[Herland by Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman]@TWC D-Link bookHerland CHAPTER 10 7/25
I thought of that God of Battles of ours, that Jealous God, that Vengeance-is-mine God.
I thought of our world-nightmare--Hell. "You have no theory of eternal punishment then, I take it ?" Ellador laughed.
Her eyes were as bright as stars, and there were tears in them, too.
She was so sorry for me. "How could we ?" she asked, fairly enough.
"We have no punishments in life, you see, so we don't imagine them after death." "Have you NO punishments? Neither for children nor criminals--such mild criminals as you have ?" I urged. "Do you punish a person for a broken leg or a fever? We have preventive measures, and cures; sometimes we have to 'send the patient to bed,' as it were; but that's not a punishment--it's only part of the treatment," she explained. Then studying my point of view more closely, she added: "You see, we recognize, in our human motherhood, a great tender limitless uplifting force--patience and wisdom and all subtlety of delicate method.
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