"The caves of Kentucky and southern Oregon are more wonderful than any in Asia or Europe.

"The beautiful Adriatic, about which the world has raved, is commonplace in comparison with our Gulf of Georgia and Sitka sound, Alaska, and the trip through the inside passage and channels to the Alaskan islands and glaciers is more awe-inspiring than anything I saw.

"Our Yellowstone Park, our Yosemite and the Grand Canon of the Colorado stand alone unrivaled in magnificent grandeur.

"Our Mt. St. Elias, Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, St. Helens, Shasta, Mt. Whitney and Mt. McKinley have no rivals, except Vesuvius.

"Puget Sound valley, the valley of the Columbia, and the Sacramento, and San Joaquin, are each as rich as that of the Nile, and more beautiful.

"Southern France, while in a high state of cultivation, and abounding in comfortable homes and a frugal peasantry, because of the small owners and accessible markets, will be outdone, inside of fifty years, by Southern California.

"The Danube, the greatest of European rivers, could be turned into the Mississippi without causing a freshet.

"Our distances are greater. From New York to San Francisco is farther than from St. Petersburg to London, and back to Florence.

"My youngest sister Kasala's possessions are greater than European Russia. And before long her fisheries will be more extensive than those of Norway and Sweden combined; while her valleys will raise more wheat than Russia, and her mountains produce more gold, and copper, and silver, and coal, and oil, than all of Europe.

"My little sisters, Zairona and Vadena have more arable land, when irrigated, and more copper and

gold and silver, than all European countries combined.

"Nashingtow and Nogero have more standing timber and coal than originally covered all of Europe. "While Hodai has lead and lakes and forests equal to any of the others.

"While from my own Rancho more gold has already been produced than Europe has discovered, and it is now supplying food and fruits for every European city I visited.

"But, above and beyond all these, what interests and concerns me most, and what should be the greatest concern of all our people, is, not only our present, but our future, citizenship.

"When we think that, to-day, in that great areathe Western states-greater than all of western Europe, the emigration of the world must be assimilated with our own people, in order to develop those resources of which I have spoken, it occurs to me that the greatest question that confronts the people of America to-day is the question of education.

"To populate that vast region, and not provide it with the very highest standard of education, for both sexes, would be worse than to leave it unpopulated.

"Whether co-education, or separate schools for the sexes, is best, I think the great problem that demands the study and wisdom of the best womanhood.

"What impressed me most, not only in London, but in all Europe and Asia, is the dreariness of life.

"I think, friends, that there are women even here -I certainly will include myself-who, if forced to live their starved and dreary lives six months, would accept anything that seemed to offer larger reward. Unless, and until, we provide some means and methods of guiding women into the better means of life by giving them a few, at least, of the things that make life worth living, we stand as impulses toward their ruin, and are responsible to God for every one of these

wandering souls. It is not alone for them; but for the thousands and millions we are leading and driv ing in the same direction, that I speak. Something must be done.

"American women must take the initiative in this matter. And now is the time. Let us consider

what.

"The law of dower must be supplanted by that of community of interest, or community-property law. "Domestic science must be taught in our schools and in our homes.

"For it is not alone the poor and wretched that are pouring into our cities, but there is an equal stress of half-trained ambitious girls who look to the factory and shop or trades open to women as the roads to fortune, who, as the dream fades, come face to face with increasing toil and a pitifully small reward, turn, many of them, to the life which means to them temporary ease.

"Domestic science and schools for girls are today the country's greatest need to overcome unwholesome foods and poor cooking and the dreariness of life.

"God's law of life and death teaches us the equality of sexes, and woman must be made capable by education to fulfill her destiny.

"Mental science and the psychology and physiology of life must be made to be understood by women. For I believe that life is shortened by ignorance of self, and how to care for the physical being. Without a healthy physical being there can not be a vigorous mentality. And modern science teaches us that most of our ills can be overcome by the power of mind over matter."

When she had concluded, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, Mrs. Stanford and Mrs. Phoebe A. Hearst were the first to thank and congratulate her, and when she had

retired from the group she was acknowledged America's foremost woman.

The following day after the reception Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Stanford and Mrs. Hearst called at Mrs. Astor's, and took Folcarinia to the Young Woman's Christian Association rooms that were being fitted up on 15th street, and upon their return they were welcomed by Mrs. Astor and Nogero.

These three wonderful women, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, Mrs. Stanford and Mrs. Hearst, had been most deeply impressed with the words of Folcarinia regarding the necessity of woman's education. A great field of opportunity and activity had been opened up to them. And it is a notable fact that within two years thereafter Governor Stanford donated half of his vast fortune or more than $10,000,000-to the establishment of one of the greatest co-educational institutions in the world-Stanford University, at Palo Alto.

And Mrs. Howe and Mrs. Stanford and Mrs. Hearst have done more to elevate womankind than any other three women in America.

CHAPTER VII.

While the effusiveness of the meeting between Folcarinia and Nogero at their Aunt Astor's home was a little less outwardly expressive than their parting hour under the shade of the orange tree, it was only because of the social restraint that prevented the burning of each soul from igniting into a more demonstrative flame.

For Folcarinia had read Nogero's letter and partially knew of his wonderful success.

And Nogero had read that morning in Philadelphia of the adulation that had been heaped upon Folcarinia at the reception the evening before.

Hardly had the formal exchange of compliments been passed between them, and the congratulations of his Aunt Astor been received by Nogero, when a caller was announced by the butler, and Mirrhaan was ushered into the drawing room.

When the name "Mirrhaan” was heard by Nogero the words of Mr. B. that morning at luncheon in Philadelphia came back to him again with more terrorizing effect than ever.

"I suppose the young lion of Wall Street, Mirrhaan, will be so close to her that few will have an opportunity of her society. He had three waltzes with her last night, and was her escort to dinner."

"Was this Mirrhaan? Was it all a dream? Was he in Philadelphia, or was he mad?"

The doubt was soon removed, for the next sentence that was uttered was from Mirrhaan.

In the choicest of well prepared words he congratulated Folcarinia upon the many compliments she had received the night before, and delicately alluded to the praises of the newspapers' society col