第16章

类别:其他 作者:Olive Schreiner字数:10634更新时间:19/01/07 15:11:14
XII BUILDINGAHOME ItisnotgenerallyknownthatthemeetingoftheInternationalCouncilofWomenheldinChicagoduringtheWorld’sFairwassuggestedbyMissAnthony,aswasalsotheappointmentoftheExposition’s``BoardofLadyManagers。’’``AuntSusan’’kepthernameinthebackground,thatshemightnotarrayagainsttheseprojectstheopposi— tionofthoseprejudicedagainstwomansuffrage。 Webothspokeatthemeetings,however,asIhavealreadyexplained,andoneofourmostchasteningexperiencesoccurredon``ActressNight。’’Therewasagreatdemandforticketsforthisoccasion,aseveryoneseemedanxioustoknowwhatkindofspeechesourleadingwomenofthestagewouldmake; andtheprogrammeofferedsuchmagicnamesasHelenaModjeska,JuliaMarlowe,GeorgiaCayvan,ClaraMorris,andothersofequalappeal。Thehallwassoonfilled,andtokeepouttheincreasingthrongthedoorswerelockedandthewaitingcrowdwasdirectedtoasecondhallforanoverflowmeeting。 Asithappened,MissAnthonyandIwereamongtheearliestarrivalsatthemainhall。Itwasthefirsteveningwehadbeenfreetodoexactlyaswepleased,andwewerebothinhighspirits,lookingforwardtothespeeches,congratulatingeachotheronthegoodseatswehadbeengivenontheplat— form,andrallyingthespeakersontheirstagefright; for,muchtoouramusement,wehadfoundthemallinmortalterroroftheiraudience。GeorgiaCayvan,forexample,wassonervousthatshehadtobestrengthenedwithhotmilkbeforeshecouldspeak,andJuliaMarloweadmittedfreelythatherkneesweregivingwaybeneathher。Theyreallyhadsomethingofanordealbeforethem,foritwasde— cidedthateachactressmustspeaktwicegoingimmediatelyfromthehalltotheoverflowmeetingandrepeatingtherethespeechshehadjustmade。 Butinthemeantimesomeonehadtoholdtheim— patientaudienceinthesecondhall,andasitwasadutyeveryoneelsepromptlyrepudiated,arowofsuddenlyimploringfacesturnedtowardMissAn— thonyandme。Iadmitthatwerespondedtotheappealwithgreatreluctance。WewereSOcom— fortablewherewewere——andwewerealsodeeplyinterestedinthefirstintimateglimpsewewerehavingofthesestarsinthedramaticsky。Wesawourduty,however,andwithdeepsighsweroseanddepartedforthesecondhall,whereaglanceatthewaitingthrongdidnotaddtoourpleasureintheprospectbeforeus。 WhenIwalkeduponthestageIfoundmyselffacinganactuallyhostileaudience。Theyhadcometolookatandlistentotheactresseswhohadbeenpromisedthem,andtheythoughttheywerebeingdeprivedofthatprivilegebyaninterloper。NeverbeforehadIgazedoutonamassofsuchunresponsivefacesorlookedintosomanyangryeyes。Theywereexchangingviewsontheirwrongs,andthegen— eralbuzzofconversationcontinuedwhenIappeared。 ForsomemomentsIstoodlookingatthem,myhandsbehindmyback。IfIhadtriedtospeaktheywouldundoubtedlyhavegoneontalking;mysi— lenceattractedtheirattentionandtheybegantowonderwhatIintendedtodo。Whentheyhadstoppedwhisperingandmovingabout,Ispoketothemwiththefranknessofanoverburdenedheart。 ``Ithink,’’Isaid,slowlyanddistinctly,``thatyouarethemostdisagreeableaudienceIeverfacedinmylife。’’ Theygaspedandstared,almostopen—mouthedintheirsurprise。 ``Never,’’Iwenton,``haveIseenagatheringofpeopleturnsuchuglylooksuponaspeakerwhohassacrificedherownenjoymenttocomeandtalktothem。DoyouthinkIwanttotalktoyou?’’Ide— manded,warmingtomysubject。``Icertainlydonot。NeitherdoesMissAnthonywanttotalktoyou,andtheladywhospoketoyouafewmomentsago,andwhomyoutreatedsorudely,didnotwishtobehere。Wewouldallmuchprefertobeintheotherhall,listeningtothespeakersfromourcom— fortableseatsonthestage。Toentertainyouwegaveupourplacesandcameheresimplybecausethecommitteebeggedustodoso。Ihaveonlyonethingmoretosay。IfyoucaretolistentomecourteouslyIamwillingtowastetimeonyou;butdon’timaginethatIwillstandhereandwaitwhileyoucriticizethemanagement。’’ BythistimeIfeltasifIhadachildacrossmykneetowhomIwasadministeringmaternalchastise— ment,andtheuneasinessofmyaudienceunderlinedtheimpression。Theylistenedrathersulkilyatfirst; thenafewofthebest—naturedamongthemlaughed,andthelaughgrewanddevelopedintoapplause。 Theexperiencehaddonethemgood,andtheywereachastenedbandwhenClaraMorrisappeared,andIgladlyyieldedthefloortoher。 Alltheactresseswhospokethatnightdeliveredadmirableaddresses,butnooneequaledMadameModjeska,whodeliveredexquisitelyaspeechwrit— ten,notbyherself,butbyafriendandcountry— woman,ontheconditionofPolishwomenundertheregimeofRussia。Wewereallcharmedaswelistened,butnoneofusdreamedwhatthataddresswouldmeantoModjeska。Itresultedinherbanish— mentfromPoland,hernativeland,whichshewasneveragainpermittedtoenter。Butthoughshepaidsoheavyapricefortherevelation,IdonotthinksheeverreallyregrettedhavinggiventoAmericathefactsinthatspeech。 DuringthissameperiodIembarkeduponahighadventure。Ihadalwayslongedforahome,andmyhearthadalwaysbeenloyaltoCapeCod。NowIdecidedtohaveahomeatWianno,acrosstheCapefrommyoldparishatEastDennis。Deep—seatedasmyhome—makingaspirationhadbeen,itwasrealizedlargelyastheresultofchance。Aspecialhobbyofminehasalwaysbeenauctionsales。I dearlylovetodropintoauction—roomswhilesalesareinprogress,andbiduptothedanger—point,takingcaretostopjustintimetoletsomeoneelsegettheofferedarticle。ButofcourseIsometimesfailedtostopatthepsychologicalmoment,andtheresultwasasuddenrealizationthat,inthecourseoftheyears,IhadaccumulatedanextraordinarynumberofarticlesforwhichIhadnoshelterandnopossibleuse。 ThecrownjewelofthecollectionwasabedroomsetIhadpickedupinPhiladelphia。Usually,cautiousfriendsaccompaniedmeonmyauction— roomexpeditionsandrestrainedmyardor;butthistimeIgotawayaloneandfoundmyselfbiddingatthesaleofasolidbog—woodbedroomsetwhichhadbeenexhibitedasashow—pieceattheWorld’sFair,andwasnow,inthewordsoftheauctioneer,``goingforasong。’’Isangthesong。Iofferedtwentydollars,thirtydollars,fortydollars,andotherexcitedvoicesdrownedminewithhigherbids。 Itwasverythrilling。Iofferedfiftydollars,andtherewasahorriblesilence,brokenatlastbytheauctioneer’sfinal,``Going,going,GONE!’’Iwasmis— tressofthebog—woodbedroomset——asetwhollyoutofharmonywitheverythingelseIpossessed,andsohugeandmassivethattwomenwerere— quiredtoliftthehead—boardalone。LikemanyoftheprevioustreasuresIhadacquired,thiswasawhiteelephant;but,unlikesomeofthem,itwasworthmorethanIhadpaidforit。Iwasofferedsixtydollarsforonepiecealone,butIcoldlyrefusedtosellit,thoughthetributetomyjudgmentwarmedmyheart。Ihadnotthefaintestideawhattodowiththeset,however,andatlastIconfidedmydilemmatomyfriend,Mrs。EllenDietrick,whosagelyadvisedmetobuildahouseforit。Theideaintriguedme。Thebog—woodfurnitureneededahome,andsodidI。 TheresultofourtalkwasthatMrs。DietrickpromisedtoselectalotformeatWianno,wheresheherselflived,andevenpromisedtosupervisethebuildingofmycottage,andtoattendtoalltheotherdetailsconnectedwithit。Thusput,thetemptationwasirresistible。BesidesMrs。Dietrick,manyotherdelightfulfriendslivedatWianno——theGarrisons,theChasesofRhodeIsland,theWymans,theWel— lingtons——amostcharmingcommunity。IgaveMrs。 Dietrickfullauthoritytouseherjudgmentineverydetailconnectedwiththeundertaking,andthecottagewasbuilt。Havingputherhandtothisplowoffriendship,Mrs。Dietrickdidtheworkwithcharacteristicthoroughness。IdidnotevenvisitWiannotolookatmyland。Sheselectedit,boughtit,engagedawomanarchitect——LoisHoweofBoston——andfollowedthelatter’sworkfrombe— ginningtoend。TheonlystipulationImadewasthatthecottagemustbefaruponthebeach,outofsightofeverybody——reallyinthewoods;andthiswaseasilymet,foralongthatcoastthetreescamealmosttothewater’sedge。 Thecottagewasagreatsuccess,andformanyyearsIspentmyvacationsthere,fillingtheplacewithyoungpeople。FromthetimeofmysisterMary’sdeathIhadhadthegeneraloversightofhertwodaughters,LolaandGrace,aswellasofNicolasandEleanor,thetwomotherlessdaughtersofmybrotherJohn。Theywereallwithmeeverysum— merinthenewhome,togetherwithLucyAnthony,hersisterandbrother,Mrs。RachelFosterAvery,andotherfriends。Wehadspecialfishingcostumesmade,andworethemmuchofthetime。Myniecesworeknickerbockers,andIfoundvastcontent— mentinshort,heavyskirtsoverbloomers。Welivedoutofdoors,boating,fishing,andclammingalldaylong,and,asinmyearlypioneerdaysinMichigan,mypartoftheworkwasintheopen。I choppedallthewood,keptthefiresgoing,andlookedafterthegrounds。 Rumorsofourcare—freeandunconventionallifebegantocirculate,andpresentlyourEdenwasin— vadedbytheonlyserpentIhaveeverfoundinthenewspaperworld——agirlreporterfromBoston。Shetelegraphedthatshewascomingtoseeus;andthough,whenshecame,wehadbeenwarnedofherpropensitiesandreceivedherinconventionalattire,formallyentertainingherwithteaontheveranda,shewentawayandgavefreeplaytoahecticfancy。 Shewroteasensationalfull—pagearticleforaSun— daynewspaper,illustratedwithpicturesshowingusallinknickerbockers。InthisstrikingworkofartIcarriedafishnetandpoleandworeahandkerchieftiedovermyhead。Thearticle,whichwasheadedTHEADAMLESSEDEN,wasalmostlibelous,andI admitthatforalongtimeitdimmedourenjoy— mentofourbelovedretreat。Then,gradually,myoldfriendsdied,Mrs。Dietrickamongthefirst; othersmovedaway;andthecharacteroftheentireregionchanged。Itbecamefashionable,privacywasnolongertobefoundthere,andweceasedtovisitit。ForfiveyearsIhavenotevenseenthecottage。 In1908IbuiltthehouseInowoccupy(inMoylan,Pennsylvania),whichistherealizationofadesireIhavealwayshad——tobuildonatractwhichhadastream,agroveoftrees,greatbouldersandrocks,andahillsiteforthehousewithabroadoutlook,andarailroadstationconvenientlynear。ThefriendwhofinallyfoundtheplaceformehadbegunhisquestwiththepessimisticremarkthatIwouldbetterwaitforituntilIgottoParadise;buttwoyearslaterhetelegraphedmethathehaddiscovereditonthisplanet,andhewasright。Ihaveonlyeightacresofland,butnoonecouldaskamoreidealsiteforacottage;andontheplaceismybelovedforest,includingagroveofthreehundredfirs。 FromeverycountryIhavevisitedIhavebroughtbackatinytreeforthislittleforest,andnowitisasfullofmemoriesasofbeauty。 Tothesurpriseofmyneighbors,Ibuiltmyhousewithitsbacktowardthepublicroad,facingthevalleyandthestream。``Butyouwillneverseeanybodygoby,’’theyprotested。Iansweredthattheonepersoninthehousewhowasnecessarilyin— terestedinpassers—bywasmymaid,andshecouldseethemperfectlyfromthekitchen,whichfacedtheroad。Ienjoymyviewsfromthebroadverandathatoverlooksthevalley,thestream,andthecountryformilesaround。 EverysuffragistIhaveevermethasbeenaloverofhome;andonlytheconvictionthatsheisfightingforherhome,herchildren,forotherwomen,orforallofthese,hassustainedherinherpublicwork。Lookingbackonmanycampaignexperi— ences,Iamforcedtoadmitthatitisnotalwaystheprivationsweendurewhichmakeusthinkmosttenderlyofhome。Oftenwearemoreovercomebytheattentionsofwell—meaningfriends。AsanexampleofthisIrecallanincidentofoneOregoncampaign。Iwastospeakinasmallcityinthesouthernpartofthestate,andonreachingthestation,hot,tired,andcoveredwiththegrimeofamidsummerjourney,Ifoundawaitingmeadelegationofcitizens,abrass—band,andawhitecarriagedrawnbyapairofbeautifulwhitehorses。 Inthiscarriage,anddevotedlyescortedbytheciti— zensandtheband,thelatterplayingitshardest,I wasdriventotheCityHallandtheremetbythemayor,whodeliveredanaddress,afterwhichIwascrownedwithalaurelwreath。Subsequently,withthiswreathstillrestinguponmyperspiringbrow,I wasagaindriventhroughthestreetsofthecity; andifeverawomanfeltthatherplacewasinthehomeandlongedtobeinherplace,Ifeltitthatday。 AnalmostequallytryingoccasionhadSanFran— ciscoforitssetting。ThecityhadarrangedaFourthofJulycelebration,atwhichMissAnthonyandI weretospeak。Herewerodeinacarriagedeco— ratedwithflowers——yellowroses——whilejustinfrontofuswasthemayorinacarriagegorgeouslyfes— toonedwithpurpleblossoms。Behindus,formorethanamile,stretchedaprocessionofuniformedpolicemen,soldiers,andcitizens,whilethesidewalkswerelinedwithmenandwomenwhoseenthusiasticgreetingscametoMissAnthonyfromeveryside。 Shewasenchantedoverthewholeexperience,fortoheritmeant,asalways,notapersonaltribute,butatriumphoftheCause。ButIsatbyhersideacutelymiserable;foracrossmyshouldersandbreasthadbeendrapedahugesashwiththeword``Orator’’emblazonedonit,andthiswasfurtherembellishedbyastrikingrosettewithstreamerswhichhungnearlytothebottomofmygown。Itisalmostunnecessarytoaddthatthisremarkabledecorationwasfurnishedbyacommitteeofmen,andwasalsowornbyallthemenspeakersoftheday。 PossiblyIwasoverheatedbythesash,orbytheemotionsthesasharousedinme,forIwasstrickenwithpneumoniathefollowingdayandexperiencedmyfirstseriousillness,fromwhich,however,Isoonrecovered。 OnourwaytoCaliforniain1895MissAnthonyandIspentadayatCheyenne,Wyoming,astheguestsofSenatorandMrs。Carey,whogaveadinnerforus。AtthetableIaskedSenatorCareywhatheconsideredthebestresultoftheenfranchisementofWyomingwomen,andevenafterthelapseoftwentyyearsIamabletogivehisreplyalmostwordforword,foritimpressedmedeeplyatthetimeandI havesincequoteditagainandagain。 ``Therehavebeenmanygoodresults,’’hesaid,``buttheoneIconsiderabovealltheothersisthegreatchangeforthebetterinthecharacterofourcandidatesforoffice。Considerthisforamoment: Sinceourwomenhavevotedtherehasneverbeenanembezzlementofpublicfunds,orascandalousmisuseofpublicfunds,oradisgracefulconditionofgraft。Iattributethebettercharacterofourpublicofficialsalmostentirelytothevotesofthewomen。’’ ``Thoseareinspiringfacts,’’Iconceded,``butletusbejust。TherearethreemeninWyomingtoeverywoman,andnocandidateforofficecouldbeelectedunlessthemenvotedforhim,too。Why,then,don’ttheydeserveasmuchcreditforhiselectionasthewomen?’’ ``Because,’’explainedSenatorCarey,promptly,``womenarepoliticallyanuncertainfactor。Wecangoamongmenandlearnbeforehandhowtheyaregoingtovote,butwecan’tdothatwithwomen; theykeepusguessing。Intheolddays,whenwewentintothecaucusweknewwhatresolutionsputintoourplatformswouldwinthevotesoftheranch— men,whatwouldwintheminers,whatwouldwinthemenofdifferentnationalities;butwedidnotknowhowtowinthevotesofthewomenuntilwebegantonominateourcandidates。Thenweim— mediatelydiscoveredthatiftheDemocratsnomi— natedamanofimmoralcharacterforoffice,thewomenvotedforhisRepublicanopponent,andwelearnedourfirstbiglesson——thatwhateveracandi— date’sotherqualificationsforofficemaybe,hemustfirstofallhaveacleanrecord。Intheolddays,whenwenominatedacandidateweasked,`Canheholdthesaloonvote?’Nowweask,`Canheholdthewomen’svote?’Insteadofbiddingdowntothesaloon,webiduptothehome。’’ Followingthedinnertherewasalargepublicmeeting,atwhichMissAnthonyandIweretospeak。 Mrs。Jenkins,whowaspresidentoftheSuffrageAssociationofthestate,presidedandintroducedustotheassemblage。Thensheadded:``Ihaveintro— ducedyouladiestoyouraudience。NowIwouldliketointroduceyouraudiencetoyou。’’Shebe— ganwiththetwoSenatorsandthememberofCon— gress,thenintroducedtheGovernor,theLieutenant— Governor,thestateSuperintendentofEducation,andnumerouscityandstateofficials。AsshewentonMissAnthonygrewmoreandmoreexcited,andwhentheintroductionswereover,shesaid:``ThisisthefirsttimeIhaveeverseenanaudienceassembledforwomansuffragemadeupofthepublicofficialsofastate。Noonecaneverpersuademenowthatmenrespectwomenwithoutpoliticalpowerasmuchastheyrespectwomenwhohaveit;forcertainlyinnootherstateintheUnionwoulditbepossibletogathersomanypublicofficialsunderonerooftolistentotheaddressesofwomen。’’ ThefollowingspringweagainwentWest,withMrs。Catt,LucyAnthony,MissHayandMissSweet,hersecretary,tocarryonthePacificcoastcampaignof’96,arrangedbyMrs。CooperandherdaughterHarriet,ofOakland——bothwomenofre— markableexecutiveability。Headquarterswerese— curedinSanFrancisco,andMissHaywasputincharge,associatedwithalargegroupofCaliforniawomen。Itwasthesecondtimeinthehistoryofcampaigns——thefirstbeinginNewYork——thatallthemoneytocarryontheworkwasraisedbythepeopleofthestate。 Thelastdaysofthecampaignwereextremelyinteresting,andoneoftheirimportanteventswasthattheHon。ThomasReed,thenSpeakeroftheHouseofRepresentatives,forthefirsttimecameoutpubliclyforsuffrage。Mr。Reedhadoftenex— pressedhimselfprivatelyasinfavoroftheCause—— buthehadnevermadeapublicstatementforus。 AtOakland,oneday,theindefatigableandirresisti— ble``AuntSusan’’caughthimoffhisguardbyper— suadinghisdaughter,KittyReed,whowashisidol,toaskhimtosayjustonewordinfavorofouramendment。Whenhearosewedidnotknowwhetherhehadpromisedwhatsheasked,andashisspeechprogressedourheartssanklowerandlower,forallhesaidwasremotefromourCause。 Butheendedwiththesewords: ``Thereisanamendmentoftheconstitutionpending,grantingsuffragetowomen。ThewomenofCaliforniaoughttohavesuffrage。ThemenofCaliforniaoughttogiveittothem——andthenextspeaker,Dr。Shaw,willtellyouwhy。’’ Thewordwasspoken。Andthoughitwasnotaverystrongword,itcamefromastrongman,andthereforehelpedus。 Electionday,asusual,broughtitssurprisesandrevelations。Mrs。CooperaskedherChinesecookhowtheChinesewerevoting——i。e。,thenative—bornChinamenwhowereentitledtovote——andhere— plied,blithely,``AllChinamenvoteforBillyMcKeeand`NO’towomen!’’ItisaninterestingfactthateveryChinesevotewascastagainstus。 Alldaywewentfromonetoanotherofthepolling— places,andIshallalwaysrememberthepictureofMissAnthonyandthewifeofSenatorSargentwan— deringaroundthepollsarminarmateleveno’clockatnight,theirtiredfacestakingonlinesofdeeperdepressionwitheveryminute;forthecountwasagainstus。However,wemadeafairlygoodshow— ing。WhenthefinalcountscameinwefoundthatwehadwonthestatefromthenorthdowntoOak— land,andfromthesouthuptoSanFrancisco;buttherewasnotasufficientmajoritytoovercometheadversevotesofSanFranciscoandOakland。Withmorethan230,000votescast,weweredefeatedbyonly10,000majority。InSanFranciscothesaloonelementandthemostaristocraticsectionofthecitymadeanequalshowingagainstus,whilethesectionoccupiedbythemiddleworking—classwaslargelyinfavorofouramendment。Idwelles— peciallyonthiscampaign,partlybecausesuchsplen— didworkwasdonebythewomenofCalifornia,andalsobecause,duringthesameelection,UtahandIdahograntedfullsuffragetowomen。Thisgaveusfoursuffragestates——Wyoming,Colorado,Utah,andIdaho——andwepreparedforfuturestruggleswithveryhopefulhearts。 ItwasduringthisCaliforniacampaign,bytheway,thatIunwittinglycausedmuchembarrass— menttoaworthyyoungman。Atamass—meetingheldinSanFrancisco,RabbiVorsanger,whowasnotinfavorofsuffrageforwomen,advancedtheheart— eningtheorythatinathousandyearsmoretheymightpossiblybereadyforit。Afterathousandyearsofeducationforwomen,ofphysicallyde— velopedwomen,ofuncorsetedwomen,hesaid,wemighthavetheidealwoman,andcouldthenbegintotalkaboutfreedomforher。 Whentherabbisatdowntherewasashoutfromtheaudienceformetoanswerhim,butallIsaidwasthattheidealwomanwouldberatherlonely,asitwouldcertainlytakeanotherthousandyearstodevelopanidealmancapableofbeingamateforher。OnthefollowingnightProf。HowardGriggs,ofStanfordUniversity,madeaspeechonthemodernwoman——aspeechsoadmirablythoughtoutanddeliveredthatwewerealldelightedwithit。Whenhehadfinishedtheaudienceagaincalledonme,andIroseandproceededtomakewhatmyfriendsfrank— lycalled``theworstbreak’’ofmyexperience。 RabbiVorsanger’sidealwomanwasstillinmymind,andIhadbeenratherhardonthemeninmyreplytotherabbithenightbefore;sonowI hastenedtogivethiscleveryoungmanhisfulldue。 Isaidthatthoughtherabbithoughtitwouldtakeathousandyearstomakeanidealwoman,Ibelievedthat,afterall,itmightnottakeaslongtomaketheidealman。Wehadsomethingverynearitinaspeakerwhocouldrevealsuchability,suchchivalry,andsuchbreadthofviewasProfessorGriggshadjustshownthathepossessed。 ThatnightIsleptthesleepofthejustandthewell—meaning,anditwasfortunateIdid,forthemorningnewspapershadasurpriseformethatcalledforsteadynervesandasenseofhumor。Acrossthefrontpageofeveryoneofthemranstartlinghead—linestothiseffect: DR。SHAWHASFOUNDHERIDEALMAN TheProspectsAreThatSheWillRemaininCaliforniaProfessorGriggswasyoungenoughtobemyson,andhewasalreadymarriedandthefatheroftwobeautifulchildren;butthesefactswerenotper— mittedtointerferewiththefreeplayoffancyinjournalisticminds。Foraweekthenewspaperswerefilledwithallsortsofarticles,caricatures,andeditorialsonmyidealman,whichcausedmemuchannoyanceandsomeamusement,whiletheyplungedProfessorGriggsintoanabysmalgloom。Intheend,however,theexperienceprovedanexcellentoneforhim,forthepublicityattendinghisspeechmadehimdecidetotakeuplecturingasaprofession,whichheeventuallydidwithgreatsuccess。ButneitherofushasyetheardthelastoftheIdealManepisode。Onlyafewyearsago,onhisreturntoCaliforniaafteralongabsence,oneoftheleadingSundaynewspapersofthestateheraldedProfessorGriggs’sarrivalbypublishingafull—pagearticlebearinghisphotographandmineandthisflam— boyantheading: SHEMADEHIM AndDr。Shaw’sIdealManBecametheIdolofAmericanWomenandEarns$30,000aYearWehadotherunusualexperiencesinCalifornia,andthedisplayofaffluenceoneverysidewasnottheleastimpressiveofthem。Inonetown,afteraheavyrain,Irememberseeinganumberoflittleboysscrapingthedirtfromthegutters,washingit,andfindingtinynuggetsofgold。Welearnedthattheseboyssometimesmadetwoorthreedollarsadayinthisway,andthatthestreetsofthetown—— IthinkitwasMarysville——containedsomuchgoldthatasyndicateofferedtolevelthewholetownandrepavethestreetsinreturnfortherighttowashoutthegold。ThissoundslikethekindofthingAmeri— canstelltotrustfulvisitorsfromforeignlands,butitisquitetrue。 Nuggets,indeed,weresonumerousthatatoneofourmeetings,whenweweretakingupacollec— tion,Icheerfullysuggestedthatouraudiencedropafewintothebox,aswehadnothadanuggetsincewereachedthestate。Therewerenonuggetsinthesubsequentcollection,buttherewasanotewhichread:``IfDr。Shawwillacceptagoldnugget,Iwillseethatshedoesnotleavetownwithoutone。’’I readthisaloud,andadded,``Ihaveneverrefusedagoldnuggetinmylife。’’ Thefollowingdaybroughtmeapinmadeofaverybeautifulgoldnugget,andafewdayslateranotherCalifornianproducedaclusterofsmallernuggetswhichhehadwashedoutofapanfulofearthandinsistedonmyacceptinghalfofthem。I