Apocalyptic fiction; England -- Fiction; Epidemics -- Fiction; Science fiction
"Hope, lots of hope," she said. "Hope of a new clean world. We've
got such a chance to begin all over again, and do it better. No
more sweated labour, Jasper, and no more living on the work of
others. We've just got to pull together and work for each other. If
we can get enough food, and we can now with all these dear men come
to help us, we can do such wonderful things afterwards. There'll be
lots of children growing up in a few years' time, and we shall teach
them the things we've had to learn by the force of necessity. They'll
begin so differently because, although we have had the experience
of all history, we sha'n't be bound by all the foolish conventions
that grew out of it. Such a silly incongruous growth, wasn't it? But
I suppose it couldn't be helped in one way. We were so penned in. We
all had our rotten little places to keep and that took all our time. We
never had a chance to consider the broad issues, the real fundamental
things. But you've got to consider the fundamental things when you
start clean away from a new beginning.
"And, oh! Jasper, surely we have all learnt certain things to avoid,
haven't we? I mean class distinctions and sex distinctions, and things
like that. Women won't trouble any more about titles and all that rot
now, and anyway there aren't any left to trouble about. And social
conditions will be so different now that there won't be any more
marriage. Marriage was a man's prerogative; he wanted to keep his
woman to himself, and keep his property for his children. It never
really protected women, and anyway they were capable of protecting
themselves if they'd been given a chance. I know the children were a
difficulty in the old days, but they won't be now. It'll be everybody's
business to see that the children get looked after, and a woman won't
starve just because she hasn't got a husband to keep her. She'll get
better wages than that. The women who have children will be the most
precious things we shall have. They'll live healthier lives, too, and
they won't be incapacitated as they used to be. They'll work and be
strong instead of spending all their time either in doing nothing or
pottering about the house in an eternal round of cleaning the stupid,
ugly things we used. We shall have to have all new houses, Jasper,
when we get things going again.
"Oh, it will be splendid," she broke out in a great burst of
enthusiasm, "and we begin to-day. We have begun."
Jasper nodded. "It's a wonderful opportunity," he said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account