Herland Charlotte Perkins Gilman (ebook and pdf reader TXT) đ
- Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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âYou ask us to believe that for two thousand years there have been only women here, and only girl babies born?â
âExactly,â answered Somel, nodding gravely. âOf course we know that among other animals it is not so, that there are fathers as well as mothers; and we see that you are fathers, that you come from a people who are of both kinds. We have been waiting, you see, for you to be able to speak freely with us, and teach us about your country and the rest of the world. You know so much, you see, and we know only our own land.â
In the course of our previous studies we had been at some pains to tell them about the big world outside, to draw sketches, maps, to make a globe, even, out of a spherical fruit, and show the size and relation of the countries, and to tell of the numbers of their people. All this had been scant and in outline, but they quite understood.
I find I succeed very poorly in conveying the impression I would like to of these women. So far from being ignorant, they were deeply wiseâ âthat we realized more and more; and for clear reasoning, for real brain scope and power they were A No. 1, but there were a lot of things they did not know.
They had the evenest tempers, the most perfect patience and good natureâ âone of the things most impressive about them all was the absence of irritability. So far we had only this group to study, but afterward I found it a common trait.
We had gradually come to feel that we were in the hands of friends, and very capable ones at thatâ âbut we couldnât form any opinion yet of the general level of these women.
âWe want you to teach us all you can,â Somel went on, her firm shapely hands clasped on the table before her, her clear quiet eyes meeting ours frankly. âAnd we want to teach you what we have that is novel and useful. You can well imagine that it is a wonderful event to us, to have men among usâ âafter two thousand years. And we want to know about your women.â
What she said about our importance gave instant pleasure to Terry. I could see by the way he lifted his head that it pleased him. But when she spoke of our womenâ âsomeway I had a queer little indescribable feeling, not like any feeling I ever had before when âwomenâ were mentioned.
âWill you tell us how it came about?â Jeff pursued. âYou said âfor two thousand yearsââ âdid you have men here before that?â
âYes,â answered Zava.
They were all quiet for a little.
âYou should have our full history to readâ âdo not be alarmedâ âit has been made clear and short. It took us a long time to learn how to write history. Oh, how I should love to read yours!â
She turned with flashing eager eyes, looking from one to the other of us.
âIt would be so wonderfulâ âwould it not? To compare the history of two thousand years, to see what the differences areâ âbetween us, who are only mothers, and you, who are mothers and fathers, too. Of course we see, with our birds, that the father is as useful as the mother, almost. But among insects we find him of less importance, sometimes very little. Is it not so with you?â
âOh, yes, birds and bugs,â Terry said, âbut not among animalsâ âhave you no animals?â
âWe have cats,â she said. âThe father is not very useful.â
âHave you no cattleâ âsheepâ âhorses?â I drew some rough outlines of these beasts and showed them to her.
âWe had, in the very old days, these,â said Somel, and sketched with swift sure touches a sort of sheep or llama, âand theseââ âdogs, of two or three kinds, âand thatââ âpointing to my absurd but recognizable horse.
âWhat became of them?â asked Jeff.
âWe do not want them anymore. They took up too much roomâ âwe need all our land to feed our people. It is such a little country, you know.â
âWhatever do you do without milk?â Terry demanded incredulously.
âMilk? We have milk in abundanceâ âour own.â
âButâ âbutâ âI mean for cookingâ âfor grown people,â Terry blundered, while they looked amazed and a shade displeased.
Jeff came to the rescue. âWe keep cattle for their milk, as well as for their meat,â he explained. âCowâs milk is a staple article of diet. There is a great milk industryâ âto collect and distribute it.â
Still they looked puzzled. I pointed to my outline of a cow. âThe farmer milks the cow,â I said, and sketched a milk pail, the stool, and in pantomime showed the man milking. âThen it is carried to the city and distributed by milkmenâ âeverybody has it at the door in the morning.â
âHas the cow no child?â asked Somel earnestly.
âOh, yes, of course, a calf, that is.â
âIs there milk for the calf and you, too?â
It took some time to make clear to those three sweet-faced women the process which robs the cow of her calf, and the calf of its true food; and the talk led us into a further discussion of the meat business. They heard it out, looking very white, and presently begged to be excused.
V A Unique HistoryIt is no use for me to try to piece out this account with adventures. If the people who read it are not interested in these amazing women and their history, they will not be interested at all.
As for usâ âthree young men to a whole landful of womenâ âwhat could we do? We did get away, as described, and were peacefully brought back again without, as Terry complained, even the satisfaction of hitting anybody.
There were no adventures because there was nothing to fight. There were no wild beasts in the country and very few tame ones. Of these I might as well stop to describe the one common pet of the country. Cats, of course. But such cats!
What do you suppose these Lady Burbanks had done with their cats? By the
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