mboweled victims lie before you. The glory of a
statue to the great general means countless and nameless graves of
forgotten soldiers. The joy of the conquering army contrasts terribly
with the pain and poverty and unquenchable hate of the conquered."

"I see what you mean," rejoined Dorn. "Such teaching of children would
change the men of the future. It would mean peace for the generations to
come. But as for my boy--it would make him a poor soldier. He would not
be a fighter. He would fall easy victim to the son of the father who had
not taught this beautiful meaning of life and terror of war. I'd want my
son to be a man."

"That teaching--would make him--all the more a man," said Lenore,
beginning to feel faint.

"But not in the sense of muscle, strength, courage, endurance. I'd
rather there never was peace than have my son inferior to another
man's."

"My hope for the future is that _all_ men will come to teach their sons
the wrong of violence."

"Lenore, never will that day come," replied Dorn.

She saw in him the inevitableness of the masculine attitude; the
difference between man and woman; the preponderance of blood and energy
over the higher motives. She felt a weak little woman arrayed against
the whole of mankind. But she could not despair. Unquenchable as the sun
was this fire within her.

"But it _might_ come?" she insisted, gently, but with inflexible spirit.

"Yes, it might--if men change!"

"You have changed."

"Yes. I don't know myself."

"If we do have a boy, will you let me teach him what I think is right?"
Lenore went on, softly.

"Lenore! As if I would not!" he exclaimed. "I try to see your way, but
just because I can't I'll never oppose you. Teach _me_ if you can!"

She kissed him and knelt beside his bed, grieved to see shadow return to
his face, yet thrilling that the way seemed open for her to inspire. But
she must never again choose to talk of war, of materialism, of anything
calculated to make him look into darkness of his soul, to ponder over
the impairment of his mind. She remembered the great specialist speaking
of lesions of the organic system, of a loss of brain cells. Her
inspiration must be love, charm, care--a healing and building process.
She would give herself in all the unutterableness and immeasurableness
of her woman's heart. She would order her life so that it would be a
fulfilment of his education, of a heritage from his fathers, a passion
born in him, a noble w