PRELUDE.

urewhichfoundnosacredpoetandsankunweptintooblivion.Withdimlightsandtangledcircumstancetheytriedtoshapetheirthoughtanddeedinnobleagreementbutafterall,tocommoneyestheirstrugglesseemedmereinconsistencyandformlessnessfortheselater-bornTheresaswerehelpedbynocoherentsocialfaithandorderwhichcouldperformthefunctionofknowledgefortheardentlywillingsoul.Theirardoralternatedbetweenavagueidealandthecommonyearningofwomanhoodsothattheonewasdisapprovedasextravagance,andtheothercondemnedasalapse. SomehavefeltthattheseblunderinglivesareduetotheinconvenientindefinitenesswithwhichtheSupremePowerhasfashionedthenaturesofwomen:iftherewereoneleveloffeminineincompetenceasstrictastheabilitytocountthreeandnomore,thesociallotofwomenmightbetreatedwithscientificcertitude.Meanwhiletheindefinitenessremains,andthelimitsofvariationarereallymuchwiderthananyonewouldimaginefromthesamenessofwomen’scoiffureandthefavoritelove-storiesinproseandverse.Hereandthereacygnetisreareduneasilyamongtheducklingsinthebrownpond,andneverfindsthelivingstreaminfellowshipwithitsownoary-footedkind.HereandthereisbornaSaintTheresa,foundressofnothing,whoselovingheart-beatsandsobsafteranunattainedgoodnesstrembleoffandaredispersedamonghindrances,insteadofcentringinsomelong-recognizabledeed.