, 1923-05-13
SOULS FOR SALE".--A Great Novel OF HoHyovood Ii

led her away to a prison called home.
a locked stable where she would be
kept for breeding purposes and sup
plefnented with other, mates IL she
failed of her -one great duty.
They had thought 1t beautiful not
so long ago for a l4-year-old CIR, to
ave a child. Now. in the more de
cent states. 1t was called abduction
or seduction to marry a girl, even
with her parents consent, before sine
was l6: the husband could be sent
10 prison for the crime.
Today all the American women
were VOTERS. millions OF them were
independent money makers. And
this seemed right to Mem, though
preachers had shrieked that 1t meant
the end of all morality. But morality
is as indestructibie as any other hu.
man instinct The obscene old ideal.
that reproduction was the prime OBJ
legation Of womanhood revolted Mem.
What was h use of devoting ones
life merely to passing life along to
another generation? The fish, the
Insects, tho beasts of the field. did
that much n only achieved pro.
gressless procession round and round
the same old ring of instincts: each
generation handed over like a slave
to unborn masters. themselves the
slayes of the unborn. Who pronted?
To the women of Mems time and
Minis the ~old-fashioned woman was
neither wise nor good. but a futile
/ female Nvhn doror-~a1 a. d.
accepted.
Fol- each generation to climb as
high as 1t could was surely its first
duty. Love would take care hat sue.
cessors should be born. and science
would protect the young better than
all the Die mother-murdering systems.
1t was only in the last few years that
science. freed from religious medd,ing
had checked the deathe rate that had
slaughtered infants by the billion un.
der priestly rule. And now birth.
control was the crying need.
Marriage had mover been the whole
duty OF man, and Mem was sure that
never again would 1t be the whole
duty of m A man had ALWAYS
heretofore felt that he should assure
his W career before he took on the
letters of matrimony. And a woman
would always hereafter feel the same
thing.
Terrible euphemisms for slavish-
ness miscalled meekness. submissive
ness. modesty. piety. propriety had
been held as lashes over women fer
ages. Now whipping was ont of style.
A girl could go where she pleased
and go alone. She could, AXE care
Of herself better han men had ever
taken care of her. There had al
! ways been something wrong about
letting the wolves elect themselves
rs guardians of the W lambs.
Her mother was with Mem and
that satisfied some people. 1t made
her father happier. But the real
reason for her mothers presence was
that Mem wanted the poor old soul
to get n little fun out of life before
1t was too late. She and her mother
were merely young girl and old girl
in n globe-trotting adventure.
Mem was stiil awake. or was awak.
ened from a half sleep. when the
racket of h wheels upon the rails
sounded n deeper note. She guessed
that the train must be crossing a
bridge. She rose and leaned softly
across the bed where her. mother
dreamed of tho bid home and the ex.
hausting demands of her children.
Mem lifted the edge of the curtain
aside n little and peered out. The
train was in niidair. passing through
a channel Of rafting Orders. The
vast water that swept beneath moon.
1T and placid was the Mississippi
going south IN the night. II would
soon flow past Caiverly. She remem.
drowning herself in its flood to hide
her shame there and solve her prob
lem. The equation OF all the ks and
US of her life had seemed to be zero.
Now 1t was infinity. How wonder
full It was that she had not yielded &c
despairl 1t gave her an idea for a
picture.
Nearly everything was taking the
scenario form in her meditations now
adays. Wouldn't 1t make a greai
film to show a desperate girl fling
Ing herself in n river to hide hci
shame. and then to have II rol. be
fore her the life she might have
lived IL she had not drowned herself
Scenes of struggle n triumph use
fulness and helpfulness, joy and love
could follow and then fadeout In tn
drifting body OF the dead girl who
had lost her chance
~ T. A. - 49,