learned to appreciate the exquisite mastery with which we ourselves,
strangers of alien race, of unknown opposite sex, had been understood
and provided for from the first.

With this wide, deep, thorough knowledge, they had met and solved the
problems of education in ways some of which I hope to make clear later.
Those nation-loved children of theirs compared with the average in our
country as the most perfectly cultivated, richly developed roses compare
with--tumbleweeds. Yet they did not SEEM "cultivated" at all--it had all
become a natural condition.

And this people, steadily developing in mental capacity, in will power,
in social devotion, had been playing with the arts and sciences--as
far as they knew them--for a good many centuries now with inevitable
success.

Into this quiet lovely land, among these wise, sweet, strong women, we,
in our easy assumption of superiority, had suddenly arrived; and now,
tamed and trained to a degree they considered safe, we were at last
brought out to see the country, to know the people.

CHAPTER 7. Our Growing Modesty

Being at last considered sufficiently tamed and trained to be trusted
with scissors, we barbered ourselves as best we could. A close-trimmed
beard is certainly more comfortable than a full one. Razors, naturally,
they could not supply.

"With so many old women you'd think there'd be some razors," sneered
Terry. Whereat Jeff pointed out that he never before had seen such
complete absence of facial hair on women.

"Looks to me as if the absence of men made them more feminine in that
regard, anyhow," he suggested.

"Well, it's the only one then," Terry reluctantly agreed. "A less
feminine lot I never saw. A child apiece doesn't seem to be enough to
develop what I call motherliness."

Terry's idea of motherliness was the usual one, involving a baby in
arms, or "a little flock about her knees," and the complete absorption
of the mother in said baby or flock. A motherliness which dominated
society, which influenced every art and industry, which absolutely
protected all childhood, and gave to it the most perfect care and
training, did not seem motherly--to Terry.

We had become well used to the clothes. They were quite as comfortable
as our own--in some ways more so--and undeniably better looking. As to
pockets, they left nothing to be desired. That second garment was fairly
quilted with pockets. They were most ingeniously arranged, so as to be
conven