Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-12-28
15e New Year
Dreamer

A woman fell asleep, one New Years
eve, and dreamed strange dream
] And when she woke, she told neigh
Dor about 1t, In some such words as
these
II thought | was In n strange coun.
try" she said, (which belonged to us
all There was no king. And
thought that in that country shoes
were ready-made, not fashioned
clumslly of feathers, as we fashion
them now, and that the flax was all
spun for us, and the flour all ground.
thought that the very cows were
MIXED without our aid, and that we
lived In cities with clean pavements
between clean, bright houses, and that
milk and meat aud bread and eggs
were 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.
"Aud in my dream we were all
taught taught to read and even 10
write, us 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 and that we could hear music
whenever we chose And there We're
wise doctors to Keep us WELL and TO
give US magic sleep IN our pain.
But best of all She said, In low
tone stlll tlngcd 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
XIII another, and even women were of
value and children were beloved. Ii
seemed TO me n world Of peace, and
sunshine ana safety"
you dreamed Of heaven said the
listener her incredulous laughter
changed to wistful awe. The other
sighed and shook her head.
mo- she said sadly, "for in that
country they We're all mad -
"Mad?" came the astoniShed echo,
well, better our hardships than such
state. Better the village well that
poisOuS our children and the tax that
holds our men In bondage, and the pes
tlences 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 mad"
sThcy do not see the sunshine, they
10 not hear the music, and they do
not taste their freedom said the
dreamer "Thelr thoughts are chained
10 little things-the stitches IN skirt,
the chopped nuts that must 90 into
a dish they cook the shape Of a chair.
They long for idleneSs-who have
nothing to do! They long for pleas
ure Who live in a world that might be
heaven! They look at this one enyi-
ou>ly because She can come and 20 to
another city at will and at that one
cnYIouSly because her picture is print
ed in the hooks they read They weep
because they must buy flax spun on
their side Of the ocean rather than that
which comes to them in ships, aud
they weep because the papers they
have pasted on the walls of their
rooms are too green or too blue"
"llad-qulte mud" agreed the
struck. "pid they live long
ago."
NO, 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, or
the help Of single hand with the
planting and roasting and pinuing and
brewing the bearing and rearing. We
are their mothers, who win never read
a book or write a letter or enter Il
playhouse Let us make them New
Years wish, that their eyes may be
opened aud that they may see"
They knelt down oCether-Kath-
leen Morris in Pictorial Review.