittleanalysisofwhathappened：

Theydevelopedallthiscloseinter—serviceintheinterestsoftheirchildren。Todothebestworktheyhadtospecialize，ofcourse;thechildrenneededspinnersandweavers，farmersandgardeners，carpentersandmasons，aswellasmothers。

Thencamethefillingupoftheplace。Whenapopulationmultipliesbyfiveeverythirtyyearsitsoonreachesthelimitsofacountry，especiallyasmallonelikethis。Theyverysooneliminatedallthegrazingcattle——sheepwerethelasttogo，Ibelieve。

Also，theyworkedoutasystemofintensiveagriculturesurpassinganythingIeverheardof，withtheveryforestsallresetwithfruit—ornut—bearingtrees。

Dowhattheywould，however，theresooncameatimewhentheywereconfrontedwiththeproblemof"thepressureofpopulation"

inanacuteform。Therewasreallycrowding，andwithit，unavoidably，adeclineinstandards。

Andhowdidthosewomenmeetit？

Notbya"struggleforexistence"whichwouldresultinaneverlastingwrithingmassofunderbredpeopletryingtogetaheadofoneanother——somefewontop，temporarily，manyconstantlycrushedoutunderneath，ahopelesssubstratumofpaupersanddegenerates，andnoserenityorpeaceforanyone，nopossibilityforreallynoblequalitiesamongthepeopleatlarge。

Neitherdidtheystartoffonpredatoryexcursionstogetmorelandfromsomebodyelse，ortogetmorefoodfromsomebodyelse，tomaintaintheirstrugglingmass。

Notatall。Theysatdownincounciltogetherandthoughtitout。Veryclear，strongthinkerstheywere。Theysaid："Withourbestendeavorsthiscountrywillsupportaboutsomanypeople，withthestandardofpeace，comfort，health，beauty，andprogresswedemand。Verywell。Thatisallthepeoplewewillmake。"

Thereyouhaveit。Yousee，theywereMothers，notinoursenseofhelplessinvoluntaryfecundity，forcedtofillandoverfilltheland，everyland，andthenseetheirchildrensuffer，sin，anddie，fightinghorriblywithoneanother;butinthesenseofConsciousMakersofPeople。Mother—lovewiththemwasnotabrutepassion，amere"instinct，"awhollypersonalfeeling;itwas——areligion。

Itincludedthatlimitlessfeelingofsisterhood，thatwideunityinservice，whichwassodifficultforustograsp。AnditwasNational，Racial，Human——oh，Idon’tknowhowtosayit。

Weareusedtoseeingwhatwecall"amother"completelywrappedupinherownpinkbundleoffascinatingbabyhood，andtakingbutthefaintesttheoreticinterestinanybodyelse’sbundle，tosaynothingofthecommonneedsofALLthebundles。

Butthesewomenwereworkingalltogetheratthegrandestoftasks——theywereMakingPeople——andtheymadethemwell。

Therefollowedaperiodof"negativeeugenics"whichmusthavebeenanappallingsacrifice。Wearecommonlywillingto"laydownourlives"forourcountry，buttheyhadtoforegomotherhoodfortheircountry——anditwaspreciselythehardestthingforthemtodo。

WhenIgotthisfarinmyreadingIwenttoSomelformorelight。WewereasfriendlybythattimeasIhadeverbeeninmylifewithanywoman。Amightycomfortablesoulshewas，givingonethenicesmoothmother—feelingamanlikesinawoman，andyetgivingalsotheclearintelligenceanddependablenessIusedtoassumetobemasculinequalities。Wehadtalkedvolumesalready。

"Seehere，"saidI。"Herewasthisdreadfulperiodwhentheygotfartoothick，anddecidedtolimitthepopulation。Wehavealotoftalkaboutthatamongus，butyourpositionissodifferentthatI’dliketoknowalittlemoreaboutit。

"IunderstandthatyoumakeMotherhoodthehighestsocialservice——

asacrament，really;thatitisonlyundertakenonce，bythemajorityofthepopulation;thatthoseheldunfitarenotallowedeventhat;

andthattobeencouragedtobearmorethanonechildistheveryhighestrewardandhonorinthepowerofthestate。"

（Sheinterpolatedherethatthenearestapproachtoanaristocracytheyhadwastocomeofalineof"OverMothers"——

thosewhohadbeensohonored。）

"ButwhatIdonotunderstand，naturally，ishowyoupreventit。

Igatheredthateachwomanhadfive。Youhavenotyrannicalhusbandstoholdincheck——andyousurelydonotdestroytheunborn——"

ThelookofghastlyhorrorshegavemeIshallneverforget。

Shestartedfromherchair，pale，hereyesblazing。

"Destroytheunborn——！"shesaidinahardwhisper。

"Domendothatinyourcountry？"

"Men！"Ibegantoanswer，ratherhotly，andthensawthegulfbeforeme。NoneofuswantedthesewomentothinkthatOURwomen，ofwhomweboastedsoproudly，wereinanywayinferiortothem。

IamashamedtosaythatIequivocated。Itoldherofcertaincriminaltypesofwomen——perverts，orcrazy，whohadbeenknowntocommitinfanticide。Itoldher，trulyenough，thattherewasmuchinourlandwhichwasopentocriticism，butthatIhatedtodwellonourdefectsuntiltheyunderstoodusandourconditionsbetter。

And，makingawidedetour，Iscrambledbacktomyquestionofhowtheylimitedthepopulation。

AsforSomel，sheseemedsorry，alittleashamedeven，ofhertooclearlyexpressedamazement。AsIlookbacknow，knowingthembetter，IammoreandmoreandmoreamazedasIappreciatetheexquisitecourtesywithwhichtheyhadreceivedoverandoveragainstatementsandadmissionsonourpartwhichmusthaverevoltedthemtothesoul。

Sheexplainedtome，withsweetseriousness，thatasIhadsupposed，atfirsteachwomanborefivechildren;andthat，intheireagerdesiretobuildupanation，theyhadgoneoninthatwayforafewcenturies，tilltheywereconfrontedwiththeabsoluteneedofalimit。Thisfactwasequallyplaintoall——allwereequallyinterested。

Theywerenowasanxioustochecktheirwonderfulpowerastheyhadbeentodevelopit;andforsomegenerationsgavethemattertheirmostearnestthoughtandstudy。

"Wewerelivingonrationsbeforeweworkeditout，"shesaid。

"Butwedidworkitout。Yousee，beforeachildcomestooneofusthereisaperiodofutterexaltation——thewholebeingisupliftedandfilledwithaconcentrateddesireforthatchild。Welearnedtolookforwardtothatperiodwiththegreatestcaution。Oftenouryoungwomen，thosetowhommotherhoodhadnotyetcome，wouldvoluntarilydeferit。Whenthatdeepinnerdemandforachildbegantobefeltshewoulddeliberatelyengageinthemostactivework，physicalandmental;andevenmoreimportant，wouldsolaceherlongingbythedirectcareandserviceofthebabieswealreadyhad。"

Shepaused。Herwisesweetfacegrewdeeply，reverentlytender。

"Wesoongrewtoseethatmother—lovehasmorethanonechannelofexpression。Ithinkthereasonourchildrenareso——sofullyloved，byallofus，isthatwenever——anyofus——haveenoughofourown。"

Thisseemedtomeinfinitelypathetic，andIsaidso。"Wehavemuchthatisbitterandhardinourlifeathome，"Itoldher，"butthisseemstomepiteousbeyondwords——awholenationofstarvingmothers！"

Butshesmiledherdeepcontentedsmile，andsaidIquitemisunderstood。

"Weeachgowithoutacertainrangeofpersonaljoy，"shesaid，"butremember——weeachhaveamillionchildrentoloveandserve——OURchildren。"

Itwasbeyondme。Tohearalotofwomentalkabout"ourchildren"！

ButIsupposethatisthewaytheantsandbeeswouldtalk——dotalk，maybe。

Thatwaswhattheydid，anyhow。

Whenawomanchosetobeamother，sheallowedthechild—

longingtogrowwithinhertillitworkeditsnaturalmiracle。

Whenshedidnotsochoosesheputthewholethingoutofhermind，andfedherheartwiththeotherbabies。

Letmesee——withus，children——minors，thatis——constituteaboutthree—fifthsofthepopulation;withthemonlyaboutone—

third，orless。Andprecious——！Nosoleheirtoanempire’sthrone，nosolitarymillionairebaby，noonlychildofmiddle—agedparents，couldcompareasanidolwiththeseHerlandchildren。

ButbeforeIstartonthatsubjectImustfinishupthatlittleanalysisIwastryingtomake。

Theydideffectuallyandpermanentlylimitthepopulationinnumbers，sothatthecountryfurnishedplentyforthefullest，richestlifeforallofthem：plentyofeverything，includingroom，air，solitudeeven。

Andthentheysettoworktoimprovethatpopulationinquality——

sincetheywererestrictedinquantity。Thistheyhadbeenatworkon，uninterruptedly，forsomefifteenhundredyears。Doyouwondertheywerenicepeople？

Physiology，hygiene，sanitation，physicalculture——allthatlineofworkhadbeenperfectedlongsince。Sicknesswasalmostwhollyunknownamongthem，somuchsothatapreviouslyhighdevelopmentinwhatwecallthe"scienceofmedicine"hadbecomepracticallyalostart。Theywereaclean—bred，vigorouslot，havingthebestofcare，themostperfectlivingconditionsalways。

Whenitcametopsychology——therewasnoonethingwhichleftussodumbfounded，soreallyawed，astheeverydayworkingknowledge——andpractice——theyhadinthisline。Aswelearnedmoreandmoreofit，welearnedtoappreciatetheexquisitemasterywithwhichweourselves，strangersofalienrace，ofunknownoppositesex，hadbeenunderstoodandprovidedforfromthefirst。

Withthiswide，deep，thoroughknowledge，theyhadmetandsolvedtheproblemsofeducationinwayssomeofwhichIhopetomakeclearlater。Thosenation—lovedchildrenoftheirscomparedwiththeaverageinourcountryasthemostperfectlycultivated，richlydevelopedrosescomparewith——tumbleweeds。

YettheydidnotSEEM"cultivated"atall——ithadallbecomeanaturalcondition。

Andthispeople，steadilydevelopinginmentalcapacity，inwillpower，insocialdevotion，hadbeenplayingwiththeartsandsciences——asfarastheyknewthem——foragoodmanycenturiesnowwithinevitablesuccess。

Intothisquietlovelyland，amongthesewise，sweet，strongwomen，we，inoureasyassumptionofsuperiority，hadsuddenlyarrived;andnow，tamedandtrainedtoadegreetheyconsideredsafe，wewereatlastbroughtouttoseethecountry，toknowthepeople。

CHAPTER7

OurGrowingModestyBeingatlastconsideredsufficientlytamedandtrainedtobetrustedwithscissors，webarberedourselvesasbestwecould。A

close—trimmedbeardiscertainlymorecomfortablethanafullone。Razors，naturally，theycouldnotsupply。

"Withsomanyoldwomenyou’dthinkthere’dbesomerazors，"

sneeredTerry。WhereatJeffpointedoutthatheneverbeforehadseensuchcompleteabsenceoffacialhaironwomen。

"Lookstomeasiftheabsenceofmenmadethemmorefeminineinthatregard，anyhow，"hesuggested。

"Well，it’stheonlyonethen，"Terryreluctantlyagreed。

"AlessfemininelotIneversaw。Achildapiecedoesn’tseemtobeenoughtodevelopwhatIcallmotherliness。"

Terry’sideaofmotherlinesswastheusualone，involvingababyinarms，or"alittleflockaboutherknees，"andthecompleteabsorptionofthemotherinsaidbabyorflock。Amotherlinesswhichdominatedsociety，whichinfluencedeveryartandindustry，whichabsolutelyprotectedallchildhood，andgavetoitthemostperfectcareandtraining，didnotseemmotherly——toTerry。

Wehadbecomewellusedtotheclothes。Theywerequiteascomfortableasourown——insomewaysmoreso——andundeniablybetterlooking。Astopockets，theyleftnothingtobedesired。

Thatsecondgarmentwasfairlyquiltedwithpockets。Theyweremostingeniouslyarranged，soastobeconvenienttothehandandnotinconvenienttothebody，andweresoplacedasatoncetostrengthenthegarmentandadddecorativelinesofstitching。

Inthis，asinsomanyotherpointswehadnowtoobserve，therewasshowntheactionofapracticalintelligence，coupledwithfineartisticfeeling，and，apparently，untrammeledbyanyinjuriousinfluences。

Ourfirststepofcomparativefreedomwasapersonallyconductedtourofthecountry。Nopentagonalbodyguardnow！

Onlyourspecialtutors，andwegotonfamouslywiththem。

JeffsaidhelovedZavalikeanaunt——"onlyjollierthananyauntIeversaw";SomelandIwereaschummyascouldbe——thebestoffriends;butitwasfunnytowatchTerryandMoadine。Shewaspatientwithhim，andcourteous，butitwaslikethepatienceandcourtesyofsomegreatman，sayaskilled，experienceddiplomat，withaschoolgirl。Hergraveacquiescencewithhismostpreposterousexpressionoffeeling;hergeniallaughter，notonlywith，but，I

oftenfelt，athim——thoughimpeccablypolite;herinnocentquestions，whichalmostinvariablyledhimtosaymorethanheintended——JeffandIfounditallamusingtowatch。

Heneverseemedtorecognizethatquietbackgroundofsuperiority。

Whenshedroppedanargumenthealwaysthoughthehadsilencedher;

whenshelaughedhethoughtittributetohiswit。

IhatedtoadmittomyselfhowmuchTerryhadsunkinmyesteem。

Jefffeltittoo，Iamsure;butneitherofusadmittedittotheother。

Athomewehadmeasuredhimwithothermen，and，thoughweknewhisfailings，hewasbynomeansanunusualtype。Weknewhisvirtuestoo，andtheyhadalwaysseemedmoreprominentthanthefaults。Measuredamongwomen——ourwomenathome，Imean——hehadalwaysstoodhigh。Hewasvisiblypopular。

Evenwherehishabitswereknown，therewasnodiscriminationagainsthim;

insomecaseshisreputationforwhatwasfelicitouslytermed"gaiety"

seemedaspecialcharm。

Buthere，againstthecalmwisdomandquietrestrainedhumorofthesewomen，withonlythatblessedJeffandmyinconspicuousselftocomparewith，Terrydidstandoutratherstrong。

As"amanamongmen，"hedidn’t;asamanamong——Ishallhavetosay，"females，"hedidn’t;hisintensemasculinityseemedonlyfitcomplementtotheirintensefemininity。Butherehewasalloutofdrawing。

Moadinewasabigwoman，withabalancedstrengththatseldomshowed。Hereyewasasquietlywatchfulasafencer’s。

Shemaintainedapleasantrelationwithhercharge，butIdoubtifmany，eveninthatcountry，couldhavedoneaswell。

Hecalledher"Maud，"amongstourselves，andsaidshewas"agoodoldsoul，butalittleslow";whereinhewasquitewrong。

Needlesstosay，hecalledJeff’steacher"Java，"andsometimes"Mocha，"orplain"Coffee";whenspeciallymischievous，"Chicory，"

andeven"Postum。"ButSomelratherescapedthisformofhumor，saveforaratherforced"Some’ell。"

"Don’tyoupeoplehavebutonename？"heaskedoneday，afterwehadbeenintroducedtoawholegroupofthem，allwithpleasant，few—syllabledstrangenames，liketheonesweknew。

"Ohyes，"Moadinetoldhim。"Agoodmanyofushaveanother，aswegetoninlife——adescriptiveone。Thatisthenameweearn。Sometimeseventhatischanged，oraddedto，inanunusuallyrichlife。SuchasourpresentLandMother——whatyoucallpresidentorking，Ibelieve。ShewascalledMera，evenasachild;thatmeans`thinker。’LatertherewasaddedDu——Du—Mera——thewisethinker，andnowweallknowherasO—du—mera——

greatandwisethinker。Youshallmeether。"

"Nosurnamesatallthen？"pursuedTerry，withhissomewhatpatronizingair。"Nofamilyname？"

"Whyno，"shesaid。"Whyshouldwe？Wearealldescendedfromacommonsource——allone`family’inreality。Yousee，ourcomparativelybriefandlimitedhistorygivesusthatadvantageatleast。"

"Butdoesnoteachmotherwantherownchildtobearhername？"

Iasked。

"No——whyshouldshe？Thechildhasitsown。"

"Whyfor——foridentification——sopeoplewillknowwhosechildsheis。"

"Wekeepthemostcarefulrecords，"saidSomel。"EachoneofushasourexactlineofdescentallthewaybacktoourdearFirstMother。Therearemanyreasonsfordoingthat。Butastoeveryoneknowingwhichchildbelongstowhichmother——whyshouldshe？"

Here，asinsomanyotherinstances，wewereledtofeelthedifferencebetweenthepurelymaternalandthepaternalattitudeofmind。Theelementofpersonalprideseemedstrangelylacking。

"Howaboutyourotherworks？"askedJeff。"Don’tyousignyournamestothem——booksandstatuesandsoon？"

"Yes，surely，weareallgladandproudto。Notonlybooksandstatues，butallkindsofwork。Youwillfindlittlenamesonthehouses，onthefurniture，onthedishessometimes。Becauseotherwiseoneislikelytoforget，andwewanttoknowtowhomtobegrateful。"

"Youspeakasifitweredonefortheconvenienceoftheconsumer——nottheprideoftheproducer，"Isuggested。

"It’sboth，"saidSomel。"Wehaveprideenoughinourwork。"

"Thenwhynotinyourchildren？"urgedJeff。

"Butwehave！We’remagnificentlyproudofthem，"sheinsisted。

"Thenwhynotsign’em？"saidTerrytriumphantly。

Moadineturnedtohimwithherslightlyquizzicalsmile。

"Becausethefinishedproductisnotaprivateone。Whentheyarebabies，wedospeakofthem，attimes，as`Essa’sLato，’or`Novine’sAmel’;butthatismerelydescriptiveandconversational。Intherecords，ofcourse，thechildstandsinherownlineofmothers;butindealingwithitpersonallyitisLato，orAmel，withoutdragginginitsancestors。"

"Buthaveyounamesenoughtogiveanewonetoeachchild？"

"Assuredlywehave，foreachlivinggeneration。"

Thentheyaskedaboutourmethods，andfoundfirstthat"we"didsoandso，andthenthatothernationsdiddifferently。

Uponwhichtheywantedtoknowwhichmethodhasbeenprovedbest——andwehadtoadmitthatsofarasweknewtherehadbeennoattemptatcomparison，eachpeoplepursuingitsowncustominthefondconvictionofsuperiority，andeitherdespisingorquiteignoringtheothers。

Withthesewomenthemostsalientqualityinalltheirinstitutionswasreasonableness。WhenIdugintotherecordstofollowoutanylineofdevelopment，thatwasthemostastonishingthing——theconsciousefforttomakeitbetter。

Theyhadearlyobservedthevalueofcertainimprovements，hadeasilyinferredthattherewasroomformore，andtookthegreatestpainstodeveloptwokindsofminds——thecriticandinventor。Thosewhoshowedanearlytendencytoobserve，todiscriminate，tosuggest，weregivenspecialtrainingforthatfunction;andsomeoftheirhighestofficialsspenttheirtimeinthemostcarefulstudyofoneoranotherbranchofwork，withaviewtoitsfurtherimprovement。

Ineachgenerationtherewassuretoarrivesomenewmindtodetectfaultsandshowneedofalterations;andthewholecorpsofinventorswasathandtoapplytheirspecialfacultyatthepointcriticized，andoffersuggestions。

Wehadlearnedbythistimenottoopenadiscussiononanyoftheircharacteristicswithoutfirstprimingourselvestoanswerquestionsaboutourownmethods;soIkeptratherquietonthismatterofconsciousimprovement。Wewerenotpreparedtoshowourwaywasbetter。

Therewasgrowinginourminds，atleastinJeff’sandmine，akeenappreciationoftheadvantagesofthisstrangecountryanditsmanagement。Terryremainedcritical。Welaidmostofittohisnerves。Hecertainlywasirritable。

Themostconspicuousfeatureofthewholelandwastheperfectionofitsfoodsupply。Wehadbeguntonoticefromthatveryfirstwalkintheforest，thefirstpartialviewfromour’plane。

Nowweweretakentoseethismightygarden，andshownitsmethodsofculture。

ThecountrywasaboutthesizeofHolland，sometenortwelvethousandsquaremiles。OnecouldloseagoodmanyHollandsalongtheforest—smotheredflanksofthosemightymountains。

Theyhadapopulationofaboutthreemillion——notalargeone，butqualityissomething。Threemillionisquiteenoughtoallowforconsiderablevariation，andthesepeoplevariedmorewidelythanwecouldatfirstaccountfor。

Terryhadinsistedthatiftheywereparthenogeneticthey’dbeasalikeassomanyantsoraphids;heurgedtheirvisibledifferencesasproofthattheremustbemen——somewhere。

Butwhenweaskedthem，inourlater，moreintimateconversations，howtheyaccountedforsomuchdivergencewithoutcross—fertilization，theyattributeditpartlytothecarefuleducation，whichfollowedeachslighttendencytodiffer，andpartlytothelawofmutation。Thistheyhadfoundintheirworkwithplants，andfullyprovenintheirowncase。

Physicallytheyweremorealikethanwe，astheylackedallmorbidorexcessivetypes。Theyweretall，strong，healthy，andbeautifulasarace，butdifferedindividuallyinawiderangeoffeature，coloring，andexpression。

"Butsurelythemostimportantgrowthisinmind——andinthethingswemake，"urgedSomel。"Doyoufindyourphysicalvariationaccompaniedbyaproportionatevariationinideas，feelings，andproducts？Or，amongpeoplewholookmorealike，doyoufindtheirinternallifeandtheirworkassimilar？"

Wewereratherdoubtfulonthispoint，andinclinedtoholdthattherewasmorechanceofimprovementingreaterphysicalvariation。

"Itcertainlyshouldbe，"Zavaadmitted。"Wehavealwaysthoughtitagraveinitialmisfortunetohavelosthalfourlittleworld。Perhapsthatisonereasonwhywehavesostrivenforconsciousimprovement。"

"Butacquiredtraitsarenottransmissible，"Terrydeclared。

"Weissmanhasprovedthat。"

Theyneverdisputedourabsolutestatements，onlymadenotesofthem。

"Ifthatisso，thenourimprovementmustbedueeithertomutation，orsolelytoeducation，"shegravelypursued。"Wecertainlyhaveimproved。Itmaybethatallthesehigherqualitieswerelatentintheoriginalmother，thatcarefuleducationisbringingthemout，andthatourpersonaldifferencesdependonslightvariationsinprenatalcondition。"

"Ithinkitismoreinyouraccumulatedculture，"Jeffsuggested。

"Andintheamazingpsychicgrowthyouhavemade。Weknowverylittleaboutmethodsofrealsoulculture——andyouseemtoknowagreatdeal。"

Bethatasitmight，theycertainlypresentedahigherlevelofactiveintelligence，andofbehavior，thanwehadsofarreallygrasped。Havingknowninourlivesseveralpeoplewhoshowedthesamedelicatecourtesyandwereequallypleasanttolivewith，atleastwhentheyworetheir"companymanners，"wehadassumedthatourcompanionswereacarefullychosenfew。Laterweweremoreandmoreimpressedthatallthisgentlebreedingwasbreeding;

thattheywereborntoit，rearedinit，thatitwasasnaturalanduniversalwiththemasthegentlenessofdovesortheallegedwisdomofserpents。

Asfortheintelligence，Iconfessthatthiswasthemostimpressiveand，tome，mostmortifying，ofanysinglefeatureofHerland。Wesoonceasedtocommentonthisorothermatterswhichtothemweresuchobviouscommonplacesastocallforthembarrassingquestionsaboutourownconditions。

Thiswasnowherebettershownthaninthatmatteroffoodsupply，whichIwillnowattempttodescribe。

Havingimprovedtheiragriculturetothehighestpoint，andcarefullyestimatedthenumberofpersonswhocouldcomfortablyliveontheirsquaremiles;havingthenlimitedtheirpopulationtothatnumber，onewouldthinkthatwasalltherewastobedone。

Buttheyhadnotthoughtso。Tothemthecountrywasaunit——itwastheirs。Theythemselveswereaunit，aconsciousgroup;

theythoughtintermsofthecommunity。Assuch，theirtime—sensewasnotlimitedtothehopesandambitionsofanindividuallife。Therefore，theyhabituallyconsideredandcarriedoutplansforimprovementwhichmightcovercenturies。

Ihadneverseen，hadscarcelyimagined，humanbeingsundertakingsuchaworkasthedeliberatereplantingofanentireforestareawithdifferentkindsoftrees。Yetthisseemedtothemthesimplestcommonsense，likeaman’splowingupaninferiorlawnandreseedingit。Noweverytreeborefruit——ediblefruit，thatis。Inthecaseofonetree，inwhichtheytookespecialpride，ithadoriginallynofruitatall——thatis，nonehumanlyedible——

yetwassobeautifulthattheywishedtokeepit。Forninehundredyearstheyhadexperimented，andnowshowedusthisparticularlylovelygracefultree，withaprofusecropofnutritiousseeds。

Theyhadearlydecidedthattreeswerethebestfoodplants，requiringfarlesslaborintillingthesoil，andbearingalargeramountoffoodforthesamegroundspace;alsodoingmuchtopreserveandenrichthesoil。

Dueregardhadbeenpaidtoseasonablecrops，andtheirfruitandnuts，grainsandberries，keptonalmosttheyearthrough。

Onthehigherpartofthecountry，nearthebackingwallofmountains，theyhadarealwinterwithsnow。Towardthesouth—

easternpoint，wheretherewasalargevalleywithalakewhoseoutletwassubterranean，theclimatewaslikethatofCalifornia，andcitrusfruits，figs，andolivesgrewabundantly。

Whatimpressedmeparticularlywastheirschemeoffertilization。

Herewasthislittleshut—inpieceoflandwhereonewouldhavethoughtanordinarypeoplewouldhavebeenstarvedoutlongagoorreducedtoanannualstruggleforlife。Thesecarefulculturistshadworkedoutaperfectschemeofrefeedingthesoilwithallthatcameoutofit。Allthescrapsandleavingsoftheirfood，plantwastefromlumberworkortextileindustry，allthesolidmatterfromthesewage，properlytreatedandcombined——

everythingwhichcamefromtheearthwentbacktoit。

Thepracticalresultwaslikethatinanyhealthyforest;anincreasinglyvaluablesoilwasbeingbuilt，insteadoftheprogressiveimpoverishmentsooftenseenintherestoftheworld。

Whenthisfirstburstuponuswemadesuchapprovingcommentsthattheyweresurprisedthatsuchobviouscommonsenseshouldbepraised;askedwhatourmethodswere;andwehadsomedifficultyin——well，indivertingthem，byreferringtotheextentofourownland，andthe——admitted——carelessnesswithwhichwehadskimmedthecreamofit。

Atleastwethoughtwehaddivertedthem。LaterIfoundthatbesideskeepingacarefulandaccurateaccountofallwetoldthem，theyhadasortofskeletonchart，onwhichthethingswesaidandthethingswepalpablyavoidedsayingwereallsetdownandstudied。Itreallywaschild’splayforthoseprofoundeducatorstoworkoutapainfullyaccurateestimateofourconditions——insomelines。Whenagivenlineofobservationseemedtoleadtosomeverydreadfulinferencetheyalwaysgaveusthebenefitofthedoubt，leavingitopentofurtherknowledge。Someofthethingswehadgrowntoacceptasperfectlynatural，orasbelongingtoourhumanlimitations，theyliterallycouldnothavebelieved;

and，asIhavesaid，wehadallofusjoinedinatacitendeavortoconcealmuchofthesocialstatusathome。

"Confoundtheirgrandmotherlyminds！"Terrysaid。"Ofcoursetheycan’tunderstandaMan’sWorld！Theyaren’thuman——they’rejustapackofFe—Fe—Females！"Thiswasafterhehadtoadmittheirparthenogenesis。

"Iwishourgrandfatherlymindshadmanagedaswell，"saidJeff。

"Doyoureallythinkit’stoourcreditthatwehavemuddledalongwithallourpovertyanddiseaseandthelike？Theyhavepeaceandplenty，wealthandbeauty，goodnessandintellect。Prettygoodpeople，Ithink！"

"You’llfindtheyhavetheirfaultstoo，"Terryinsisted;andpartlyinself—defense，weallthreebegantolookforthosefaultsoftheirs。Wehadbeenverystrongonthissubjectbeforewegotthere——inthosebaselessspeculationsofours。

"Supposethereisacountryofwomenonly，"Jeffhadputit，overandover。"What’lltheybelike？"

Andwehadbeencocksureastotheinevitablelimitations，thefaultsandvices，ofalotofwomen。Wehadexpectedthemtobegivenovertowhatwecalled"femininevanity"——"frillsandfurbelows，"andwefoundtheyhadevolvedacostumemoreperfectthantheChinesedress，richlybeautifulwhensodesired，alwaysuseful，ofunfailingdignityandgoodtaste。

Wehadexpectedadullsubmissivemonotony，andfoundadaringsocialinventivenessfarbeyondourown，andamechanicalandscientificdevelopmentfullyequaltoours。

Wehadexpectedpettiness，andfoundasocialconsciousnessbesideswhichournationslookedlikequarrelingchildren——

feeblemindedonesatthat。

Wehadexpectedjealousy，andfoundabroadsisterlyaffection，afair—mindedintelligence，towhichwecouldproducenoparallel。

Wehadexpectedhysteria，andfoundastandardofhealthandvigor，acalmnessoftemper，towhichthehabitofprofanity，forinstance，wasimpossibletoexplain——wetriedit。

AllthesethingsevenTerryhadtoadmit，buthestillinsistedthatweshouldfindouttheothersideprettysoon。

"Itstandstoreason，doesn’tit？"heargued。"Thewholething’sdeucedunnatural——I’dsayimpossibleifweweren’tinit。

Andanunnaturalcondition’ssuretohaveunnaturalresults。

You’llfindsomeawfulcharacteristics——seeifyoudon’t！Forinstance——wedon’tknowyetwhattheydowiththeircriminals——

theirdefectives——theiraged。Younoticewehaven’tseenany！

There’sgottobesomething！"

Iwasinclinedtobelievethattherehadtobesomething，soItookthebullbythehorns——thecow，Ishouldsay！——andaskedSomel。

"Iwanttofindsomeflawinallthisperfection，"Itoldherflatly。"Itsimplyisn’tpossiblethatthreemillionpeoplehavenofaults。Wearetryingourbesttounderstandandlearn——wouldyoumindhelpingusbysayingwhat，toyourminds，aretheworstqualitiesofthisuniquecivilizationofyours？"

Weweresittingtogetherinashadedarbor，inoneofthoseeating—gardensoftheirs。Thedeliciousfoodhadbeeneaten，aplateoffruitstillbeforeus。Wecouldlookoutononesideoverastretchofopencountry，quietlyrichandlovely;ontheother，thegarden，withtableshereandthere，farapartenoughforprivacy。Letmesayrightherethatwithalltheircareful"balanceofpopulation"therewasnocrowdinginthiscountry。Therewasroom，space，asunnybreezyfreedomeverywhere。

Somelsetherchinuponherhand，herelbowonthelowwallbesideher，andlookedoffoverthefairland。

"Ofcoursewehavefaults——allofus，"shesaid。"Inonewayyoumightsaythatwehavemorethanweusedto——thatis，ourstandardofperfectionseemstogetfartherandfartheraway。Butwearenotdiscouraged，becauseourrecordsdoshowgain——

considerablegain。

"Whenwebegan——evenwiththestartofoneparticularlynoblemother——weinheritedthecharacteristicsofalongrace—

recordbehindher。Andtheycroppedoutfromtimetotime——

alarmingly。Butitis——yes，quitesixhundredyearssincewehavehadwhatyoucalla`criminal。’

"Wehave，ofcourse，madeitourfirstbusinesstotrainout，tobreedout，whenpossible，thelowesttypes。"

"Breedout？"Iasked。"Howcouldyou——withparthenogenesis？"

"Ifthegirlshowingthebadqualitieshadstillthepowertoappreciatesocialduty，weappealedtoher，bythat，torenouncemotherhood。Someofthefewworsttypeswere，fortunately，unabletoreproduce。Butifthefaultwasinadisproportionateegotism——thenthegirlwassureshehadtherighttohavechildren，eventhatherswouldbebetterthanothers。"

"Icanseethat，"Isaid。"Andthenshewouldbelikelytoreartheminthesamespirit。"

"Thatweneverallowed，"answeredSomelquietly。

"Allowed？"Iqueried。"Allowedamothertorearherownchildren？"

"Certainlynot，"saidSomel，"unlessshewasfitforthatsupremetask。"

Thiswasratherablowtomypreviousconvictions。

"ButIthoughtmotherhoodwasforeachofyou——"

"Motherhood——yes，thatis，maternity，tobearachild。Buteducationisourhighestart，onlyallowedtoourhighestartists。"

"Education？"Iwaspuzzledagain。"Idon’tmeaneducation。

Imeanbymotherhoodnotonlychild—bearing，butthecareofbabies。"

"Thecareofbabiesinvolveseducation，andisentrustedonlytothemostfit，"sherepeated。

"Thenyouseparatemotherandchild！"Icriedincoldhorror，somethingofTerry’sfeelingcreepingoverme，thattheremustbesomethingwrongamongthesemanyvirtues。

"Notusually，"shepatientlyexplained。"Yousee，almosteverywomanvalueshermaternityaboveeverythingelse。Eachgirlholdsitcloseanddear，anexquisitejoy，acrowninghonor，themostintimate，mostpersonal，mostpreciousthing。Thatis，thechild—rearinghascometobewithusaculturesoprofoundlystudied，practicedwithsuchsubtletyandskill，thatthemoreweloveourchildrenthelesswearewillingtotrustthatprocesstounskilledhands——evenourown。"

"Butamother’slove——"Iventured。

Shestudiedmyface，tryingtoworkoutameansofclearexplanation。

"Youtoldusaboutyourdentists，"shesaid，atlength，"thosequaintlyspecializedpersonswhospendtheirlivesfillinglittleholesinotherpersons’teeth——eveninchildren’steethsometimes。"

"Yes？"Isaid，notgettingherdrift。

"Doesmother—loveurgemothers——withyou——tofilltheirownchildren’steeth？Ortowishto？"

"Whyno——ofcoursenot，"Iprotested。"Butthatisahighlyspecializedcraft。Surelythecareofbabiesisopentoanywoman——anymother！"

"Wedonotthinkso，"shegentlyreplied。"Thoseofuswhoarethemosthighlycompetentfulfillthatoffice;andamajorityofourgirlseagerlytryforit——Iassureyouwehavetheverybest。"

"Butthepoormother——bereavedofherbaby——"

"Ohno！"sheearnestlyassuredme。"Notintheleastbereaved。

Itisherbabystill——itiswithher——shehasnotlostit。Butsheisnottheonlyonetocareforit。Thereareotherswhomsheknowstobewiser。Sheknowsitbecauseshehasstudiedastheydid，practicedastheydid，andhonorstheirrealsuperiority。Forthechild’ssake，sheisgladtohaveforitthishighestcare。"

Iwasunconvinced。Besides，thiswasonlyhearsay;IhadyettoseethemotherhoodofHerland。

CHAPTER8

TheGirlsofHerlandAtlastTerry’sambitionwasrealized。Wewereinvited，alwayscourteouslyandwithfreechoiceonourpart，toaddressgeneralaudiencesandclassesofgirls。

Irememberthefirsttime——andhowcarefulwewereaboutourclothes，andouramateurbarbering。Terry，inparticular，wasfussytoadegreeaboutthecutofhisbeard，andsocriticalofourcombinedefforts，thatwehandedhimtheshearsandtoldhimtopleasehimself。Webegantoratherprizethosebeardsofours;

theywerealmostoursoledistinctionamongthosetallandsturdywomen，withtheircroppedhairandsexlesscostume。Beingofferedawideselectionofgarments，wehadchosenaccordingtoourpersonaltaste，andweresurprisedtofind，onmeetinglargeaudiences，thatwewerethemosthighlydecorated，especiallyTerry。

Hewasaveryimpressivefigure，hisstrongfeaturessoftenedbythesomewhatlongerhair——thoughhemademetrimitascloselyasIknewhow;andheworehisrichlyembroideredtunicwithitsbroad，loosegirdlewithquiteaHenryVair。Jefflookedmorelike——well，likeaHuguenotLover;andIdon’tknowwhatIlookedlike，onlythatIfeltverycomfortable。WhenIgotbacktoourownpaddedarmoranditsstarchedbordersIrealizedwithacuteregrethowcomfortablewerethoseHerlandclothes。

Wescannedthataudience，lookingforthethreebrightfacesweknew;buttheywerenottobeseen。Justamultitudeofgirls：

quiet，eager，watchful，alleyesandearstolistenandlearn。

Wehadbeenurgedtogive，asfullyaswecaredto，asortofsynopsisofworldhistory，inbrief，andtoanswerquestions。

"Wearesoutterlyignorant，yousee，"Moadinehadexplainedtous。"Weknownothingbutsuchscienceaswehaveworkedoutforourselves，justthebrainworkofonesmallhalf—

country;andyou，wegather，havehelpedoneanotherallovertheglobe，sharingyourdiscoveries，poolingyourprogress。

Howwonderful，howsupremelybeautifulyourcivilizationmustbe！"

Somelgaveafurthersuggestion。

"Youdonothavetobeginalloveragain，asyoudidwithus。

Wehavemadeasortofdigestofwhatwehavelearnedfromyou，andithasbeeneagerlyabsorbed，alloverthecountry。Perhapsyouwouldliketoseeouroutline？"

Wewereeagertoseeit，anddeeplyimpressed。Tous，atfirst，thesewomen，unavoidablyignorantofwhattouswasthebasiccommonplaceofknowledge，hadseemedontheplaneofchildren，orofsavages。Whatwehadbeenforcedtoadmit，withgrowingacquaintance，wasthattheywereignorantasPlatoandAristotlewere，butwithahighlydevelopedmentalityquitecomparabletothatofAncientGreece。

Farbeitfrommetolumberthesepageswithanaccountofwhatwesoimperfectlystrovetoteachthem。Thememorablefactiswhattheytaughtus，orsomefaintglimpseofit。Andatpresent，ourmajorinterestwasnotatallinthesubjectmatterofourtalk，butintheaudience。

Girls——hundredsofthem——eager，bright—eyed，attentiveyoungfaces;crowdingquestions，and，Iregrettosay，anincreasinginabilityonourparttoanswerthemeffectively。

Ourspecialguides，whowereontheplatformwithus，andsometimesaidedinclarifyingaquestionor，oftener，ananswer，noticedthiseffect，andclosedtheformallecturepartoftheeveningrathershortly。

"Ouryoungwomenwillbegladtomeetyou，"Somelsuggested，"totalkwithyoumorepersonally，ifyouarewilling？"

Willing！Wewereimpatientandsaidasmuch，atwhichIsawaflickeringlittlesmilecrossMoadine’sface。Eventhen，withallthoseeageryoungthingswaitingtotalktous，asuddenquestioncrossedmymind："Whatwastheirpointofview？Whatdidtheythinkofus？"Welearnedthatlater。

Terryplungedinamongthoseyoungcreatureswithasortofrapture，somewhatasagladswimmertakestothesea。Jeff，witharaptlookonhishigh—bredface，approachedastoasacrament。

ButIwasalittlechilledbythatlastthoughtofmine，andkeptmyeyesopen。IfoundtimetowatchJeff，evenwhileIwassurroundedbyaneagergroupofquestioners——asweallwere——

andsawhowhisworshippingeyes，hisgravecourtesy，pleasedanddrewsomeofthem;whileothers，ratherstrongerspiritstheylookedtobe，drewawayfromhisgrouptoTerry’sormine。

IwatchedTerrywithspecialinterest，knowinghowhehadlongedforthistime，andhowirresistiblehehadalwaysbeenathome。AndIcouldsee，justinsnatches，ofcourse，howhissuaveandmasterfulapproachseemedtoirritatethem;histoo—intimateglanceswerevaguelyresented，hiscomplimentspuzzledandannoyed。

Sometimesagirlwouldflush，notwithdroopedeyelidsandinvitingtimidity，butwithangerandaquickliftofthehead。Girlaftergirlturnedonherheelandlefthim，tillhehadbutasmallringofquestioners，andthey，visibly，weretheleast"girlish"ofthelot。

Isawhimlookingpleasedatfirst，asifhethoughthewasmakingastrongimpression;but，finally，castingalookatJeff，orme，heseemedlesspleased——andless。

Asforme，Iwasmostagreeablysurprised。AthomeIneverwas"popular。"Ihadmygirlfriends，goodones，buttheywerefriends——nothingelse。Alsotheywereofsomewhatthesameclan，notpopularinthesenseofswarmingadmirers。Buthere，tomyastonishment，Ifoundmycrowdwasthelargest。