The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1922-12-28
A Thought for
the New Year
By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
in the New York Sun
~ WO storks were nesting.

He was young stork-and
a narrow-minded. Before he mar
ried he had ,consorted mainly with
str;plings 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-Satlstylng
Wife: upon that Triumph of Art. La
Dor and Love-their Nest, and upon
those Special Creations-their 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 Clean
ing Treasure of Smooth Eggs; Her OF
the Patient Brooding Breast, the
Warming Wings, the downy vide
mouth Group of Little Ones:
Assiduously he labored to help her
build the nest, to help her feed the
young. Proud of his imprisoned &C.
tivity' in her and their behalf, devoutly
he performed his share Of the broodlng
while she hunted in her turn. When
he was awning he thought continually
Of Her as one with the Brood-Hls
Brood. When he was on the nest ne
thought all the more Of Her, who sat
there so long, so lovingly, to such noble
ends.
The happy days few by, fair Spring
Summer-gentle Autumn Inc
young ones grew larger and larger; II
was more and more work to keep their
lengthening, widening beaks shut ID
contentment. Both parents flew far
afeld to feed them.
Then the days grew shorter, the sky
grayer, Che wind colder; there was
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 a
sense of vast heights and boundless
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
rrnfh
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.
1T is time to go!" he cried one day.
'sThey are coming! It is upon us!
Yes-I must go! Good-by, my wife!
Good-by, my children!" For the Pas
sion of Wings was upon him. $50
She was stirred to the heart. Eyes,
it is time to got" she cried. Il am
ready! Come
He was shocked, grieved, astonished.
s'Why, my dear!' he said. GLOW pre-
posterous! You cannot go on the
Great Flight! Your wings are for
brooding tender little ones! Your body
is for the Wonder Of the Cleaning
Treasure not for days and nights Of
ccaseless soaring! 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 muttering OBJ
iections. "1s it not glorious J" she cried.
"Come! They are nearly ready"
"You Unnatural Mother!" he burst
forth. "You have forgotten the Order
of Nature! You have forgotten your
Children! Your loving, precious, ten
der, helpless Little Opes" sAnd he
wepc-for his highest ideals were shat
tered.
But the Precious Little Ones stood
in row on the ridge-pole and tapped
their strong young wings in high de-
rision. They were as big as he was,
nearly; for as a matter Of fact he was
but a Young Stork himself.
Then the air was beaten white with
a thousand wings; it was like snow
and silver and sea-foam there was
flashing, whirlwind, hurricane CT
wild Joy, and then the Army Of the Sky
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