PIRATIANS BEGONE

Chapter 54

her offspring and disaster to the race. So, forthe sake of the generations unborn, we--that is, the male men of theearth--who still retain our grip on affairs, have about decided to put astop to this foolish mania among our young women. We will probably passlaws, setting a limit in the several branches of study beyond whichgirls shall not be allowed to go, either at school or privately."

We all laughed heartily at this idea, including the doctor himself, whocontinued:

"Well, what else can we do to stop them? Stop them we must, or we shallsoon become a race of weaklings and mental imbeciles."

Lime had been getting more and more interested, as I could see byhis face, and now broke out with:

"Doctor, you surprise me. I have acquired such a respect for yourintelligence that I can hardly believe you serious. If Denim willexcuse me, I should like to answer your question. Hard study did nothurt our young women, and it never hurts anyone. It is careless livingand a disregard of the laws of health that do the harm. Physicaltraining was an important part of the education of our women. They couldnever have accomplished what they did without sound bodies, and it mustbe unnecessary for me to say that the more highly cultured they becamethe more our race improved. Learning never made poor mothers. Ignorancedoes that. Do not keep education out of the home. Keep out folly, lowdesires, sordid ambitions, uncultivated tastes, narrow-mindedness, envy,strife, wastefulness, inordinate pleasures, and every evil thing thatcomes from an empty, ignorant mind. Keep out the darkness; let in thelight. It is not God's way to give capacity and desire for noble things,and then shut the door to their attainment."

"Many thanks, Lime," exclaimed Denim, "for your good help. And now,Doctor, will you ask anything further?"

"I must admit," answered the doctor, "that your experience gives youmore knowledge of the subject than we possess, and perhaps we are wrong.Of course, we want that to come to pass which will be best for our race.But let me ask if the gentler s*x, as we call them, did not lose, bysuch superior culture, their gentleness and their charm. The masculinetype of woman is not at all popular with us."

"This question, Doctor," answered Denim, "shows that you have a poorconception of our condition at that time. This great change in societyhad been gradual, and I must remind you that by the time it wasaccomplished the world was much improved in every way, although, as wehave seen, it was by no means perfect. In her treatment of man there wasnone of that domineering spirit which you might expect; and the victoryshe had achieved was never used harshly. Her reign, if firm, was mild.And woman herself, in the general betterment of things, had improved,even in the direction you mention. Instead of becoming less womanly, inher changed condition, every admirable quality in her had ripened towardperfection, while she had thrown off much that was disagreeable andunlovely in her disposition. In personal appearance the advance had beenremarkable. Being relieved of the severe labor and sordid cares whichwere once her lot, and with her mind set free by high culture and herartistic tastes developed, nature asserted itself by making her trulya delight to the eye and a comfort to the heart of mankind. Whatevercharms she possessed in her old life were now doubled, making her indeeda blessing to the world and preparing her for the next great change,which came with the advent of the present age."

"In spite of the sweetness and beauty surrounding them, did not men fretat the firm hand that held them down?"

"At first, yes. But as time went on it came to be looked upon sonaturally that it was hardly thought of as a thing which should not be."

"How long did such a state of things continue?"

"It continued until our race had outgrown all such trivial things asselfish ambition and personal strife, until our characters had ripenedfor a higher service than the old world had ever dreamed of, and untillove reigned in our hearts, supreme and unquestionable."

"What makes the situation seem so strange to you is because it is socontrary to your experience. Let me see if I cannot make it look morereasonable to you by epitomizing our history on the subject in this way:

"Our career is made up of three eras. The first was one of brute force,when man ruled by strength of body and subdued the world to our use.Everything weaker than himself, even woman, his natural helper, was madeto feel the power of his arm. This age lasted long, but its rigor slowlypassed away, and it merged gradually into the second era, which wasone of mind. Here, too, man thought to rule, claiming the leadershipby right of possession and natural endowment. But woman's sharpnessof intellect was more than a match for him when it was given fullopportunity, and she won, as we have seen, after a long struggle. Thethird and present era is a spiritual one. In the realm of the spirit menand women are equally endowed, and hence it is that in this age you findthe two sexes living in perfect equality.

"Comparing the words you have spoken with what I have read of ourhistory, I conclude that the earth is now passing from the first to thesecond era. The struggle is on. Soon your s*x will be considering thequestion of the emancipation of man. You have the sincere sympathy ofboth Lime and myself, and that you may emerge from your trials ashappily as we have from ours is our heartfelt wish."

Denim closed, and the doctor was silent.

The doctor and I had not forgotten that Lime still held in store forus a talk on the most important theme of all. We wondered why he didnot give it to us, as he had many opportunities in those days of quietpleasure. He seemed to take great delight in hearing from us everythingwe chose to tell, asking numerous questions which showed a growingknowledge of the earth and its inhabitants.

It was the doctor who finally inquired when we were going to hear whathe had promised us.

"I suppose I have been waiting," answered Lime, "for you to ask forit. I could listen to your talk a great deal longer with pleasure andprofit. It is astonishing how closely your history matches ours up toyour times. The period you have been describing to me as that in whichyou live corresponds with a similar age here. It was a time of greatactivity and rapid change, and one whose records make a deep impressionon many of our writers, judging from the attention they give to it. Itwas an enviable time to live in, if you compare it with the previousages, but chiefly on account of the promise it contained of the gloriousday to come.

"Doctor, are you sure you desire to hear about the growth ofChristianity in this world and the blessings it has brought us?"

"Most certainly," answered my companion. "I want to learn all I can ofyour history and present condition, and, as religion seems to occupya chief place in both, anything you may say on the subject will belistened to with delight."

Perhaps Lime was a little disappointed because the doctor did notgive a more personal reason; but he failed to show it if he was, and,after calling to Denim to come and sit with us, he began:

"Fair shines the sun on this fair world. So shines the sun on otherfair worlds. Its piercing rays dart out in all directions from thegreat glowing mass, and as they fly outward they lose in brilliancyand intensity every second. In eight minutes some of these rays areintercepted by the earth and find there an atmosphere well adapted toreceive them. In twelve minutes some strike this world, and althoughthey are less powerful than those that fall on the earth, the conditionshere are favorable for their reception. At varying distances from thecenter other rays find other planets as ready to welcome them, no doubt,as ours are.

"As the sun is in the physical universe, so is the Sun of righteousnessin the domain of the spirit. Infinite in power, wisdom, and love, hecomes wherever there are souls to save, shedding light in every darkspot, bringing life and hope and comfort, and lifting men out of thedarkness of sin up to a condition of peace and happiness. Many ages agohe came to this planet, and started into life those forces which havebrought us to our present state. Then he came to the earth, and youare at this time beginning to feel more intensely the impulse of hismission."

"Your illustration is a forcible one," said the doctor, as Limepaused a moment, "and weakens my former position, which would make itnecessary for me to believe that all the rays of the sun, except thefew that fall on Mars and the earth, are lost. It seems to me now quitereasonable that some do their beneficent work on other planets also."

"Yes," answered Lime, "whenever they are ready to receive them. Andnow I hope to lead you to see that the same intelligence that made thesun and gave to its rays such power has been present as a personal forcein this world, molding it to his use and raising up a people here forhis service and glory.

"In the perfect plan of that omniscient being the advent of the Savioroccurred at the most opportune moment. Deep in the heart of one nation,firmly grounded in their nature by ages of discipline and suffering, laythe belief in one only God. The other nations of the world, surfeitedwith sinful pleasure and worn out with a vain pursuit of happiness, wereready to abandon the gods of their imaginations. Some lofty souls amongthem, following intently every prompting of their better nature, haddeveloped high characters, while of God's peculiar people many purehearts waited, with joyful expectancy, the coming of the promisedSavior.

"He came, the lowly, patient one, and, although the world was made byhim, it knew him not. The greatest event in the history of the globepassed almost without notice; but the seed was planted, and in God's owntime the growth began, which has filled our happy world with the perfectflower of Christianity.

"The religion which Jesus taught aimed to save the race. It wasuniversal, not only as adapted to all nations, but as fitted toregenerate and perfect the whole nature of man--body, mind, and soul. Itwould take me too long to tell all the changes it wrought. It found theheart hard and unfeeling, and made it tender and loving. It found menfilled with every evil passion and almost without a desire to be better,and it gave them a longing to be free from sin and pure in heart. Itfound the race in darkness and despair, and brought them hope and lightand comfort. Above all, it attacked the demon of selfishness and gavemen the promise that in time they should be entirely free from itspower.

"Slowly the truths of Christianity spread. The missionary spirit wasborn and the gospel was carried to remote lands. It was ever God's wayto work through the agency of his creatures, whether these be bruteforces or intelligent beings. And so through imperfect men the perfectrule of life made feeble progress. But as it was the work of the Spirit,there was never any danger, even in the darkest ages, that the gospelwould not triumph over all the sin and degradation of the world, andlift men to a higher plane.

"For a long period the truth lay buried beneath ignorance andsuperstition. Then came an awakening, and men, with their minds moreenlightened and their consciences quickened, began to catch something ofthe true spirit of the gospel. Christianity now became a dominant power.Under its benign sway civilization advanced, intelligence spread, andChristian nations outstripped all others and extended their power toevery part of the globe.

"Soon the ameliorating influences of the gospel were felt on every hand.Government began to be administered with more regard for the interest ofthe governed, and men came to receive consideration simply becausethey were men. All the aggravated forms of oppression ceased under thenewborn spirit of human brotherhood, a sentiment brought into the worldby the founder of Christianity.

"This brings us, my friends, up to that intense age of which I havespoken before, and which you say you recognize as that correspondingwith the time in which you are living on the earth. Let me state brieflythe condition of some of our affairs of that period.

"The industrial world was in a ferment, as we have seen, and it was onlyin a general and impersonal way that the Christian religion shed itsinfluence on the majority of the actors in that drama. Individuals,among both employers and workmen, had good impulses and indulged themas much as they could, and I am inclined to think this class was largerthan most of our writers admit. But we read that the greater part weremoved chiefly by motives of self-interest. Still, Christianity wasa growing force among them, and they could not entirely escape itsinfluence. They were born under its elevating power, and, even if theydid not acknowledge its sway, they were quite different men from thosewho lived before Jesus began to preach the law of love. This remark willapply to all the people of that day who were born under Christian skies,and yet acknowledged no personal allegiance to the Savior. They were theunconscious heirs of a priceless inheritance."