The Colorado statesman., 1922-12-30
A Thought for
the New Year
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
in the New York Sun
WO storks were nesting.

striplngs of his own kind and had
given no thought to the ladies, either
maid or matron.
After he married his attention was
concentrated upon his All-Satisfying
WIFE, upon that Triumph of Art, La
bor and Love-their Nest, and upon
those Special Creations-thelr Chill
dren Deeply was he moved by the
marvellous instincts and processes Of
motherhood. Love, reverence, intense
admiration, rose In his heart for Her of
the Well-Built Nest; Her of the Gleam-
ing Treasure of Smooth Eggs; Her Of
the Patient Brooding Breast, the
Warming Wings, the downy wide
mouth Group of Little Ones.
Assiduousy he labored to help her
build the nest, to help her feed the
young. Proud of his impassioned ac-
tiyity In her and their behalf devoutly
he performed his share of the brooding
while she hunted in her turn. When
he was awning lie thought continually
of Her as one with the Brood-Elis
Brood. When he was on the nest he
thought all the more of Her, who sat
there so long, so lovingly, to such noble
ends
The happy days flew by, fair Spring
sweet Summer-gentle Autumn. The
young ones grew larger and larger; it
was more and more work to keep their
lengthening, widening bealls shut in
rontentment. Both parents flew far
bield to feed them.
Then the days grew shorter, the sky
4
large hunting and small success. In
his dreams he began to see sunshine,
broad, burning sunshine day after day
skies of limitless blue dark, deep yet
full of fire; and stretches Of bright
water, shallow, warm, fringed with tall
reeds and rushes, teeming with fat
frogs.
They were in her dreams. too, but he
did not know that.
He stretched his wings and flew
farther every day; but his wings were
not satisfied In his dreams came n
sense of vast heights and boundess
spaces Of the earth streaming away
beneath him; black water and white
land, gray water and brown land blue
water and green land, all flowing back
ward from day to day, while the cold
lessened and the warmth grew.
He felt the empty sparkling nights,
stars far above, Quivering, burning :;
stars far below, quivering more in the
dark water and felt his great wings,
wide, strong all sufficient, carrying him
on and on.
This was In her dreams, too, but he
did not know that.
at is time to got" he cried one day.
'They are coming 1t is upon us !!
Yes-I must go! Good-by, my wife !!
Good-by. my children!" For the Pas
sion of Wings was upon him.
She was stirred to the heart. Eyes,
1t is time to go" she cried. "I am
readyl Come"
He was shocked, grieved, astonished.
-Why, my dearl" he said. "How pre-
posterous! You cannot go on the
Great Flight Your wings are for
broodng tender little onesi Your body
Is for the Wonder of the Cleaning
Treasure NOT for days and nights of
reaseless soaringl You cannot go"
She did not heed him. She spread
her wide wings and swept and circled
far and high above-as, in truth, she
had been doing for many days, though
he had not noticed it,
She dropped to the ridge-pole beside
him where he was still mutterlng OBJ
jections. "Is it not glorious !" she cried.
"Come! They are nearly ready!"
"You Unnatural Motherl" he burst
forth. "You have forgotten the Order
of Nature You have forgotten your
Children! Your loving, precious, ten
der. helpless Little Ones!" And he
wept-for his highest ideals were shat
tered.
But the Precious Little Ones stood
In row on the rldgepole and tapped
their strong young wings in nigh de-
rlsion. They We're as big as he was,
nearly; for as n matter Of fact he was
but n Young Stork himself
Then the air was beaten white with
thousand wings: IT was like snow
and silver and sea-foam; there was a
flashing, whirlwnd, hurricane of
wild JOY, and then the Army of the Sky
spread wide in due array, and streamed
Southward.
Full of remembered joy and more
Joyous hope, finding the high sunlight
better than her dreams, she swept
away to the far summer-land; and her
children, mad with the happiness OF
the First Flight, swept beside her.
"But you are Mother!" he painted
as he caught up with them.
"Yesi I" she cried joyously, "but
was Stork before 1 was Mother
and Afterward-and All the Time!"
And the Storks were Flying.