Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-12-26
76e New Year
Dreamer

A woman fell asleep, one New Years
eve, and dreamed a strange dream.
And when she woke. she told neigh
these:
II thought | was in 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
elumsily of feathers. as we fashion
them now. and that the flax was all
spun for us, and the -four 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 and 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.
And In my dream we We're all
taught. taught to read and even Ia
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 and that we could hear music
whenever we chose. And there were
wise doctors to keep us well, and to
give us magic sleep In oar 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 We're 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. aud children We're beloved. 1t
seemed to me a world OF peace, and
sunshine and safety
you dreamed Of heaven" said the
( listener. her incredulous laughter
/ changed to wistful awe. The other
4 sighed and shook her head.
NO" she said sadly. "for In that
country they were all mad !"
"MHdY came the astonished echo.
We'll. better our hardships than such
state. Better the village well that
polsons our children and the tax that
holds our men In bondage. and the pes
tilences 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 we're they mad7"
''They do not see the sunshine, they
do not hear the music. and they do
not taste their freedom" said the
dreamer. Their thoughts are chained
TO little thlngs-the stitches in "a skirt.
the chopped nuts that must go into
dish they cook, the shape Of chair.
4 They long for ldleness-who have
nothing to do They long for pleas
ure, who live in world that might be
/ heaven They look at this one enYi-
+ ously because she can come and go to
/ another city at will and at that one
| enviously because her picture is print
+ ed in the books they read. They weep
+ because they must buy fax spun on
I their side of the ocean rather than that
which comes to them in ships, and
/ they weep because the papers they
hive pasted on the walls of their
rooms are too green or too blue :"
"Mad-quite mad" agreed the
/ neighbor, struck. Ibid 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
couch Of fine linen on our bodies. or
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
n book OF write letter, or enter a
playhouse. Let US make them n New
Years wish. that their eyes may be
opened and that they may see 20
They H. 1T down tOgether.-Kath-
Ieen Morris In Pictorial Review.