with the other lands and other races I knew, the United States of Americ

one's self-esteem by innocent questions, so did these women, without the slightest appearance of mal

a lot about their history, and had given them the general out

nstantly asked for the total population, for the proportion of adult wo

hat is it you call them-wage earners? And

e do not have the wretched paupers and beggars of the older countries, I a

answered Zava. "W

t perish. In our economic struggle, I continued, there was always plenty of opportunity for the fittest to reach the top, which they did, in great numbers, particularly in our country;

osely, with the

thirds are the ones who are-how was it you so beautifully put it?-'loved, honored, kept i

y, the poorer they were, the more children they had. That too, he explained,

Zava gently asked, "are th

ms of law that go back thousands and thousands of y

wenty. In a few weeks more," she continued, "we are going to have the pleasure of showing you over

mel added, "that our p

capacity as teachers. It was lucky that we knew so little, really, and had no books to refer to, el

k-forested plains below them-that was all. But from the few records of their ancient condition-not "before the flood" with them, b

hey were qui

f the occupants of those dim forests below. Nevertheless, they had inferred (marvelously keen on inference and deduction

tantly accepted it as proof of the high development of Some Where Else, and had prepared to receive

ey knew nothing, of course, sav

e-that is a very old science; and with it, a

and and they had but to exercise their minds upon it, the results were surprising. They had worked out a chemistry, a botany, a physics, with

e country, and by further study and question-that wh

er the country, as well as those in the towns, and everywhere there was the same high level of intelligence. Some knew far more than others about one thing-th

" and our "compulsory public education," but in proportion to t

ls we were able to prepare, they constructed a sort

helped out by those in that precious yearbook

ologic history of the earth, and showed them their own land in relation to the others. Out of that same pocket ref

ving us lecture to all the girls' schools and colleges-how about that?" he sugg

blic lectures later, but not to the h

o make of it; they had mechanical appliances for disseminating information almost equal to ours at home; and by the time we were led forth to lecture, our audiences had thoroughl

ither. It was some time before we w

air of his. At first he used to storm and flourish quite a good deal, but nothing seemed to amuse them more; they would gather around and watch him a

it was quite plain. We are trying to learn of you all we can,

all?" he

t enigmatic smile

ds on

ourselves,"

eep us shut u

fe in allowing you at large wher

t as much, inwardly; but he pushed the question

ile again, and asked: "Ar

he said it with a good deal of emphasis

e the other way. They might hurt you. If, by any accident, you d

ed that Jeff and I laughed out

ing to be. Motherhood means to us something which I cannot yet discover in any of the countries of which you tell us. You have spok

her sadly. "Ver

t on. "Nothing else except the literal sisterhood of our ori

. Every step of our advance is always considered in its effect on them-on the

persisted. "You mean they would defend their children from attack. Of course. Any mothers

but Zava turned to Jeff and urged him to make us see-said h

it, but it has taken me a long time, and

l Motherhood

oss of everything masculine, and supposed at first that all human power and safety had gone too. Then they developed this virgin bir

men-the most conspicuous feature of their whole culture. "It's imposs

r "Hang your facts-I tell you it can't be done!" And we never s

ill is nothing but a nursery. And how about bees? Don't they manage to cooperate and love one another? as that precious Constable had it. Just show me a combination of male creatures, bird,

s he did not want to. To go back to

To do the best work they had to specialize, of course; the children needed spinn

pecially a small one like this. They very soon eliminated all the grazing cattle-sheep were the last to go, I believe. Also, they worked o

nted with the problem of "the pressure of population" in an acute form. T

d those wo

ead of one another-some few on top, temporarily, many constantly crushed out underneath, a hopeless substratum of paupers

get more land from somebody else, or to get more food

They said: "With our best endeavors this country will support about so many people, with the standard o

land, every land, and then see their children suffer, sin, and die, fighting horribly with one another; but in the sense of Conscio

nity in service, which was so difficult for us to grasp. And

taking but the faintest theoretic interest in anybody else's bundle, to say nothing of the common needs of ALL the bun

ice. We are commonly willing to "lay down our lives" for our country, but they had to f

e with any woman. A mighty comfortable soul she was, giving one the nice smooth mother-feeling a man likes in a woman, and yet

and decided to limit the population. We have a lot of talk about that among us

rtaken once, by the majority of the population; that those held unfit are not allowed even that; and that t

to an aristocracy they had was to come of a line

I gathered that each woman had five. You have no tyrannical hus

e I shall never forget. She started f

aid in a hard whisper. "Do m

y inferior to them. I am ashamed to say that I equivocated. I told her of certain criminal types of women-perverts, or crazy, who had been known to commit infanticide. I tol

rambled back to my question of

, knowing them better, I am more and more and more amazed as I appreciate the exquisite courtesy with which they

that, in their eager desire to build up a nation, they had gone on in that way for a few centuries, till they w

as they had been to develop it; and for some generatio

entrated desire for that child. We learned to look forward to that period with the greatest caution. Often our young women, those to whom motherhood had not yet come, would voluntarily defer it. When that deep inner dem

sweet face grew deepl

expression. I think the reason our children are so-so fully loved

that is bitter and hard in our life at home," I told her, "but this

contented smile, and sai

joy," she said, "but remember-we each have a m

bout "our children"! But I suppose that is the

hat they d

hin her till it worked its natural miracle. When she did not so choose she p

m only about one-third, or less. And precious-! No sole heir to an empire's throne, no solitary millio

ect I must finish up that littl

so that the country furnished plenty for the fullest, richest life for

y were restricted in quantity. This they had been at work on, uninterrupt

lly unknown among them, so much so that a previously high development in what we call the "science of medicine" had become pra

edge-and practice-they had in this line. As we learned more and more of it, we learned to appreciate the exquisite mastery wi

clear later. Those nation-loved children of theirs compared with the average in our country as the most perfectly cultivated, r

in social devotion, had been playing with the arts and sciences-as far

umption of superiority, had suddenly arrived; and now, tamed and trained to a degree th