the marriage ceremony, two
men and two women. They were married at the home of the young man. A
lady came to perform the ceremony. She told the couple to stand up and
take hands, and then she asked the young man--calling him by name--if he
would have this woman--calling her by name--to be his wife, and he
answered, 'Yes.' Then she asked the young lady--calling her by her
name--would she have this man--calling him by his name--as her husband,
and she answered, 'Yes.' Then she said: 'In the presence of these
witnesses I declare you to be man and wife.' The two then signed a
document stating they were man and wife, which was put on record, and
that ended the ceremony. They were very happy, for each one found in the
other a true, loving companion, and they were one intellectually and
spiritually.

"As women are engaged in the professions, in business, and perform all
kinds of service as men do, receiving the same compensation, they are
just as financially independent as men are, and, therefore, have no
other motive for marrying than that of true, pure love, finding in each
other a true intellectual and spiritual companion. Of children they have
few, for they believe in quality, and not quantity.

"The intellectual and spiritual life predominates over the animal in all
its inhabitants. Do not think from what I have written about the ladies
of Tiestan that they are masculine women. Far from it. They are just as
sweet, pretty, entertaining, attractive, and graceful as any women to be
found in the world. Yes, far more so, for their hours of duty are short.
They have no care, anxiety or sickness to speak of, and their
environments are such as to bring to the surface all that is pure, good,
noble, and sweet; and, above all, the traveler finds the ladies of
Semhee to be _real_, genuine, and sincere in character."

When Stella had finished reading her selection from Burnette's book, her
mother had a big laugh, and asked her if she wanted to go to Semhee.

"No, mother, it is not Semhee I wish to visit just now, though some day
I certainly would like to see the city of Semhee and meet the
accomplished, enlightened, and free women of Tiestan. What I do want to
see is the women of this country, where there is so much boast of
liberty and freedom, free themselves from the awful bondage of sex
superstition, and all other bondages that have been heaped upon them by
people of the Dark Ages because they are women. Even those who talk so