Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-12-26
&c New Year
Dreamer

A woman fell asleep, one New Years
eve, and dreamed a strange dream
And when she woke, she told a neigh.
these: '
u thought was In strange coun.
try" she said, (which belonged to lis
all. There was no king. And ]
thought that In that country shoes
were ready-made, not fashioned
clumsily of feathers, as we fashion
tnem now, and that the flax was all
spun for us, and the -four all ground,
l thought that the very cows were
MIXED without. our aid, an6 that wa
llved IN cities with clean pavements
between clean, bright houses, and that
) MIX and meat and bread and eggs
We're brought to our doors, day after
day. thought that there was some.
thing called gas. that made our cook.
Ing clean and quick. and things called
cars that carried us safely from place
, to place.
Tld In my dream we were all
taught, taught to read and even to
write, as only the scribes do now, and
that we read books, books about
strange things and wonderful places
and saw pictures-the greatest in the
world land that we could hear music
/ whenever we chose. And there were
wise doctors to keep us well, and to
give US magic sleep In our pain.
but best Of ALL" she said, In low
tone still tinged> with the radiance of
her dream, "best Of all, was that the
children were safe. There were no
mobiles to seize our girls for their own
pleasure, and to send our boys like
cattle into the wars. No man could
Kill another, and even women were of
value, and children were beloved. It
seemed to me a world Of peace, and
sunshine and safetyl"
"You dreamed Of heaven I" said the
listener, her incredulous laughter
changed to wistful awe. The other
sighed and shook her head.
''No," she said sadly "for in that
, country they were oil mad"
"Mad?" came the astonished echo.
swell, better our hardships than such
state. Better the village we'll that
poisons our children and the tax that
holds our men in bondage, and the pes.
tllences that sweep US Better the
dark houses, and the smoking coal
fires, the heats Of summer and the
freezing winters, better even the agony
and terror Of bearing, unhelped. But
tell, how were they mad2"
''Thay do not see the sunshine, they
. do not hear the music, and they dc
not taste their freedom" said the
dreamer. '"Their thoughts arc chained
z Hto.littlo Nthings-the stitches In skirt
the chopped nuts that must 60 into
dish they cook, the shape of chair
They long for 1dleness-who have
nothing to dol They long for pleas
ure, who live in world that might be
heavenl They look at this one envi
ously because she can come and 90 tC
another city at will and at that one
enviously because her picture is print
ed In the books they read. They weer
because they must buy flax spun on
their side Of the ocean rather than that
"hiCh COlucS " tll6lu III bnlpbt anu
they weep because the papers they
have pasted on the walls Of their
rooms are too green or too bluel"
"Mad-Quite mad" agreed the
neighbor, struck. "Did they live Ions
agoT'
mo, their time has not yet come
the dreaming woman answered. "They
will not live for another thousand
years. They will spring from US, who
live and work and die without the
touch Of fine linen on our bodies, OF
the help of single hand with the
planting and roasting and spinning and
. brewing, the bearing and rearing. We
are their mothers, who will never read
book or write a letter, or enter g
playhouse. Let us make them New
Years wish, that their eyes may be
opened and that they may seel''
They knelt down together.-Kath
leen Morris In Pictorial Review.
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