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。