The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Passing of Mars: A Modern Morality Play This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Passing of Mars: A Modern Morality Play Author: Marguerite Wilkinson Release date: August 6, 2018 [eBook #57650] Language: English Credits: Produced by MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PASSING OF MARS: A MODERN MORALITY PLAY *** Produced by MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been retained. _The_ Passing _of_ Mars A Modern Morality Play _By_ MARGUERITE WILKINSON Author of “In Vivid Gardens” and “By a Western Wayside” [Illustration] _Once, long ago, a peasant greatly desired to visit his king that he might obtain of him judgment and equity, and perhaps find favor. But he said within himself, “I am a faulty man; a homespun smock will scarce commend me to a king. I will stay at home and let others plead my case.” And when his case was taken before the king, (who was a good and just man) the king said, “Why did he not come himself? Homespun I can forgive if a man bring his soul and stand before me bravely. I will have no dealings with go-betweens.”_ _Here then, is my work, faulty, and plainly clad, but brave enough to go humbly before you who read and think, and by your thinking rule. If it find favor, it can be clothed anew in finer raiment. If judgment and equity prevail against it, surely it is well enough shrouded._ Copyright, 1915, by Marguerite Wilkinson To the memory of my father, a strong and valiant lover of the soul of man, and to his brave mate my mother PERSONS OF THE PLAY MARS, the ancient god of war. SOUL OF MAN, his immortal enemy. CAPITAL, } in cartoon costumes. LABOR, } RELIGION, two personalities. CULT, the bastard brother of RELIGION, a fantastic _poseur_. FLIP, a modern, the sophisticated intellect of large cities. SCIENCE, a strong youth in laboratory costume. POETRY, a serene old bard with a lyre. MUSIC, a fair woman. GLAMOUR, her seducer, wearing tinsel. TRADE, a harlot. THE OLD MOTHER, a plain sibyl of the people. Men, women and children of the fighting nations of Europe in national peasant costumes. [Illustration] THE SCENE _The World Field, at harvest time and set of sun. On the right is The World Inn, and, in front of it, on the ground, a prostrate figure, clad in black and bound, SOUL OF MAN. On the left, near the front, are trees and flowers, piles of fruit and vegetables, a wagon load of grain, and, in the foreground, a tangle of vines, in which lies MARS, fast asleep. On the steps of The World Inn sits THE OLD MOTHER watching the women of all nations who are sitting sewing, chatting and tending babies in the center. At the back a road winds across from left to right and young girls are walking up and down with arms around each other’s shoulders, singing and laughing. The melody (“The Happy Farmer”) dies away gradually and a church bell is heard--The Angelus. There is a religious silence lasting for a moment or two._ [Illustration] A WOMAN The Angelus! ANOTHER Already day is gone And gone almost as soon as we began it. So goes it nowadays! THE OLD MOTHER, It was not so-- Days did not hurry through sweet hours to joy When I was young, when I was bride and wife! FIRST WOMAN Another blessed eventide is come To bring to happy women-folk at last Their weary men, all hungry for their supper. A CHILD And some for me. I wants my suppie too! ANOTHER WOMAN Well, there’s a plenty. We are neighbors all And what one lacks the others can supply, For all the world will share the harvest feast. THE OLD MOTHER, Yea, all the world is here, or will be soon, Save my good mate and my five strapping lads Who were my world and rotted years ago. THE WOMAN There, mother, there--forget the old sad past, For all the world is sweet with harvest scent, And we are glad. Come, share with us our joy. THE OLD MOTHER, Forget? Forget? Who tells me to forget? A silly chit with everything to learn, A ninny who has lived while life is peace And therefore thinks that peace has always been As it is now. Say, girl, would you forget That man of yours torn from between your breasts And sent to splice with sabres and with shells? Could you forget a baby’s filthy death By plague or famine or infesting flies-- A son’s abasement or a daughter’s rape-- These things could you forget? I never shall. I would be of another race and kind, A woman who remembers what has been, Who knows that some day it may come again---- THE FIRST WOMAN Poor soul, there--I am sorry. I did not know. We speak but foolishly to soothe a pain Which we have never felt. THE OLD MOTHER, Ah, pray that you May never, never know what I have known. THE WOMAN Ay, that I will. But come, and share our joy, For there is none to-night to presage woe. THE OLD MOTHER, None save myself. My old bones feel the cold-- I sense a sorry blackening of the sun As night comes on, and any heap of fruit, Yes, any wagon load of yellow grain May hide from these old eyes their enemy. THE WOMAN (_shrugging her shoulders_) Well, hide your grief, poor soul, if grieve you must; The men, who look for rest, will soon be home. THE OLD MOTHER, But not to me are any comings home, Although I keep The World Inn day by day.... Yet ’tis an ill thing and a sign of trouble For to be weeping when the men come home-- The men, who should find smiles at set of sun, Who should be fed and coddled to their rest, These splendid children, when they come to us. I will make ready. I will dry my tears. (_Exit The Old Mother into the World Inn. Voices are heard without, coming nearer._) A WOMAN The men! ANOTHER WOMAN The men! ANOTHER WOMAN My husband--there he is! A CHILD Here is my daddie! Daddie, gimme a kiss! (_The men enter in groups of twos and threes with dinner pails and tools. They find their families or greet their sweethearts and most of the happy couples go off down the road together at the left. A few enter The World Inn. There is the rattle of dishes, laughter and good cheer. The sun sinks perceptibly and it grows darker. Enter Capital and Labor, quarreling._) CAPITAL The pumpkins here are mine, good fellow, mine! I bought the seed, you know. LABOR I broke the earth-- I strove with wind and frost and burning drought To make them grow more golden day by day. CAPITAL Tut, tut, man. That is nought. I own the land. You can but work it since I give consent. Small credit that a man does what he must If he would live. LABOR I gave my very life. CAPITAL (_snapping his fingers_) What is your life but like a billion more? (_Enter Flip, costumed as gentleman of fashion_) FLIP Are there indeed a billion Labors? If so, they will soon keep you busy, Capital, old top, as busy as you would like to keep them. You may grow thin--O consummation devoutly to be wished! just a little bit off the front--if these chaps keep on giving their lives to your pumpkins. But if there be a billion just alike-- CAPITAL In all the world there are but few like me! FLIP Amen. So be it. Too many yous in one street car would be the hell of a crowd, if you travelled in street cars. And too many yous would be poor company for one another. Wherever one man has a bulge to his stomach, another must find his a siege and a retreat. Well, friends, tell me your troubles, and I will be a judge without the recall and a jury without opinions to settle the case. LABOR Both of us love the lady men call Trade. FLIP The prettiest of all she-devils, she-- LABOR And she is pliant ever to his will Who has most power. And we do both contend That power resides in pumpkins--but I claim-- CAPITAL Of pumpkins we were speaking. Be exact. (_To Flip_) He claims them all because he planted them. Could he have planted them without my aid Who pay the wage that buys his daily bread? LABOR I furnish you, your bread, O Capital, And cake besides. You do not live on pumpkins! All, all is mine. Without me you would die. FLIP Peace, peace. Neither of you could live on pumpkins, nor on power, nor would it suffice for either to have complete possession of his heart’s desire, the harlot Trade. To live on pumpkins--Lord, what a diet! Thick--yellow--mushy--with never a hint of stimulation for the uplift of the soul. We must have souls, nowadays, for it is the thing. They are nearly as common as tuberculosis, and quite as tragic. But those who go awhoring think not deeply of their souls lest they repent. And I would not feed my soul on pumpkin to outwit Capital and appease Labor--no not I. Rather would I turn viticulturist and try the grape cure! LABOR Raisins or pumpkins, it is all the same; These things are mine, for I have made them be. I, I deliver earth of what she bears And am chief nurse at Nature’s lying-in. FLIP A very shocking nurse I will be bound--to go from the sacredness of Nature’s childbed, to woo Trade--verily, if the wages of sin be death, that would be going from the cradle to the grave! CAPITAL (_self-righteously_) For my part I make no pretense at all! FLIP (_slapping Labor on the shoulder_) Come, Labor, not so seriously, old top. It is not in good form to care so much. We are grown light of touch, to-day, and laugh at bombast. And as for the two of you, a true philosopher would tell you that, if you were a little more glib and smug, and Capital a little more smug and glib, men could scarce estimate the value of the one over the other? And what matters a label if, by accident, or skill, or the lack of it, the one of you can change places, sometimes, with the other? And what matters the ownership if I can so hamper your operations as to take too much toll from both? CAPITAL (_sulky and bewildered_) I do but set my label on my own-- LABOR A dollar sign on earth and sea and sky! FLIP A dollar sign is a good thing anywhere. I’d wear it over all the sense I have. And, were I to fill your place, Capital, I should be content with dollar signs and labels, and not dispute with poor Labor about his pumpkin pie. I would even give him more than one slice if he wanted it. He would then think himself rich, and lapse into content for an aeon or two. And surely there is more than one way of winning a lady? LABOR Be silent, Flip; I do not like your wit. This is The World Field that I till and sow And woo and threaten, and at last, coerce, Until it is the wife of my command To bear me children of my days of toil. Shall I be cheated of these children, then, With smiling face and showy courtesy? I tell you no. For I am grown too strong-- And I am wiser than I used to be-- I could make garbage of his flabby paunch And beat his brains to swill! FLIP (_with mock alarm, running to left and calling_) Trade! Trade! you jade--Come here and see your precious lovers fight.... (_Enter Trade, disdainfully, glancing first at Capital and then at Labor_) CAPITAL I claimed the pumpkins all for you, my dear. LABOR (_with less gallantry_) What is not his no decent man can claim. TRADE (_laughing immoderately_) Pumpkins? Who cares for pumpkins? No--not I. I only mentioned them to keep you busy, For I can hardly settle with you yet, Nor judge the better lover of the twain. For, at this time, great kings take thought for me-- Princes and leaders of the people crave My kindness--and myself. You two must wait. LABOR Know then it was not all for you I spoke, But for a principle--for that I fight. (_Labor turns up his sleeves, clenches his fist and takes a stride or two toward Capital, who is frightened and blows a whistle in alarm. Enter Religion from The World Inn, a little man in black, carrying a book, who trots up to Capital as to a master. Capital pinions his two arms and holds Religion in front of him. Labor laughs roughly and begins to pull off his shirt._) LABOR Come, Flip, your wit is all too deep for me, But, if Religion is to second him, I would depend on you in my good cause. Come, help me strip and then, a fight, a fight! FLIP (_Hesitates, goes to help him, speaks gently._) A fight is a noisy affair, Labor, and wakes many sleepers. There is one over in the corner who should not on any account be disturbed. For, once wakened, he is hard to quiet. LABOR You speak too late--come--help--my shirt is tight! FLIP (_seizing the shirt, gives one tug and then withdraws in haste, holding his nose._) You are too sweaty, Labor. Sorry, old top, but I can’t stand it. Muscles are a rare thing nowadays, and I would like to see yours, since you are not afraid to waken that old fear under the vines. And these modern epics are amusing, wherein Achilles carries a dinner pail and Ulysses turns syndicalist. But, if I must act as a second and pull off men’s shirts, commend me to a man who has money enough to buy soap and time for a bath, and that, though he were not half so good to look upon. LABOR (_outraged, and flinging his shirt at Flip_) Take you my sweat upon your silly face And stand aside to watch me fight alone.... CAPITAL (_Retreating and holding Religion in front of himself_) Preach me a gospel to this fighting fool, A pretty gospel of The Prince of Peace, Religion, you whom I have paid and kept. RELIGION (_Trying to command himself and speaking hurriedly_) I will, I will--but wait. For I must think-- The Word has not the weight that once it had. Come, Labor, my good man, what is amiss? Come, come, no fighting--that is very wrong.... Be meek and humble as the good book says! LABOR I loved the good book and its precepts well In the old days when first my faith in you Kept me from fighting save at your behest And for your sake. I listened to you, then. You were the Light and in your way I walked, Loving and dreaming; but the dreams are gone Like your old stature, fervency and power. Sermons in livery I will not heed, A flunkey’s stale rebuke I do abhor! A bought man cannot teach the strong and free-- My soul is pure, and will not brook your touch! FLIP His soul? Where is it, I wonder? They always talk about them, but where are they? Two dunderheads and an adlepate trying to make righteousness out of their own inclinations by converse about souls! bah! SOUL OF MAN Yet, where men are, I am--yes, even here! (_All look about and show that their attention has been arrested, but no one sees Soul of Man, nor discovers where the voice comes from._) LABOR (_to Religion_) Strip off that livery and get you gone. Because of faith that once I felt in you I cannot strike you now. But, O beware! For _he_ must meet me face to face alone. RELIGION (_Struggling to free himself from Capital and escape_) If they would only listen to me, now-- FLIP But they will not, Blackcoat, no. I can make men behave a few minutes at a time because I amuse them. One would think your derivative graces almost funny enough to serve the same purpose. But men do not want _you_ to be funny. They would have you large and majestic, and to-day you do not seem big enough to enforce attention from any but an audience of corpses. These two, Labor and Capital, are not corpses, but red-blooded men, having given themselves over to the same ha----fair lady, Trade. Unless you can regain your lost stature your day is over, Blackcoat, over. But do your best, for we still need you. RELIGION Then will I call my bastard brother Cult, To help me out and to abate this strife-- O Cult, come hither, I have need of you. (_Enter Cult in fantastic costume, carrying a crystal into which he gazes. He walks slowly, with an air of craft and mystery, and speaks in a droning monotone._) CULT Abracadabra--someone spoke my name-- The aura that I wear about me shivered As if for vocal contact. I am here. (_While Cult is speaking Trade comes slyly forward from the back, where she has been sitting, watching in disdainful amusement, and gradually draws nearer to the sleeping Mars._) RELIGION (_to Cult_) Brother, I need you here to stop a fight; Labor and Capital-- CULT Hush--I know all. I sense a mystery hidden in the brush-- I feel, feel, feel, who am so sensitive. I will look through my crystal till I find it, And when I find it, that will stop the fight! FLIP Abracadabra! He would look through a crystal to find what is hidden in brush and pumpkins. (_Trade seats herself on the shield of Mars and lights a cigarette_) LABOR Enough of nonsense. I am not a child That I should swallow all this mystic mush. If old Religion were what once he seemed, He never would have called on you, O Cult. (_Labor takes a step toward Capital again, and Religion makes a gesture of appeal to Flip._) FLIP Blackcoat, there is no use. There is but one enemy who can drain them of their feverish passions and so reconcile them, the same who lies sleeping under the brush in the corner. He has slept long, and while he has been sleeping, women have indulged their husbands and borne too many children, and the world is full to overflowing; men have indulged their families in new luxuries of all kinds. All fear temperance as they fear death, for, like death it curbs desire. The Soul of Man, of whom we constantly hear, has not yet made himself conspicuous, although the women’s clubs claim to know all about him. But, if the enemy should awaken-- (_Mars stirs in his sleep_) CULT (_Looking in another direction through his crystal_) I see it in my glass that he is dead-- (_Trade, leaning over Mars, and glancing back at the others maliciously, drops her cigarette on Mars and awakens him. Mars sits up and looks about._) CULT (_without seeing Mars and going off at right_) By all the initiates, my aura feels The pressure of the knowledge of his death Who was the olden enemy. I know all.... (_Mars rises and shakes his spear. Exeunt all the others, Capital and Labor in alarm, Religion timidly, Flip with a philosopher’s shrug, Trade laughing contemptuously._) (_The sky grows dark and Mars strides up and down, singing or chanting and shaking his spear._) MARS Long have I slept, but now have I awakened, I, mighty Mars, the lover of the arrow, I, mighty Mars, the giver of the sabre, I, mighty Mars, the maker of the shrapnel, Monarch of heroes, gallantry and death. I am a spirit of man’s body gendered, And, in the race, I am for everlasting, Calling mankind from home and task and kindred, Making men mad with foaming blood-delight. Kings I have kissed, with Victory and solace; Kings I have ruined. Who can stand beside me? Who is strong to quell me? Let him show his face? Long have I slept, while Trade, the busy harlot, Kept her delights for Capital and Labor; Now let the whirr of singing mills be silent! Now let the factory whistles hush their voices! Now let the harvests in the fields be rotted! Now let the shops be shut, the churches empty, That I may fill them with my sick and dying-- Mine is dominion over day and night. Night is at hand, and, in The World Inn feasting Sitteth mankind, while I am keeping vigil. Such blood is rich--the sweeter for my drinking-- Yea, I am avid of the fat of babies-- None will I have but such as are the strongest-- Cleanest and truest, proudest, richest, bravest-- (Never a weakling can abide my presence For I am Mars, and speak the word of death) Lo! I will call my servants to my colors-- One deed of fury licks a world to ashes-- Bright, blasting winds sweep over croft and hearthside Leaving life dead. Who comes to challenge me? SOUL OF MAN I challenge you, O Mars, though straitly bound. Lo! I shall break with love your ugly power. MARS A slave who would defy his conqueror! Why, I did bind you with resistless chains Long centuries ago when earth was young. SOUL OF MAN I have grown strong since then. MARS Not strong enough. For I have wakened from my years of rest As zealous as a child to play his game, And you, not I, shall feel the limits of time Grow thin and sag and break beneath your form, Letting you fall into annihilation Through crackling fringes of what might have been. SOUL OF MAN You rave, O Mars. What ravels with my weight Would break with yours, and yet this ancient stuff, This fibre of the human race is strong. You have most straitly bound, who cannot slay, That I might work the less in your long sleep, You, drunk with blood of lovers, satiate With rape of many women! Yet men grow And love you less than when your sleep began.... (_He struggles to free himself from his bonds, fails, in the attempt, falls forward on his face, groans. Mars laughs._) MARS Now I have need of my good servant, Science. Ho! Science! (_Enter Science in the costume of the laboratory with a test tube in his hand._) SCIENCE Yes, mighty Mars, I am here. MARS Science, once more I have great need of you. I want the howitzers of Titan gods, And mad torpedoes mightier than of old, And airy fleets to rend the dizzy Heavens, Zeppelins and lighter craft, ill-omened birds To prey upon the towns that lie below; And I want wicked, wondrous submarines, Sly, devilish monsters of the deeps unknown, And battle cruisers ruinous and grim. Make me a ration that will keep men strong The longer for their task of blood and tears, Which is my game, my spectacle, my joy. And find me doctors, apt with splintered bones, And keen to cut the rotten flesh from sound, And to sew bodies up like burlap sacks That they may keep their contents still secure. What say you, Science, will you serve me still? SCIENCE You know I am a neutral servant, Mars, To whomsoever can command my laws. I have not much emotion for a choice. Yet, were I free, to-day, I would say no; For I have great discoveries at heart And great experiments have undertaken Which yet may bring milleniums to men, Which must be interrupted if I yield. Therefore I would return to my own task, And yet, if Capital and Labor will it, I must obey you. I must do your will. MARS Labor and Capital! (_Enter Labor and Capital, still sullen_) I must have war; Capital you must fight to save your own In every separate nation where you dwell. You, Labor, in all lands that you call home, Must fight to guard it, and acquit you well. LABOR I like it not at all! CAPITAL No more do I! LABOR I wanted Trade, and peace. CAPITAL And I the same. LABOR And we had questions of our own to settle, This Capital and I. Not yet, old Mars! MARS Ay, now. Why Capital, you have grown so great You can work wonders over all the world. Have you no pride, O Labor? Such a hero, With such great shoulders and such stalwart thighs, With such swart manhood and such virile temper, Meseems should hear my mandate with more joy. For both of you can learn the way of fighting And better settle your own private quarrel For lessons stern that I alone can teach you. (_Labor and Capital turn toward each other and take a step or two away from Mars. They are muttering and murmuring together as Flip enters._) FLIP May Heaven have mercy on the sheepskin degree I cribbed for in college! What say the sages? A common fear unites foes of long standing. And here, verily, are Labor and Capital discoursing earnestly together like young brides on the subject of biscuits. Are you, then, the cause of their peace, O Mars? MARS Well asked. Indeed they are too much afraid To seem like men. Men used to be more bold When I was young. When earth was young with me They were not cowards-- LABOR AND CAPITAL (_wheeling about angrily_) Nor are we cowards today! FLIP More than a coward would fear you, master of blood-suckers. I like you not myself. I have come to distract you a moment from your fell intention. If I were forced to do military service I should hope to eschew your company, albeit you have taken your place in history as a celebrity, some lion, take it from me. But, roar as you will, I won’t invite you to my dinner parties. Nor could you convert me to your cause, for I am always ready to see both sides of a question, to embrace both ladies at once, as it were, with equal ardor and love. Apropos of that, friend Mars, a flea in your ear!... MARS Talk if you must, but do not talk too long.... FLIP (_speaking rapidly--even earnestly_) If you raise hob now, it will not add to your popularity one whit. There is nothing but stage bombast to fight about. There is a little need of Capital for expansion, and of Labor for more bread, since he breeds fifty per cent. too fast. There is the hope of enlarging certain rooms in The World Inn to accommodate more strangers, or else of reducing the number of travellers who wish to sojourn therein. But you are not essential in the development of these designs, nor will they give you a good background for the acting of melodrama. You cannot shout “God and the right!” as you did in the days when you were popular and more or less necessary. To-day you are a bluff and we know it. So does your enemy, one Soul of Man, a personage as yet invisible to me, who may one day dissolve even my divine impudence into prudent beauty and make a hymnal out of my wit. With this thought I leave you. Look well before you leap, you heavy-weight. You may land in the trenches! (_Exit Flip_) MARS He talks too much. I live for gallant deeds! You fellows here were arguing with me About my war. I will have your consent-- They would be cowards who would answer nay.... (_Reenter Flip_) FLIP Here is The Daily Bewilderer running headlines that will delight you, O Mars. Somebody has shot an arch-duke somewhere. Now, indeed, we shall be unable to hold you back! Now indeed we have fine cause for war! LABOR AND CAPITAL (_going rapidly to Mars_) We are not cowards. We serve you, mighty Mars. MARS My shield, my spear! Now am I well content. Go, Science, and prepare for this great war As Capital and Labor shall agree, And send me Poetry, my ancient friend! (_Exeunt Science, Labor, Capital, and Flip. Enter Poetry._) MARS Poetry, it was you, who made my fame, Who taught the people all the best of me-- POETRY Mars, I shall sing your praises nevermore, Nor shall the people need you evermore. I sing the people, as I always have, And, as they change, the new song of new times. Who till The World Field for the harvest’s sake And feast in The World Inn at set of sun, And mate with healthy joy in one another, And gladly breed the children of the flesh And of the spirit, and who build our homes, Who cleanse and fashion, and repair your wrongs, These are my folk, and their new songs I sing, And a new era, burning bright with peace. (_A chain breaks and frees the right arm of Soul of Man, who extends it in blessing toward Poetry._) SOUL OF MAN O Poetry, your word has broken bonds Forged long ago when earth was very young. Sing you for me till you and I together Shall leaven all this lump of humankind With the new yeast of kindly brotherhood. We’ll purge the old earth of this festering fear And heal this cancer! Poetry, sing on! MARS (_scornfully, to Poetry_) I need you not, then. I can do without you If I have Music and her seducer, Glamour. Come, Music! (_Exit Poetry. Enter Music, in bonds to Glamour._) GLAMOUR I brought her in. She would have stayed behind To sing with Poetry for all mankind. But, once deceived, she can go free no more Save in the triumph of the Soul of Man, Who is your thrall. Come, Music, my good wench, Tell Mars your service and your song are his. MUSIC If I must give myself against my will And where my instinct would make swift refusal, I will so give myself through Mars to men That, treading in his flashing path of pain, They shall know less of him because of me. And I shall be their glory when his guns Vomit black horror upon body and soul, And I shall be their solace in the hours When stiffening Death would have them for his own. Oh woe is me that listened unto Glamour! Yet I await your freedom, Soul of Man. MARS Tush, girl, a beauty like your precious self Has ever need of a more lusty lover-- And such am I, and such is Glamour here! What captive can a woman’s kisses keep? Come, take my kiss, and then, throughout the world, Sing me the ballads that do make men wild! Give me the froward chanteys of the camp, Beat me the marches unto Victory, Or, with bravado, even unto Death. Come, come; begin. The whole world waits for you! (_Music wipes tears from her eyes and sets a bugle to her lips. Exit Music, sounding the advance, followed by Glamour. Then in close succession and increasing volume are heard the national anthems of the warring nations of Europe, in the order in which they declared war. It is dark and lights flash out in the distance. There is more or less noise and confusion at the back. Horses, artillery, men, crossing and recrossing, running, marching, working. Mars, proudly erect in the center shouts “Good!” and repeats it. A man, marching in with others, leaves his group and runs to the steps of The World Inn._) THE MAN Are you there, dear? I have come to say farewell! A WOMAN (_coming out to meet him._) Beloved, must you go? I am alone, Alone in all the world, and of our love A child, a little human flower is coming-- Surely I need you most! THE MAN Tell him his father tried to do his duty And loved his country. Dear one, I must go.... (_They kiss passionately and the man rejoins his group and marches off. The woman flings herself down on the steps of The World Inn and weeps bitterly. There is more noise and confusion and then three youths come to the steps and call out._) THREE YOUTHS Mother.... O Mother.... Mother! (_A woman comes forward holding wide arms for the three_) THE WOMAN Children, you are not going--you, my babies? It seems but yesterday my body held you-- It seems but yesterday your toys were lying, Toy cannon and bright soldiers made of tin Upon the cottage floor. O children, children, Who are just old enough at last to leave me-- Surely you will not leave your poor old mother? ONE BOY The bugle called us and we must be going-- THE WOMAN, A bugle calls more strongly than a mother.... THE SECOND BOY We will come back to you as heroes, mother.... THE WOMAN, You were my heroes when you were my babies.... THE THIRD BOY You would not have us cowards to be near you.... THE WOMAN, I am Love’s coward--I never ... should ... have ... made you.... (_The lads kiss their mother and tear themselves from her arms. The anthems of the nations are repeated. The guns volley in the distance, getting louder and louder. Fires flame up and there is more or less noise and confusion. A woman runs out from The World Inn, sobbing._) THE WOMAN, I want my lover who was never mine. Will they not let him come to say farewell? Where are you, O Desired of all my days? (_She runs hither and thither looking for him, wildly, and finally stumbles against Mars, shrieks, and tries to escape, but is caught and held by him. Mars roars his elation and carries her off at left screaming. There is a pause, utter quiet, absolute darkness. Then Mars returns alone and stumbles into The World Inn._) MARS Now I can feast me to my full content, And then, a little while, I shall have rest. (_Exit Mars. There is another pause and silence while it gradually becomes lighter. Men and women are heard groaning, and, in the pale, eerie light, weird moth-like figures, like ghosts of the dead, flit here and there across the field. When it becomes light enough to see, all the world is changed. Flowers, fruit, produce are gone. The wagon that held the grain is now filled with corpses. On the ground are the sick and wounded, bandaged. The women waiting on them are lean, ragged, haggard. A few children are huddled together in silent terror. The scene is blackened as if by fire. On the steps of The World Inn sits The Old Mother, as in the beginning._) A WOMAN The dawn is nearly here, the strange grey dawn! ANOTHER WOMAN What bodes it now? Sunset or dawn or noon Are all alike to those who have seen hell And bear in body and soul the brand of sorrow. THE OLD MOTHER, ’Twas even as I feared and as I spoke. So was it, children, in my younger days, The days that I can nevermore forget. (_She rises and hobbles toward the wounded men._) Children of mothers’ flesh this cannot last Forever. I am old and soon I die, And nothing can torment me very long, Wherefore I speak what youth might fear to say To you, as to my sons of long ago, Who died, as all your friends have died, in war. A MAN Speak, for we listen. THE OLD MOTHER, That is very well, For this is murder that ye did commit, For glamour and for vanity and lust, For selfishness in trade, and for all freedom To breed your own kind over all the earth, Each for himself and his own kind alone, Forgetting that ye all have suckled mothers, Forgetting that ye owe us fealty, And that ye owe it to yourselves to be Staunch farmers of the World Field, and good friends, One flesh, one love, one state, one family. A MAN Even that we might be able to achieve If one would help us to the holy way. We fight not for ourselves, good mother, no! We fight for place, for honor and for home, For what the great, who lead us, say is best, The whims of senators, the dreams of kings; And often know not why our blood is poured, A turbulent, unholy river of lust. And when the people cry for war and shout The sure destruction of another nation It is because they fear and know that fear Is far more terrible than roughest strife. Nor are we fools to give up life with joy, Save when the feud of Capital and Labor Has made our minds a Hell of sordid warfare And clothed our gayety in querulous crepe. Then, in our desperate mourning for young joy, The sweetness and variety of life, The rainbow radiance and the cloth of gold That are youth’s great inalienable right, We know no other way and follow blindly The one mad way that gives a thrill of glory, And frees our pulsing life. So are we made.... But we, who lie on beds of bloody sweat, Washed by our women’s tears, we fain would see Another era of mankind made new, Young Titans, strong enough to war on war, This hoary curse from the stringy throat of Mars To answer and to silence and to choke! OTHER MEN Mother, the way--the upward way from Hell! THE OLD MOTHER, I’ll show it, thankfully, and, if I do, I can go gaily, gladly to my grave As one who treads a quickstep of her youth. See, children, that strange figure, Soul of Man, In bonds to our arch enemy and his? He is our friend, and all our life would share If we would only take him for our own. There is no morning made by sun and sea And towering mountains, larksong, flower breath And rapture, but his coming into it Can give a finer and diviner joy. There is no darkness, damp and fraught with death, Down-bearing, stifling, but his coming makes A rift of light, an easement of the strain. Now Mars, his foe, is held in ugly sleep, Full-fed on thin, raw flesh of women’s babes, Deep drunken on the sap of many hearts-- Be not deceived, for he will wake again, Unless ye learn of this good Soul of Man How to defy this Mars, and get you peace. Children, commend you to the Soul of Man. A MAN How can we free you, free you, Soul of Man? SOUL OF MAN I tremble--for my hour of joy is near.... Ah, can it be that I shall rise at last, Gay winged and glorious with the rising sun, To hover where mankind shall bloom anew In The World Field where only stubble was? Hearken! For now, together ye must go, Not here a few and there a few, but all, And hale him forth, this monster butcher, now, While he is full and has no lust to feed, Yes, hale him forth into the light and look, And looking, know him truly as he is. If for that look he wake, defy his power, For your own sakes fight one more fight for peace. A MAN Alas, we are too weak for this god Mars, And some of us have known him all too well. SOUL OF MAN Who does my bidding has no sense of fear-- For all the stars will shine into his night And all the winds acclaim him to the end. And this was true of Socrates and Christ, Of Lincoln and of all great harvesters In The World Field. It shall be so for you On the same terms of brave obedience. Do ye my bidding and ye shall be free And I, to live and grow with you, forever. (_The people talk together in twos and threes. Enter Capital and Labor, two lean cripples supporting one another, followed by Flip, who is wearing deep mourning._) SOUL OF MAN Labor and Capital, be well content To lend me but yourselves. I ask no money. I lay no tax upon you as did Mars. And I do promise you an opulent peace, Wrought out with right goodwill between you soon For I know well what others do not know, But should discover by your present plight, That you must ever win or lose together, Sharing each other’s burden and reward And I do promise sweet regeneration Your broken selves shall be made whole again When you have helped the people set me free.... (_Capital and Labor discuss the offer._) FLIP What will you do for me, O Soul of Man, whom I can see and perceive at last? I have lost many rich relations in this war and profited nothing--wherefore I wear mourning! But if I turn my wit to good account by making men’s anger funny, what will you do for me? SOUL OF MAN Your name, I’ll change, and you yourself, good Flip, You shall be my own Humor, kindly spoken, And my strong Reason leading men to Truth-- But look who comes with face of Galahad And thews of Ajax, wearing spotless white-- (_Enter Religion, a new personality, athletic and beautiful, wearing a short white garment with the symbols of the great religions wrought in gold upon the hem and carrying a shining cross. All the people turn and look and with one accord make obeisance._) THE PEOPLE Religion.... O Religion.... Religion! SOUL OF MAN Religion, have you come to serve the people? LABOR (_joyfully_) Are you the old guest, radiant and serene? CAPITAL And will you lead against this bully, Mars? RELIGION Listen, for with new power I come to you Seeking to serve, claiming a mighty task. I was a sinner who had nibbled Truth And let its sweetness all dissolve away Into the rancid spittle of dead dogmas. The loss of your allegiance was the stroke That cleansed and chastened me. I have spewed out All the old wordy liquor of dead days, And all the prowess of my being now Shall foster and defend the Soul of Man. (_The people cheer. A chain breaks, releasing the left arm of Soul of Man who reaches out both arms in benediction._) SOUL OF MAN Then welcome, and thrice welcome, good Religion-- Coming to serve, men will be glad to follow. O happy folk of ages yet to be New flowering from the pollen of the past, I see your budding glory everywhere. This is the spring and this the shining dawn-- The men shall be as great grave trees at rest With the new strength that grapples, grows, and gives, And the world’s women even as her men, And fruitful as the orchards of the valley, And little children dancing with delight Shall blossom fearlessly, in perfect grace, Like windblown poppies nodding in the sun. And all The World Field shall be cropped in peace And all the sheaves of life shall be brought home-- Such fruitage for High God is in your lives As I had never dreamed in life’s beginning. This is the dawn, the spring, and we are planting The harvest that the race shall gather in. Therefore to Mars, and quickly bring him hither! (_Religion and The Old Mother lead the people up the steps and into The World Inn, the people cheering and shouting. Then there is a moment of silence, after which they come out again, carrying the dead body of Mars._) A MAN He is dead, old Mars, and must have died of fear! (_The chains drop from the body of Soul of Man, and he, leaping to his feet, runs to take his place in the center, in front of the body of Mars and in a widening semi-circle of the people. His black garment falls on Mars, and Soul of Man is transfigured, a radiant figure in blue and gold and crimson, with flaming wings rising behind him and above. The people, also, are glorified by the rising of the sun behind them. They kneel._) (_There is heard the triumphant singing of “The Hallelujah Chorus”_). CURTAIN _Published and for sale by_ MARGUERITE WILKINSON CORONADO, CAL. Price, 50 cents, postpaid EXTRACTS FROM REVIEWS OF “IN VIVID GARDENS” “A rich contralto voice singing out of the deepest experiences of life.”--_Poetry._ “The emotions are human, lofty and honorable; their voicing is sincere, passionate, and at times exalted.”--_Twentieth Century Magazine._ “Few of the modern poets can so easily convince the doubting ones of the necessity of their vocation as the author of this slender volume of verse.”--_Chicago Daily News._ “Aside from their poetic beauty, the verses possess a dignity, wholesomeness and outspoken valiance that carry conviction. Sincerity is their dominant note; they are the utterance of one who has heard ‘the quiet but far-reaching voice of truth.’”--_The Craftsman._ “The vigor of its thought raises it above questions of technique, and it is poetry unquestionably, inevitably, simply because it is the authentic voice of womanhood proclaiming itself in the unfaltering accents of real passion.”--Harold Monro in _The Poetry Review_ (London, 1912). “Sincere, unconventional, forthright verse.”--_The Oakland Enquirer._ “A human document, even a social document.”--_The New York Times._ “Distinctly worthy of note.”--_Chicago Record-Herald._ “Here is a new song under the sun, a woman’s love song which neither pretends to be a man’s love song, nor confines itself to feelings which most men are accustomed to think of women as having. It is solar, not lunar; it is clear with its own light and warm with its own fire.”--_The Chicago Evening Post._ “The poems in this volume are as meat and wine to literary tastes.”--_Albany Times-Union._ “Not only do we have the woman spirit here, but a poetical spirit of no mean sort.”--_Zion’s Herald._ “It is clear, true poetry, without aping, effusiveness, or striving for effect; the refraction of momentous personal experience through a richly-dowered soul. It is also precious as an exquisite voicing of pure womanliness in its highest phase. It is worthy not only to be enjoyed, but to be studied as a clue to the soul of the coming woman.”--Edward A. Ross, Author of “Sin and Society,” “The Changing Chinese,” etc., etc. “No clearer voice than that of Marguerite Wilkinson sings today of the coming woman and of the democracy we are working for. ‘In Vivid Gardens,’ a glimpse into the souls of women, was her first book of poems.”--_Life and Labor._ “In Vivid Gardens,” Sherman, French & Co., Publishers, Boston *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PASSING OF MARS: A MODERN MORALITY PLAY *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. START: FULL LICENSE THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license. Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate. While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate. Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org. This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.