A California Girl

by Edward Eldridge

"I received an invitation to make my home with one of them during my stay in the city of Semhee, which I was glad to accept. I found the life in the home to be very much like that in the hotel, so far as bathing, devotions, and meals were concerned. One evening a young lady called at the house to see a young man who is a son of my host. The young lady stayed about two hours, making herself very agreeable to the young man, and upon taking her leave she invited him to accompany her the next evening to a concert. He accepted. The next evening she came and called for him, took him to the concert and saw him home. It seemed she had been very friendly with him for about two months. The following Sunday afternoon the young lady called for the young man and took him to the park, and as I was informed afterwards when the two were in a very secluded place, surrounded by shrubbery, she, in a very pretty way, told him that the more she was with him and the more she saw of him, the more she felt impressed that she loved him, and had found in him a true companion, and wished to know how he felt towards her. As he was in exactly the same state of mind towards her as she was towards him, they were engaged to be married. I became interested in this couple, and observed that sometimes the young lady would call and see him and take him out, and sometimes the young man would call and see the young lady and take her out. I do not wish to give the reader the impression that the young ladies of Tiestan always commence the courtship, for it is as customary for a young man to commence a courtship as for a young lady. The privilege and pleasure of commencing a courtship belongs as much to one sex as the other.

"One afternoon I was walking along the banks of the beautiful river which flows through the suburbs of the city of Semhee, and saw a number of boys and girls, also men and women, all enjoying themselves swimming. They would swim awhile and then come out, stand or sit on the bank of the river for another while. Sometimes there would be seen several hundred persons of all ages on the banks of the river. They no more thought about their respective natures than they did about the number of hairs on their head. Among those I saw on the banks of the river was this very young man and young lady who were engaged to be married. They were standing up side by side ready to take a plunge in the river, and in they went and swam about very gracefully. While they were in the water they both saw me standing on the bank opposite to where they had stood on the other. They swam to where I was, and came out of the water to me, and we had a little chat.

"If the young lady was invited to stay over night at the young man's house, she would take her bath with the other members of the family in the morning, and if the young man received an invitation to stay all night at the home of the young lady, he, in the morning, would take his bath with the members of her family.

"About a month after the engagement the two were married. The city Semhee employs four persons who can perform the marriage ceremony, two men and two women. They were married at the home of the young man. A lady came to perform the ceremony. She told the couple to stand up and take hands, and then she asked the young man—calling him by name—if he would have this woman—calling her by name—to be his wife, and he answered, 'Yes.' Then she asked the young lady—calling her by her name—would she have this man—calling him by his name—as her husband, and she answered, 'Yes.' Then she said: 'In the presence of these witnesses I declare you to be man and wife.' The two then signed a document stating they were man and wife, which was put on record, and that ended the ceremony. They were very happy, for each one found in the other a true, loving companion, and they were one intellectually and spiritually.

"As women are engaged in the professions, in business, and perform all kinds of service as men do, receiving the same compensation, they are just as financially independent as men are, and, therefore, have no other motive for marrying than that of true, pure love, finding in each other a true intellectual and spiritual companion. Of children they have few, for they believe in quality, and not quantity.

"The intellectual and spiritual life predominates over the animal in all its inhabitants. Do not think from what I have written about the ladies of Tiestan that they are masculine women. Far from it. They are just as sweet, pretty, entertaining, attractive, and graceful as any women to be found in the world. Yes, far more so, for their hours of duty are short. They have no care, anxiety or sickness to speak of, and their environments are such as to bring to the surface all that is pure, good, noble, and sweet; and, above all, the traveler finds the ladies of Semhee to be real, genuine, and sincere in character."

When Stella had finished reading her selection from Burnette's book, her mother had a big laugh, and asked her if she wanted to go to Semhee.

"No, mother, it is not Semhee I wish to visit just now, though some day I certainly would like to see the city of Semhee and meet the accomplished, enlightened, and free women of Tiestan. What I do want to see is the women of this country, where there is so much boast of liberty and freedom, free themselves from the awful bondage of sex superstition, and all other bondages that have been heaped upon them by people of the Dark Ages because they are women. Even those who talk so much about woman's rights, are in bondage up to their necks. Look at Laura Stevenson in Orangeville; a fine bright young girl, who makes a hobby of woman's rights, and yet see the bondage she is in. A fine young man whom she was supposed to respect very much, lay sick in his cabin all alone, and with all her talk about her independence and freedom, she never went to see him because he was alone and there was no woman there. She being a young woman, thought it would not be proper for her to do it. Laura Stevenson's independence and liberty consist in having her own way in a few things. She does not know what freedom is. Her freedom is all sham, and with no reality in it. Then there is Nora Parks, who is supposed to be advanced, and talks much on woman's freedom; but watch her how very particular she is in her conduct with young men who are good, lest she should excite the jealousy of her husband. Therefore, she is not free, but in bondage to his foolish, uncalled for jealous feelings. Talk about women being free, they don't know anything about freedom, for they are all in bondage of some kind or other."

Mrs. Wheelwright said: "Stella, among the many fine thoughts which Burnette brings out in the description of the women of Semhee, that is a great one which shows woman to be financially independent of man, previous to marriage and after marriage, too. Therefore, she can have no other motive for marrying a man than that of mating herself to a true companion. When that is done the two act as one light, whose rays reach out and shine on all around them. Blessed is such a life."

"Mother," said Stella, "I do not fully understand the meaning of the writing on the bedroom door, which Burnette describes. You remember that part which reads: 'Sex is an illusion.' I understand too well the meaning of being in bondage to sex, but that sex is an illusion I do not see the meaning of, because we know that sex is real and has its use and purpose."