Feminist fiction; Historical fiction; Southern States -- Fiction; Women -- Southern States -- Fiction; Women authors -- Fiction
Molly could tell, too, something of the personality of the women
eminent in the movement. "The really eminent to-day are not always
those whose names the reporters catch, and _vice versa_. And while the
papers talk of 'leaders,' I do not think that, in the man's sense, they
are leaders at all. We do not hurrah for any woman as the men do for
Mr. Roosevelt or Mr. Bryan. The movement goes without high priests and
autocrats and personifications. We haven't, I suppose, the Big Chief
tradition. Perhaps woman's individualism has a value after all. It's
like religion when it really is personal; your idea of good remains
your idea of good; it doesn't take on a human form. Or perhaps we're
merely tired of crooking the knee. I don't know. The fact remains."
They jogged along by country roads and orchards. "It's the most
worth-_while_ thing!" said Molly. "Nobody can explain it, but every one
who takes hold of it _deep_ feels it. I heard a woman say the other
day that it was like going out of a close room into ozone and wind and
the blue lift of the sky. She said she felt as though she had wings!
Discouragements? Cartloads of them! But somehow they don't matter. Nor
do mistakes. Of course we make them--but the next time we do better."
The witching autumn week with the Josslyns over, Hagar went back to
town, and, as she had promised, to the Settlement for three days.
The Settlement! The first day she had seen it came back clearly; the
harsh, biting day and the search for Thomasine, and Omega Street, and
then how wonderful the old house had seemed to her, going over it with
Elizabeth. It was shrunken now, of course, in size and marvel, but it
was still a grave and pleasant place of fine uses. She had visited it
before during this month, and she had marked certain changes. A few of
the people in residence years before were here yet, others were gone,
others of later years had come in. But it was not only people; other
changes appeared. She found exhibited a deep skepticism of certain
Danaïdes' labours still favoured or tolerated so many years ago. The
policies of the place were bolder and larger; every one was at once
more radical and more serene.
Marie Caton met her. "Elizabeth has a committee meeting, and then she
speaks to-night at Cooper Union: _Women in the Sweated Trades_. I
haven't had you to myself hardly ever! Now I'm going to."
"Can't I go to Cooper Union to-night?"
"Oh, yes! I'm going, too. It's an important meeting. But I've got you
for a whole two hours, and nowadays that's a long and restful sojourn
together! Get your things off and we'll take possession of Elizabeth's
sitting-room."
In Elizabeth's room, with her books, with the Psyche and the Botticelli
Judith and the Mona Lisa and the drawing of the Sphinx, they talked of
twenty things, finally of the Settlement's specific activities, old
ones carried on, new ones embarked in; then, "But more and more you get
drawn--or I get drawn--into the ocean of China Awake."
"China Awake?"
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