"...The gate of future success, honours, and riches is always open
to you."
The ornaments, of which I have before spoken, are independent of
decorations worn by women as distinctive marks of age; for the age of a
woman entitles her to peculiar privileges above others younger than
herself, and her decorations are so worn, that these privileges may be
at once recognised. At the end of every five of our years, she is
entitled to a decoration indicative of her age, and the mode in which
the last five years have been passed. Strange as it may appear to you,
with whom old age is associated with feebleness, loss of beauty, and
decayed powers--it is by our ladies looked upon as a privilege, of which
all are very jealous. If such a thing were possible, it would be a gross
insult to say that a lady was younger than was indicated by the last
decoration which she had received; and even the five successive years
are marked by five small appendages, one of which is added each year, so
that she may not lose even one of the years to which she is entitled.
Amongst other marks of respect shown to age--a younger woman, passing
her senior in years, is expected to give her the inner side of the path,
and to salute her in passing.
No mistake can be made as to the particular nature of the decoration,
and consequently of the number of years to which the lady is entitled.
Each of the numerous decorations differs entirely from the others. A
decoration called the "Matterode," consists of the model of a very
beautiful bird, that has the peculiarity of always looking upwards, as
though its thoughts were borne to the celestial stars. The wings of this
bird,--from which the Order derives its name,--are fixed in a peculiar
way, and move in graceful motion, so as to suggest the movement of an
angel's wings.
The plumage of the Matterode is as though it were studded with precious
stones; so bright are the dots all over the body and the wings.
The decoration is of exquisite workmanship, and made of our choicest
metals, varied in colour, and set with precious stones, to imitate the
bird's plumage.
This decoration is presented to a lady who, having by her conduct and
years earned successive decorations, has passed the last five years
unexceptionally and uprightly in all things, and has, besides, shown
intelligence of a high grade.
If, during the five years succeeding that in which she won the
"Matterode," this lady remains unaltered in greatness and goodness, she
is entitled, in addition, to a decoration of considerable value, in
which the "Mountain Supporter"--which gives its name to the Order, is
faithfully copied in the purest and most beautiful metals. And as the
"Matterode" is an intimation that the beauty of the wearer's actions
justifies her in looking upwards to a future home in the celestial
stars, so does the Mountain Supporter indicate her firmness, power, and
strength, that nothing in Montalluyah can surpass.
When either of these decorations is worn, the greatest honour and
respect are paid to the wearer. All know that none can possess it
without having gained it by sterling merit and goodness of the highest
order. The checks used in our system are of such a nature, that no
favouritism, no accident--nothing but the wearer's years and conduct--
can obtain this, or indeed any other Order.
If the conduct of the woman during the five years she wears the
Matterode had been marked by any deviation from goodness, an occurrence
scarcely heard of, a qualified decoration would be presented to her,
which, though beautiful, and indicating the age and position beyond
doubt, would give evidence that a little cloud had sometime during the
past period, affected the vivid colours of the illumined sky! There are
various ways of modifying the Order so as to show the estimate of
conduct, all differing according to the degree of the offence. But if
the wearer's conduct during the five years of the qualified term is
unexceptionable, the decoration for the subsequent five years would be
the same as though nothing had occurred in the meantime to interrupt the
lady's title to the highest decoration.
Again, if any person, even one who had gained the Matterode, were to
commit something--a decidedly wrongful act--the decoration, during the
following five years, would perhaps consist of a Foot trampling on a
hippopotamus or on a serpent, thus indicating the necessity for bearing
down sin, which is symbolised by both of these creatures.
You will at once see how easily the two first decorations I have named
are distinguishable from each other, and how the last is distinguishable
from both; and so it is with all the others, too numerous to mention
here.
However, by their education, and the laws and customs I introduced,
Woman possesses so high a sentiment of honour, and so much becoming
pride, that the instances of degradation from the two first orders has
been remarkably rare--scarcely worth referring to except to show that we
never hesitate to put the laws in force against the highest personages,
even in those cases where, under another system, our sympathies might
have led us, perhaps unconsciously, to screen the offenders. In my laws
on this subject, it is declared, that whilst mercy and goodness are on
one side, might and justice are no less on the other side of the
celestial throne.
What I have said of these orders is applicable in a great degree to all
the others.
In our world all particulars of conduct and goodness, as well as
deviations from them, are known; nothing on these heads is, or indeed
can be concealed. I am now speaking of an advanced period of my reign;
for at first, and in what I may call the intermediate or transition
period, it was otherwise. Then there were many laws and precepts
established which are now all but obsolete,--for since, the occasion for
appealing to them scarcely arises. As an example, the love and practice
of truth are amongst the very first things inculcated in the child, and
are now everywhere and by all classes practised in Montalluyah. Laws,
then, which suppose the possibility of a deviation from truth are
scarcely ever appealed to--such as, for instance, the precept, "Ask not
your neighbour what you know he wishes to conceal, lest he lie," and the
accompanying law preventing one person from annoying another with
improper questions, and thus probably drawing forth untruths. These,
like the laws and precepts enjoining all to industry, and many others,
belong to a bygone age, and to another state of things, and were only
needed in the intermediate epoch, just as particular remedies were then
required to cure the diseases of those who, having been born before my
reign, had in their childhood and youth been weakened by disease, or had
received into their systems the germs of future intense suffering,
which, had the child been born later, would have been completely
eradicated in their incipiency. But as these maladies existed in the
intermediate epoch in their virulence, we were for a time obliged to
continue the principle formerly adopted,--that of expelling one poison
by administering another.
The fact that everything belonging to women is now known and adequately
recognised and rewarded makes them contented and happy. Under the system
existing before my reign this was not so,--the most beautiful were often
the most discontented; they were more easily acted upon by evil spirits,
who assumed the fairest and most seductive appearances to lure their
victims; they were often the most susceptible to flattery, and easiest
led astray; and when once drawn from the proper path, they were the most
cruelly persecuted by a class of inferior persons, who, had their own
secret conduct been known to man as it is to a superior order of beings,
would never have dared to throw even the smallest stone at their poor
persecuted sister, who had, as was often the case, been led astray by
the very excess of a virtue which defective education had left
unbalanced by its regulating qualities.
Although it was one of the best known precepts of our religion that the
fold should always be open to receive the strayed sheep, these
piety-professors, with this precept on their lips, took care that the
strayed ones should be cruelly worried and scared from the fold.
This, however, is not surprising when it is recollected that those who
were themselves most impure were ordinarily the first to vilify and
persecute the offending one. From tests, the accuracy of which left no
doubt, I learned that this acrimonious bitterness against their
suffering sisters was nearly always instigated by a desire to conceal
their own defects, to raise themselves, as they thought, by depreciating
others, and to lay hypocritical claim to a superior austerity and
goodness which was not theirs. The really pure--and for the honour of
the past age of Montalluyah, I must say there were some few who were
truly good--were those only from whom the sinner received sympathy and
encouragement to return to the path which had been for a time forsaken.
Even she who receives a qualified or indifferent age-decoration can, if
she pleases, bring her case before the kings, and strict justice is
invariably done to all. None rebel in word or spirit, but all invariably
use their efforts to recover lost ground before the time arrives for
receiving the next decoration. In these laudable efforts they are
assisted; all means being used to cure the patient. When, from tests
ofttimes repeated, we are satisfied that the penitent's reform is
complete, she is received with open arms by the highest of her rank, as
though she had been ever spotless; and at any time to remind her of the
past, or even to make to another the slightest allusion to what had
occurred, would be looked upon as a heinous offence, and punished
accordingly. Thus, a qualified order acts at the same time as a censure
and a protection.