“Very well, mother, do as you like. We would sooner you were taking the honors because they, like a uniform, show where each person belongs. In our old town the name was sufficient, but customs have changed. People are thinking more deeply than they used to do and it has become necessary to classify our members so all may know where each stands. The old families were honored because of their wealth and their influence and their ability to employ dependent people.”
“Well, my dear, what has this to do with me?”
“The society wishes to honor you because your life has been honorable in every way. You are a woman of good, sound judgment and are badly needed in the Council. Only honorable members can sit in the Council and we are anxious to have an equal number of men and women preside. Only women can understand all that is in a woman’s life, and they must not shirk from their duty. Both women’s and children’s interests are involved and until the members become more accustomed to seeing their interests as fully recognized as the men, they will suffer. It is the duty of our Council to define carefully the value of every man, woman and child’s labor, for there is a mental as well as a physical value to be considered and this needs fine calculating. Only one just and right way is by the profits when the products are either sold or exchanged. The profit must be the value awarded all equally. If a child earns as much as a grown person, that child must receive the same amount. Mother, you have thought more deeply than the majority of women and have the faculty of seeing the point at issue more clearly than most women, or men, either, for that matter.”
“You know the strawberries were picked by children mostly this year. Well, do you know those children didn’t get as much as the grownup people for the same labor?”
“Well, why not?”
“Because some of the Council argued that children’s time was not of as much value as an adult’s. Now that was not just under this new system, for it aims to give full value for the labor done, no matter by whom. I claim that when the berries were sold for the same price as those picked by adults, that the children had the same right to the profits.”
“So do I. But you know I have never had anything to do with public affairs and am pretty old to be drawn into it now.”
“There is one thing certain, mother, you cannot start younger, so please think it over, for you are needed.”
Not long after this Mrs. Vivian heard an old woman and the secretary counting how much was coming to her from her summer’s work. He looked over the accounts and told her. Mrs. Vivian thought it was a small amount. She remembered how hard the poor old soul had worked all summer, never losing a day and being always ready to do everything. A young man asked about his account and was told, but Mrs. Vivian knew the young fellow and was familiar with his habits. She knew that he had not worked as the old woman had, still he had double the amount to his credit and they had both done the same amount of work.
Mrs. Vivian had a talk with the woman a few days afterwards. She saw her limping along when Mrs. Vivian questioned her. She said she was thankful to be allowed to stay in the colony as she had been unable to pay the dues.