Chapter I: Front Matter

IN THIS OUR WORLD

IN THIS OUR WORLD

CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN

BOSTON
SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS

_Copyright, 1893, 1895_
BY CHARLOTTE PERKINS STETSON

_Copyright, 1898_
BY SMALL, MAYNARD & COMPANY

_Entered at Stationers’ Hall_

_Fifth edition, 1914_

WOULD YE BUT UNDERSTAND!
JOY IS ON EVERY HAND!
YE SHUT YOUR EYES AND CALL IT NIGHT,
YE GROPE AND FALL IN SEAS OF LIGHT—
WOULD YE BUT UNDERSTAND.

CONTENTS.

THE WORLD PAGE

BIRTH 1

NATURE’S ANSWER 2

THE COMMONPLACE 4

HOMES—A SESTINA 7

A COMMON INFERENCE 8

THE ROCK AND THE SEA 9

THE LION PATH 12

REINFORCEMENTS 13

HEROISM 14

FIRE WITH FIRE 16

THE SHIELD 18

TO THE PREACHER 19

A TYPE 20

COMPROMISE 21

PART OF THE BATTLE 22

STEP FASTER, PLEASE 23

A NEW YEAR’S REMINDER 23

OUT OF PLACE 24

LITTLE CELL 25

THE CHILD SPEAKS 26

TO A GOOD MANY 28

HOW WOULD YOU? 29

A MAN MUST LIVE 33

IN DUTY BOUND 33

DESIRE 34

WHY NOT? 35

OUT OF THE GATE 36

THE MODERN SKELETON 39

THE LESSON OF DEATH—TO S. T. D. 40

FOR US 43

THANKSGIVING 44

CHRISTMAS HYMN 44

CHRISTMAS 46

THE LIVING GOD 48

A PRAYER 50

GIVE WAY! 50

THANKSGIVING HYMN—FOR CALIFORNIA 51

CHRISTMAS CAROL—FOR LOS ANGELES 52

NEW DUTY 54

SEEKING 55

FINDING 56

TOO MUCH 57

THE CUP 58

WHAT THEN? 59

OUR LONELINESS 60

THE KEEPER OF THE LIGHT 61

IMMORTALITY 62

WASTE 63

WINGS 64

THE HEART OF THE WATER 66

THE SHIP 67

AMONG THE GODS 67

SONGS 69

HEAVEN 71

BALLAD OF THE SUMMER SUN 71

PIONEERS 74

EXILES 74

A NEVADA DESERT 75

TREE FEELINGS 76

MONOTONY—FROM CALIFORNIA 77

THE BEDS OF FLEUR-DE-LYS 78

IT IS GOOD TO BE ALIVE 79

THE CHANGELESS YEAR—SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 80

WHERE MEMORY SLEEPS—RONDEAU 81

CALIFORNIA CAR WINDOWS 81

LIMITS 82

POWELL STREET 82

From Russian Hill 85

“AN UNUSUAL RAIN” 86

THE HILLS 88

CITY’S BEAUTY 89

TWO SKIES—FROM ENGLAND 90

WINDS AND LEAVES—FROM ENGLAND 91

ON THE PAWTUXET 92

A MOONRISE 93

THEIR GRASS!—A PROTEST FROM CALIFORNIA 93

THE PROPHETS 95

SIMILAR CASES 95

A CONSERVATIVE 100

AN OBSTACLE 102

THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL 104

THE SWEET USES OF ADVERSITY 105

CONNOISSEURS 106

TECHNIQUE 107

THE PASTELLETTE 108

THE PIG AND THE PEARL 109

POOR HUMAN NATURE 111

OUR SAN FRANCISCO CLIMATE 111

CRITICISM 113

ANOTHER CREED 113

THE LITTLE LION 114

A MISFIT 115

ON NEW YEAR’S DAY 116

OUR EAST 117

UNMENTIONABLE 118

AN INVITATION FROM CALIFORNIA 120

RESOLVE 121

WOMAN

SHE WALKETH VEILED AND SLEEPING 125

TO MAN 125

WOMEN OF TO-DAY 128

TO THE YOUNG WIFE 129

FALSE PLAY 131

MOTHERHOOD 132

SIX HOURS A DAY 136

AN OLD PROVERB 137

REASSURANCE 138

MOTHER TO CHILD 140

SERVICES 142

IN MOTHER-TIME 144

SHE WHO IS TO COME 146

GIRLS OF TO-DAY 147

“WE, AS WOMEN” 148

IF MOTHER KNEW 150

THE ANTI-SUFFRAGISTS 152

WOMEN DO NOT WANT IT 154

WEDDED BLISS 157

THE HOLY STOVE 158

THE MOTHER’S CHARGE 160

A BROOD MARE 161

FEMININE VANITY 164

THE MODEST MAID 166

UNSEXED 168

FEMALES 169

A MOTHER’S SOLILOQUY 171

THEY WANDERED FORTH 173

BABY LOVE 174

THE MARCH

THE WOLF AT THE DOOR 177

THE LOST GAME 179

THE LOOKER-ON 181

THE OLD-TIME WAIL 184

FREE LAND IS NOT ENOUGH 186

WHO IS TO BLAME? 187

IF A MAN MAY NOT EAT NEITHER CAN HE WORK 189

HIS OWN LABOR 190

AS FLEW THE CROSS 193

TO LABOR 194

HARDLY A PLEASURE 195

NATIONALISM 197

THE KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE KING! 199

“HOW MANY POOR!” 200

THE DEAD LEVEL 203

THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE 204

THE AMŒBOID CELL 205

THE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 208

DIVISION OF PROPERTY 209

CHRISTIAN VIRTUES 210

WHAT’S THAT? 213

AN ECONOMIST 215

CHARITY 217

THE WORLD.

BIRTH.

Lord, I am born!
I have built me a body
Whose ways are all open,
Whose currents run free,
From the life that is thine
Flowing ever within me,
To the life that is mine
Flowing outward through me.

I am clothed, and my raiment
Fits smooth to the spirit,
The soul moves unhindered,
The body is free;
And the thought that my body
Falls short of expressing,
In texture and color
Unfoldeth on me.

I am housed, O my Father!
My body is sheltered,
My spirit has room
’Twixt the whole world and me,
I am guarded with beauty and strength,
And within it
Is room for still union,
And birth floweth free.

And the union and birth
Of the house, ever growing,
Have built me a city—
Have born me a state—
Where I live manifold,
Many-voiced, many-hearted,
Never dead, never weary,
And oh! never parted!
The life of The Human,
So subtle—so great!

Lord, I am born!
From inmost to outmost
The ways are all open,
The currents run free,
From thy voice in my soul
To my joy in the people—
I thank thee, O God,
For this body thou gavest,
Which enfoldeth the earth—
Is enfolded by thee!

NATURE’S ANSWER.

I.

A man would build a house, and found a place
As fair as any on the earth’s fair face:

Soft hills, dark woods, smooth meadows richly green,
And cool tree-shaded lakes the hills between.

He built his house within this pleasant land,
A stately white-porched house, long years to stand;

But, rising from his paradise so fair,
Came fever in the night and killed him there.

“O lovely land!” he cried, “how could I know
That death was lurking under this fair show?”

And answered Nature, merciful and stern,
“I teach by killing; let the others learn!”

II.

A man would do great work, good work and true;
He gave all things he had, all things he knew;

He worked for all the world; his one desire
To make the people happier, better, higher;

Used his best wisdom, used his utmost strength;
And, dying in the struggle, found at length,

The giant evils he had fought the same,
And that the world he loved scarce knew his name.

“Has all my work been wrong? I meant so well!
I loved so much!” he cried. “How could I tell?”

And answered Nature, merciful and stern,
“I teach by killing; let the others learn.”