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Lady Windermere; before Heaven your husband is guiltless of all

offence towards you!  And II tell you that had it ever occurred to

me that such a monstrous suspicion would have entered your mind; I

would have died rather than have crossed your life or hisoh! died;

gladly died!  Believe what you choose about me。  I am not worth a

moment's sorrow。  But don't spoil your beautiful young life on my

account!  You don't know what may be in store for you; unless you

leave this house at once。  You don't know what it is to fall into

the pit; to be despised; mocked; abandoned; sneered atto be an

outcast! to find the door shut against one; to have to creep in by

hideous byways; afraid every moment lest the mask should be stripped

from one's face; and all the while to hear the laughter; the

horrible laughter of the world; a thing more tragic than all the

tears the world has ever shed。  You don't know what it is。  One pays

for one's sin; and then one pays again; and all one's life one pays。

You must never know that。As for me; if suffering be an expiation;

then at this moment I have expiated all my faults; whatever they

have been; for to…night you have made a heart in one who had it not;

made it and broken it。But let that pass。  I may have wrecked my

own life; but I will not let you wreck yours。  Youwhy; you are a

mere girl; you would be lost。  You haven't got the kind of brains

that enables a woman to get back。  You have neither the wit nor the

courage。  You couldn't stand dishonour!  No!  Go back; Lady

Windermere; to the husband who loves you; whom you love。  You have a

child; Lady Windermere。  Go back to that child who even now; in pain

or in joy; may be calling to you。  God gave you that child。  He will

require from you that you make his life fine; that you watch over

him。  What answer will you make to God if his life is ruined through

you?  Back to your house; Lady Windermereyour husband loves you!

He has never swerved for a moment from the love he bears you。  But

even if he had a thousand loves; you must stay with your child。  If

he was harsh to you; you must stay with your child。  If he ill…

treated you; you must stay with your child。  If he abandoned you;

your place is with your child。Lady Windermere's Fan







MOTHERHOOD MORE THAN MARRIAGE







Men don't understand what mothers are。  I am no different from other

women except in the wrong done me and the wrong I did; and my very

heavy punishments and great disgrace。  And yet; to bear you I had to

look on death。  To nurture you I had to wrestle with it。  Death

fought with me for you。  All women have to fight with death to keep

their children。  Death; being childless; wants our children from us。

Gerald; when you were naked I clothed you; when you were hungry I

gave you food。  Night and day all that long winter I tended you。  No

office is too mean; no care too lowly for the thing we women love

and oh! how I loved YOU。  Not Hannah; Samuel more。  And you needed

love; for you were weakly; and only love could have kept you alive。

Only love can keep any one alive。  And boys are careless often and

without thinking give pain; and we always fancy that when they come

to man's estate and know us better they will repay us。  But it is

not so。  The world draws them from our side; and they make friends

with whom they are happier than they are with us; and have

amusements from which we are barred; and interests that are not

ours:  and they are unjust to us often; for when they find life

bitter they blame us for it; and when they find it sweet we do not

taste its sweetness with them 。 。 。 You made many friends and went

into their houses and were glad with them; and I; knowing my secret;

did not dare to follow; but stayed at home and closed the door; shut

out the sun and sat in darkness。  What should I have done in honest

households?  My past was ever with me。 。 。 。 And you thought I

didn't care for the pleasant things of life。  I tell you I longed

for them; but did not dare to touch them; feeling I had no right。

You thought I was happier working amongst the poor。  That was my

mission; you imagined。  It was not; but where else was I to go?  The

sick do not ask if the hand that smooths their pillow is pure; nor

the dying care if the lips that touch their brow have known the kiss

of sin。  It was you I thought of all the time; I gave to them the

love you did not need:  lavished on them a love that was not theirs

。 。 。 And you thought I spent too much of my time in going to

Church; and in Church duties。  But where else could I turn?  God's

house is the only house where sinners are made welcome; and you were

always in my heart; Gerald; too much in my heart。  For; though day

after day; at morn or evensong; I have knelt in God's house; I have

never repented of my sin。  How could I repent of my sin when you; my

love; were its fruit!  Even now that you are bitter to me I cannot

repent。  I do not。  You are more to me than innocence。  I would

rather be your motheroh! much rather!than have been always pure

。 。 。 Oh; don't you see? don't you understand?  It is my dishonour

that has made you so dear to me。  It is my disgrace that has bound

you so closely to me。  It is the price I paid for youthe price of

soul and bodythat makes me love you as I do。  Oh; don't ask me to

do this horrible thing。  Child of my shame; be still the child of my

shame!A Woman of No Importance







THE DAMNABLE IDEAL







Why can't you women love us; faults and all?  Why do you place us on

monstrous pedestals?  We have all feet of clay; women as well as

men; but when we men love women; we love them knowing their

weaknesses; their follies; their imperfections; love them all the

more; it may be; for that reason。  It is not the perfect; but the

imperfect; who have need of love。  It is when we are wounded by our

own hands; or by the hands of others; that love should come to cure

uselse what use is love at all?  All sins; except a sin against

itself; Love should forgive。  All lives; save loveless lives; true

Love should pardon。  A man's love is like that。  It is wider;

larger; more human than a woman's。  Women think that they are making

ideals of men。  What they are making of us are false idols merely。

You made your false idol of me; and I had not the courage to come

down; show you my wounds; tell you my weaknesses。  I was afraid that

I might lose your love; as I have lost it now。  And so; last night

you ruined my life for meyes; ruined it!  What this woman asked of

me was nothing compared to what she offered to me。  She offered

security; peace; stability。  The sin of my youth; that I had thought

was buried; rose up in front of me; hideous; horrible; with its

hands at my throat。  I could have killed it for ever; sent it back

into its tomb; destroyed its record; burned the one witness against

me。  You prevented me。  No one but you; you know it。  And now what

is there before me but public disgrace; ruin; terrible shame; the

mockery of the world; a lonely dishonoured life; a lonely

dishonoured death; it may be; some day?  Let women make no more

ideals of men! let them not put them on alters and bow before them;

or they may ruin other lives as completely as youyou whom I have

so wildly lovedhave ruined mine!An Ideal Husband







FROM A REJECTED PRIZE…ESSAY







Nations may not have missions but they certainly have functions。

And the function of ancient Italy was not merely to give us what is

statical in our institutions and rational in our law; but to blend

into one elemental creed the spiritual aspirations of Aryan and of

Semite。  Italy was not a pioneer in intellectual progress; nor a

motive power in the evolution of thought。  The owl of the goddess of

Wisdom traversed over the whole land and found nowhere a resting…

place。  The dove; which is the bird of Christ; flew straight to the

city of Rome and the new reign began。  It was the fashion of early

Italian painters to represent in mediaeval costume the soldiers who

watched over the tomb of Christ; and this; which was the result of

the frank anachronism of all true art; may serve to us as an

allegory。  For it was in vain that the Middle Ages strove to guard

the buried spirit of progress。  When the dawn of the Greek spirit

arose; the sepulchre was empty; the grave…clothes laid aside。

Humanity had risen from the dead。



The study of Greek; it has been well said; implies the birth of

criticism; comparison and research。  At the opening of that

education of modern by ancient thought which we call the

Renaissance; it was the words of Aristotle which sent Columbus

sailing to the New World; while a fragment of Pythagorean astronomy

set Copernicus thinking on that train of reasoning which has

revolutionised the whole position of our planet in the universe。

Then it was seen that the only meaning of progress is a return to

Greek modes of thought。  The monkish hymns 

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