The Farmers' Alliance

HELL.
An
Extract from
"Dreams,
Olive
Schreiner's New Book.

In the dark one night I lay upon my
back. I heard the policeman's feet beat
on the pavement; I heard the wheels of
carriages roll home from houses of en-
tertainment; I heard a woman's laugh
below the window-and then I fell
asleep. And in the dark I dreamt a
dream. I dreamt God took my soul
to hell.

Hell was a fair place; the water of the
lake was blue. I said to God, "I like
this place."
God said, "Ay, dost thou?" and he
told me to come further.

And we came where hell opened into
a plain, and a great house stood there.
Marble pillars upheld the roof, and
white marble steps led up to it. The
wind of heaven blew through it. Only
at the back hung a thick curtain. Fair
men and women there feasted at long
tables. They danced, and I saw the
robes of women flutter in the air, and
heard the laugh of strong men. What
they feasted was with wine; they drew
it from large jars which stood some-
what in the background, and I saw the
wine sparkle as they drew it.

And I said to God, "I should like to
go up and drink." And God said, "wait"
And I saw men coming in to the ban-
quet house; they came from the back
and lifted the curtain at the sides and
crept in quickly, and they let the
curtain fall behind them; they bore
great jars they could hardly carry. And
the men and women crowded around
them, and the new comers opened their
jars and gave them wine to drink; and
I saw that the women drank even more
eagerly than the men. And when
others had well drunken they set the
jars among the old ones beside the wall
and took their places beside the table.
And I saw that some of the jars were
very old and mildewed and musty, but
others had still drops of new must on
them, and shone from the furnace.

And I said to God, "what is that?" For
amid the sound of the singing, and over
the dancing of feet, and over the laugh-
ing across the winecups I heard a cry.
And God said, "stand away off."

And he took me where I saw both
sides of the curtain. Behind the house
was the wine press where the wine was
made. I saw the grapes crushed, and I
heard them cry. I said, "do not they
on the other side hear it?" God said,
"the curtain is thick; they are feasting."
And I said, "the men who came in
last. They saw?" God said, "they
let the curtain fall behind them-and
they forget!"

I said, "how came they with their jars
of wine?"
God said, "In the treading of the
press these are they who come to the
top; they have climbed out over the
edge, and filled their jars from below,
and have gone into the house."

And I said, "and if they had fallen as
they climbed-"
God said, "they had been wine."

I stood away off watching in the sun-
shine, and I shivered. Then there rose
one among the feasters, who said, "my
brethren, let us pray."

And all the men and women rose; and
the strong men bowed their heads, and
mothers folded their little children's
hands together, and turned their faces