One of the most important things to remember when reading NEQUA is when it was written, 1900. A reader should try to place themselves in a world with out aeroplanes, with cowboys riding down Main Street, where women were chattel. The derivation of "chattel" is very interesting. It comes from a French word "chatel" which described property. The French got it from Latin "capitale" which was from "caput", the word for head. My dictionary says it compared with capital and cattle.

To interfere with a man beating his wife was a crime. He was just correcting his chattel, his cattle. In Kansas, any woman advocating any idea that could be construed as even imagining that a woman might be a self guided, self regulated, equal under the law, human being, was guilty of treason to the human race.

In Valley Falls, Kansas a newspaper man printed an article which was against The Comstock Act, which specifically prohibited the discussion of martial rape. He served six years in prison for printing the article which had been written by a New York physician. The same editor after moving to Chicago printed two articles which resulted in a year at hard labor (read breaking up rocks). 

So that is the climate in which one should read NEQUA which was partially written by a woman who edited "The New Woman" a suffrage newspaper.

I have found several reviews of the book NEQUA which first appeared in 1901. Here is the first one.



From “The Arena” a magazine
       Vol. XXV # 2  Feb. 1901

........    The latest social vision that has come to my notice is entitled “NEQUA.” The author veils his or her identity under the nom de plume of Jack Adams. As a story, apart from the social theories, it evinces far more imagination than most economic or “problem” novels. There is a strong thread of romance and adventure running through the work. The author tells her story (for we hazard the guess that the author is a woman) in a simple straightforward manner. The hero, the heroine, and the modern argosy sail into the north sea and down into the interior world. Here they meet a race advanced far beyond our civilization, and it is largely with this fine and highly-developed people that the writer deals. The social theories are for the most part in alignment with what we conceive to be the highest and noblest vision that has been vouchsafed to the advance-guard of our time, although some things found in the new world will doubtless fail to command the approval of many readers. The book is a valuable contribution to the literature that is making a better civilization. The more that such books are circulated, the earlier will dawn the new day which shall bring the recognition of the right of all men to have work to do and just remuneration for their labors, the opportunity to enjoy home and the pleasure of education and wholesome recreation.

Here is an interesting web blog that I ran across. The woman who runs it wrote about NEQUA and so she showed up on the google search.

http://thesymzonian.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/nequa-or-narratorial-reliability-in-a
-utopia/comment-page-1/

There is a lot of comparative stuff on her web site. She is working towards her Doctorate. I don’t know what she wants a Doctorate for. With the information she has right now she could become one of the best guides to the hidden places people do not usually visit. Has anyone every thought of an amusement park totally underground? There could be replicas of several different entrances to the Underground worlds. I think it could be a winner.

I spent a little time underground in the Silver Mines near Calico in California. I heard that the entrances have all been blown up so no one can go inside any more. Duh da DUH Da.

A woman I have known for thirty years just told me last week that the lead mines in southeast Kansas are where the real flying saucers are hiding. She saw them sixty years ago.

Incidentally, I went to California recently and had the ability to take the EXTRATERRESTRIAL HIGHWAY. Here is what I saw.

Stopped to see an old friend in Kanab and he told me his flying saucer story, which can be substantiated by two other persons. He saw his in broad daylight. Great piece of trivia. He said they do not “fly” They disappear in one spot and then re-appear in another. He was eating lunch and watched it for about twenty minutes.

Getting down to the final few corrections. The galleys are at the printer. Here is the front cover.

We were going to do a science fiction cover. We tried a romantic idea, then decided on a feminist cover. Nothing we did seemed right. Science Fiction hadn't been invented in 1900. Nequa takes a feminist position but the reality is that in 1900 suffrage positions were still being staked out. We decided that the hollow earth Utopian  ideas and the chapters on economic evolution would be hard to portray on a cover that needed to attract and sell books. Remember the white papers?  well this is the cover to look for.

Here are the backcover quotes I wrote about. Makes me want to buy the book
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Rediscovered in an Attic in Kansas
Back in Print after 114 Years
--------------------------------------------------------------------

    “Nequa is a surprisingly enjoyable salutary tale.”                        
                                            John Clute. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

"........parallels American history in a broad sense, but a great change
 came during a moral revolution in which selfishness was abandoned."
                                                      Science Fiction: The Early Years
                                                      Everett F. Bleiler and Richard Bleiler

 "Though fairly typical of other terra cava narratives concerned with
 exploration, spiritualism, and utopianism, there are a few unique features,
 not the least of which is a female narrator."                                           
                                     Michelle K. Yost   http://thesymzonian.wordpress.com/

"One of the most elusive American hollow earth books. “                                                                                                                     Lloyd Currey

    “A few of the male writers also questioned their culture's
prevailing gender ideology in the pages of the Utopian Novels.
The most obvious example is Alcanoan O. Grigsby, whose 1900
novel NEQUA, describes a world where both sexes are equal after
women put an end to war and demanded freedom from domin-
ation of man-made laws.”  
                              --From the forward of ”Unveiling a Parallel”  by
                              Carol A. Kolmerten,  Prof. of English at Hood College

------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the First Feminist Hollow Earth Science Fiction Books
------------------------------------------------------------------

As I said five very knowledgeable persons have allowed me use their quotes. The quotes are from other published sources. Remember they are commenting on a book which has been speculated about for years, only available as a printed book in a dozen libraries. One of the people I quote said that they had to read NEQUA on microfilm. He said it “was very wearying”. Well I read a lot of  newspapers on microfilm and they just flat put me to sleep. It would be a horrible way to read a book like NEQUA.

    The statements in bold print are quotes from me.

Every book also needs a back cover. The “How to Write, Publish, Market, and Get Rich” books all say that the back cover is the most important.  They are right about one thing I see an interesting book, actually an interesting cover, and I automatically pick up the book take a close look at the cover and automatically  turn the book over. The books whose front cover intrigued me enough that I pick them up in the first place are instantly turned over. It’s like I want to read the ending first.
Probably the book producers have trained me to do that. Subconsciously I know that some intriguing explanations related to the cover, some teasers to heighten my interest  and some brief explanation as to how this packet of writing will provide me with sex, power or money are brazenly splashed across the back cover.
It could be that I want to see if there are any experts that think that the book is worth reading. If there aren’t any experts it doesn’t keep me from buying the book but if their are some experts then I automatically buy the book.
I am also cognisant of having read teasers that pique my interest. Quick short statements that when combined with the front cover and one experts quote , quickly find me with my money in my hand.

So I have spent some time writing phrases and then trying them out on my friends. Actually it just dawned on me that I should have been trying them out on my enemies, they’ll give a better, more exacting critique.  But the nagging thought in the back of my mind is how do I find experts.

Then on last Saturday I had Dim Sum with my wife and one of our best friends, Kathy and a friend of Kathy’s. The friend of Kathy’s  when I asked what she used for recommendations to get the super job she has stated, “I’m from Chicago, So I learned how to just ask, if I want something. Surprisingly it works at least half of the time.”

So on Wednesday I sent emails to five people who have had knowledge of NEQUA for several years. I listed a quote and asked them if they would allow a back cover quote and if the answer was yes what they wanted as an attribution signature. I got five yes answers.  Well I’m from Kansas, and when we ask it works 100% --well at least this time.

In the third edition of NEQUA  I state “I guessed from the sound of the word (Nequa) that it’s origin  was probably to be found in a Central Asia or Native American language. “

Three weeks ago on my way back from the Borg I stopped off at Alma where Grigsby ran a newspaper. I wanted to visit the museum they have there. The person watching the desk listened to my inquiry about wanting a photograph of Grigsby and handed me a book.

A historical book about Alma, Kansas, the town where A.O. ran a newspaper for several years. The book reported on the names of several native Americans. Several persons were listed who were married in Alma. The term -qua was the last syllable of several Native American woman’s names. I asked the person in charge what they knew about the Native Americans that had lived in Alma in the 1800's. There wasn't much information available but it was suggested that I make  inquiries with the Pottawatomie, Kickapoo, Salk and Fox as they had all been in the area of Alma.

Another internet source reported that in Lakota, Nequa meant “Native Son” So what does qua actually mean.

This week on the way back from Mennonite Press in Newton Kansas I was cruising at 80 mph watching the road ahead for potential Police Officers in radar cars, Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sign,  Tequa Creek. I instantly let off of the gas. Decided that I read the sign wrong and then right in front of me is another bridge with another Tequa Creek sign on it.

When I got home I called the museum in Franklin county and asked if they had any information on what the word meant. Surprisingly they said that Franklin County at one time had more different Native American tribal groups represented in the county than any other Kansas County.
Tequa Creek was named after Chief Tuk-quos, a Sauk, also spelled Tuquas. They had no information on what it meant.

This post doesn’t have much to do with the publishing of NEQUA except in some peripheral ways. The book shown here was written by a friend of mine it gives some brief explanation of how to compete with the BIG MONEY BOYS in a political arena. I am referred to as Mork in the book and I must say that the time I spent messing up the plans of the arrogant self elected spenders of public wealth , was some of the most fun and hardest work I ever committed to.

    We actually did stand toe to toe with guys who contributed $3,000,000.00 and spent it all buying T.V. time and newspaper ads. We beat them with $30,000, which is peanuts in today's political arena.
    I especially like to say that the “people who count” those who “Think Big”  the “movers and shakers” all of the cliches used to describe the wealthy, the powerful, the gnomes behind the curtain really take a loss hard. I would always laugh and say “Oh come on it’s only money!!” Of course we rarely ever spent any. One of the best retorts was when we beat a $35,000,000.00 bond issue. The press asked us how much we spent and our answer which was duly noted in the records of our political action committee was $36.82 and thirty dollars was for the party to celebrate.
    Anyhow if you think that you might enjoy rubbing wealth noses in the cat box buy this book and look over the place you live. Democracy and Liberty live on the efforts of the little people.

The big wars and big time lobbyists, are making money for the corporations.

Remember
         (1) the “Bubbas” and “Obamas” are the grease and oil that rise to the top  of clean water. You always get dirty  when dealing with those guys and you always get the bill for everything they do.   
        (2) there is always a curtain and there is always somebody behind the curtain. 
        (3) Always elect someone dumber than yourself .
       
NEQUA contains the same message except they were lucky that the evolution of their thought, removed the oily grease and tore down the curtain early in their history.  We are still suffering the same plight as our forefathers who tried to  change the way things were accomplished.   


You can order the book from www.biblio.com