'-^0 K^ ■^v. .^^ <=)^/^, ^^^^ . -> %^^^- ^' .V o > 'v^o' "oK ^^* -/ "^^. -^^ HE.^IEGEOFTKE OLTJENClty SyCHARUSAKEELER THE SIEGE OE THE GOLDEN CITY. AN ALLEGORY OF THE TIMES BY .» f J ■'' CHARLES AUGUSTUS KEELER, Author of **A Light Through The Storffl," "The promise of the Ages," Etc. PRICE, by mail, - - - 25 CENTS. ALTRURIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY, ALTRURIA, CALIF. fi ^ '^ /- 'f Copyright, 1896, BY Charles Augustus Keeler. O- c c. * * * but joy i?i nothing that separates you, as by any stra^ige favor, from your fellow-creatures^ that exalts you through their degradation — ex- empts you from their toil — or indulges you in time of their distress'' — John Ruskin. INTRODUCTION. The world is to-day in the midst of one of the most significant changes in the history of social progress — the emancipation of the in- dustrial classes from the thraldom of wealth and the domineering control of capital. The signs of the times are apparent to the most casual observer, in the consolidation of capi- tal and the banding together of the forces of labor. The present is not merely an age of steam and electricity, but also an age of strikes and boycotts. In this massing of the powers of wealth and the powers of industry there is both a menace and a hope — a menace in that the oligarchy of gold must necessarily, in the present order of society, gain a supremacy, not by virtue of its wisdom or its right, but by virtue of its power; and a hope in that the supremacy of wealth will make men suf- fer, and think. The salvation of the American people must lie in the abandonmen t of all selfish ideals of society, and in the devoted attempt of its peo- ple to replace these with ideal? of universal good. When the poor man^ no longer looks upon the rich man as his natural enemy, and upon his possessions as a legitimate plunder- ing ground ; and when the rich man no longer looks upon the poor man as his servant, but rather as his helpmate and friend, for whose sake he would, if it seemed necessary, give up his all — then we may indeed feel that the regeneration of man is more than an idle dream. In the following allegory I have attempted to present some of the questions which are in the minds and hearts of us all to-day, and to indicate the direction in which we must seek for their solution. In the appeal to love in the concluding pages I would not be understood as advocating any form of emotional senti- mentality, but rather that rational love which finds its fulfillment in completed intelligence. C. A. K. Berkeley, September, 1896. THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY. THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY. BOOK I. Men of the hammer and saw, of the spade and the pick, Weavers of fabrics, and masons of stone and of brick, Wielders of scythes in the hayfields, and threshers of grain, Clothing and feeding a nation with toil and with pain, — Humblest and holiest taskmen, arise to your call, Freedom awaits your decision to triumph or fall ! From the coal mines your voices are floating, from prairies of corn. From the plains where the cattle are roving, from desert forlorn, THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY From the murk and the grime of the cities, from factories dim, Where strong arms grow weary from slaving, and faces are grim, — Your voices are mingled in anger — love's mild- ness has fled — O Christ, is thy message forgotten, thy mem- ory dead? Is the rich man a foe and a tyrant to'trammel the poor ? Is the wise man a merciless monarch to strangle the boor ? Are all men infused with the venom of self- ish desire ? Then ruin and death shall assail them, and deepening ire Shall rankle in breasts that are dauntless, while maddening pain Is flouting the millions who scramble for plun- der and gain. ID THE SIEGE OF THE (i OLDEN CIT\ O brothers, I tell you that hatred can never be right ! Fools ! niadnieu ! to dream that the truth can be settled by might ! Away with the lust and the greed that is sundering men ! Away with the castes that have grown round the plow and the pen ! Away with the pitiless factions of muscle and brain ! Away with the gamble of gold for our har- vests of grain ! Men learn life's stern lesson by sorrow, and pain's sure decree Comes weighted with woe and despair, when we waken to see The ruin by hatred engendered, by avarice wrought : The wisdom we buy with our blood, is it not dearly bought ? II THE SIEGE OF THE GOI.DKN CITY A Strange, disordered fancj' siezcs me — A vision of unrest and fierce dismay — A nightmare, dreary, passionate, and wild ; For in the air strange sounds arise and fall, And tones of menace swell from faraway, Bruited abroad on night's unwilling air. There is the muffled tread of marching le- gions heard ; The sullen boom of cannon souuds afar ; Snare-drums innumerable mark stirring time ; The multitudinous clatter of horses' feet, The clank of arms, commands, loud uttered, rise, — And all this seems portentous, bodin^^: death. Then, as the morning breaks, I see a city fair. En wrought of marble and of gold, Its spires all gllst'ning 'mid the heavenly blue. It is a city built of palaces, Each statelier than its fellow, and more fair — Each broidered o'er with costliest ornament, In blazonry and splendor shining bright. 12 THK SIECK OF THE GOI/DKN CITV It is a city of rare pleasantness, With shadowy groves, and fountains ilowing clear, With music wafted from unnumbered bowers, With swe^p of lawn, and incense of sweet flowers. What is this golden city of delight. And what these sounds of war's stern em- pery ? What splendor, what dismay, are gathered here, What diverse passions here disperse their might ? Lo, in/the tumult of my dream, I see, Crouched by the golden walls, a hungrj^ throng : Some with pale faces, and waa, haggard cheeks, vSome with the flush of fever or of shame, Eyes fiercely glaring, fists in anger clenched. 13 THK sih(;e of thk (^oldivx city And lips that cr\^ for bread, for bread, for bread ! A joyless iiuiltitude, oppressed, is here, — Men hard of limb that cannot earn their bread. Strong toilers clamoring for a living wage, Clothed in the tattered weeds (;f poverty. It is a shame that this should be ! O God, look down and see Thy children in their misery and sin, With war's wild din, Mutt'ring on th' horizon, sullenly ; And men with bread to win. Cursing mankind and damning destiny ; While in the golden city hearts are gay. As thus they sing their lightsome cares away ; Life to thewinner, Seraph or sinner ! Barter and steal. While fortune' s ivheel We turn, turn, ttirn ! 14 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Death to the laggard, Harrowed and haggard ! Cast him away, Tho^ hearts in dismay May bur7i, burn, burn ! Maidens of comely shape, and fair of face, In garments of exceeding beauty dressed, Sing thus their mocking threnody, in glee : And many a merry bout and revelry Is here to while away the pleasant hours That reck not of the fate that o'er them low- ers. Throned 'mid the sumptuous splendor of his court, Sits the crowned king, with regal port, While vassals numberless before him bow, — Vain sycophants, with facile vow To win a sovereign's smile. And their own hearts defile. Hail Mammon, king of the City of Gold, May thy joys be numbered a thousand fold ! '15 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY And hail Queen Lust, To thy rule we trust ! — Thus say the serfs of the sovereign bold. While in my dream I gazed upon the king, Swelled the wild tumult of the fray more near — The tramp of armies hurrying, The brazen bugle's martial ring — When lo ! King Mammon's face grew pale with fear ! "What means this tumult in my peaceful state? What foe comes clamoring at the city's gate ? How dare they flout me thus? " the monarch cried, When answered him a vassal at his side : " 'Tis only the poor who are shrieking for bread, I would that the beggars were safely dead ;" And the great King Mammon serenely said, " To-morrow they will be dead." i6 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITV Who builded your city, King Mammon, bold — Who quarried its marble and mined its gold — Who reared its columns and piled its stones ? Great God, it is wrought of blood and of bones ! And the dead stand stark — caryatids to hold The stones piled upon them so massive and cold, — All coated and burnished with ghttering gold. Who toils in your corn-fields. King Mammon' brave, Reaping your grain for the price of a grave,— Reaping your grain while his children wail, For theirs is the chaff from the threshing flail ? 'Tis the poor that have served you this many a day, The poor you are casting in scorn away, Mammon, the king of the City of Gold ! Now sounds more near the din of war, ■ 17 THE vSlEGK OF THE GOLDEN CITY Deeper and fiercer the cannon roar, And soldiers march in ranks of four, — Bayonets glinting and sabres flashing, Officers shouting and horsemen dashing. Bugles calling in strains appalling, A surging tumult, rising and falling. Meanwhile without the city's gate The haggard rabble await their fate; And their murmuring voices grow louder and louder As they catch the scent of the burning pow- der. ^A waving of brawny fists in the air, A curse of defiance, a yell of despair. And the gates swing wide, for an army is there Bearing the banner of Mammon the Great ! Volley on volley they pour on the throng, Death shrieks its wildest, most pitiless song. And the plain is red wnth the blood of the dead, — Life art thou holy ? is murder a wrong ? i8 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Out of the stricken multitude a giant form uprose, — A wild disheveled creature, fierce and strong. With forehead pale and eyes that darted fire ; His hand upheld a torch of lurid flame, While loud and shrill his slogan shook the air, ''' Bread ! bread and liberty ! " Thus rang the battle cry of Anarchy. There was a wave of crimson banners then, A wild advance, a mowing down of men, The crash of arms, the cannon's awful boom, A mighty host that sank to sudden doom. O, Anarchy, they quenchless torch is lit ! In vain an army seeks to stifle it ; Thy voice alone the multitude can sway. All questionless, thy fierce commands obey. Pillage and plunder and dark deeds of wrong. Death to the weak and triumph to the strong — Thus is thy rule a mockery of right, And life is his who wins the bitter fight. 19 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY The great gates closed with an ominous clang As the army withdrew, and the bugles rang On the air of night that was hushed in fright, While the dead strewed the plain in its awful blight. King Mammon, enthroned in his hall of state, Learned of the slaughter before his gate ; " 'Twill teach them a lesson," was all he said. Ah yes, a lesson the very dead Shall con as they lie in theircold earth bed, — A lesson the living shall bear in their breasts Till it rankles each heart that its poison in- fests ! For there, in the still night air on the plain, Mothers are calling the names of the slain. Wives are beseeching the slaughtered in vain; Children are crying and strong men dying, And all are the might of King Mammon defy- ing. Among the dead that night weird figures moved, — 20 THE SIEGE OF THE GOI.DEN CITY Ghouls seeking plunder, men in quest of sons, And trains funereal with torch and wail. A silent woman glided through the dark, Close followed by her boy ; and now they pause Beside some prOvStrate form, and then pass on, Searching for him who came not home that day. Just as they homeward turned, despairingly, Their torch flashed full upon the form of him They loved so well. A quick unbidden cry Fell from the woman's lips. The man half rose And feebly smiled. *' 'Tis father," Arhan said, And o'er the dying man wept wife and son. The man, a carpenter in happier days. Took the boy's hand in his, and fondly said, " Arhan, my work is done, but yours to night Commences. Tell me, dost thou love me, boy?" " Aye, father, need'st thou ask that question now ?" 21 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY " Then, as thou lovest me, I bid thee swear, Even before thy God, my death t' avenge. Uncover now thy head and lift thy hand, And let my dying breath thy oath attest." The child's frail hand was raised, "In God's true sight I swear thy death shall be avenged by me ! " " Amen," the mother said, and, weeping, bowed Her head upon her dying Iiusband's breast. 22 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY BOOK II. Year followed year with unconsoling pain, The plow lay rusting in the weed -grown plain, The silent mills no longer ground their flour, And steam forgot its unexhausted power. The tanner left his vats to choke wnth slime, The mason stirred no more his seething lime. The forge was cold, its glowing embers dead, And e'en the baker kneaded not his bread. Abroad stalked Famine on his ruthless way. Men cursed their fate, and women forgot to pray. Still round the golden city's walls they cried, And at its base the weary sank and died; Still Anarchy controlled men's hopeless deeds, And in each breast sowed dissolution's seeds. 23 "The sikge of the goi^den city In midst of such fierce discord Arhan's youth Was purged of every joy, for utter ruth ^alked in stark madness through the withered land, And flames of phrensy into life were fanned. Upon his lips that solemn oath still burned; His tender heart for man's deep sorrow yearned ; His mind was burdened with his people's wrong; His spirit grew, through sorrow's schooling, strong. Men sought his counsel in their sore distress, He won their love and faith by tenderness ; Then did they bid him mind his oath, and be Their tyrant's stern destroyer. Liberty And Justice summoned him with stirring calL " Arise ! arise ! in battle venture all ! " " Arhan, with thy dark eyes compassionate, Arhan, with thy grave face and gentle way, 24 THE SIEG-C OF THE GOLDEN CITY Who biddeth tliee to slaughter thy blood brothers, For are not all men brothers unto thee ? Who biddeth thee to lay rude hands upon God's wonderwork, for thou canst take away But not restore life's passing mystery ! " Thus spake one night a voice in Arhan's ear, And Arhan answered it and said, " 'Tis well, Not with war's implements must right prevail, With love and reason man shall be re- deemed." He went among the people preaching love, Beseeching mildness, urging reason's right, But jeers and fierce upbraidings greeted him. Talk to a starving man of love for one Who snatched his bread in wantonness away ! Talk to a slave of mildness, when the lash Still stings across his back ! Nay, nay, 'tis vain ! They called him traitor, stoned him in their wrath. 25 THE SIEGE OF THE GOT.DEN CITY And left him sore of heart, infirm of mind. A sudden purpose came to him. He said : " I will go forth alone, Unto the Golden City will I go, My people to redeem. Alone, unfriended, in the realm of gold Shall I seek righteousness." When to his mother he declared his mind, She said, " Remember, Ahran, what thy lips Unto a dying father fondly vowed," And ArhanlDOwed his head and answered her, " Even unto death those words shall follow me." Then he departed with a sad farewell, Alone, his people's torment to avenge. 26 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY BOOK III. Golden City, Golden City is there joy within thy homes, Does the sun in gladness glitter on thy stately golden domes ? Is there rapture in thy heart-beats, is there lightness in thy song. When the world is overburdened with thy wantonness and wrong ? Ah I hear a voice that murmurs, "Life is but a burning lie," And with every silken rustle there escapes a stifled sigh ; With the jingling gold they palter as the jes- ter with his bells, 27 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Tlio' its clink is but a token of the pain it never tells. All thy splendor does but foster avarice and haughty pride, All thy luxury but serves the hidden bitter- ness to hide. There is poison in the plenty that has fed thee from its well, And its pangs shall rack thy spirit with its uncontrolled spell. No lightsomeness of heart found Arhan there, With all its glamour and its revelry, But only shows of joy to mask its pain ; For happiness was garbled so by greed That sweet content was ever on the wing, And in their plethora were all men poor. " Alas, my people are avenged e'en now," Thought Arhan, gazing on the glut of gold. "All is transmuted by their Midas spell, Till they too cry for bread and find it not. 28 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Thus is iniquity returned on them Who first its pow'r invoked to serve their greed ! " There was a fountain in the city's heart, Spouting its silver spray unceasingly, Cinctured with waving trees and winding ways That threaded bow'rs and groves Arcadian. Here Arhan stood, and spake to all who came, — Idlers who knew not how to waste their day Women and men in costly raiment clad ; Masters and servants staid to hear his words. For in his heart there burned a people's wrong, And on his lips that wrong found utterance. He preached unto them, saying, " He of old declared to men : ' I^ay not up treasures for yourself on earth. Where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal, 29 THE SIEGE OF THB GOLDEN CITY But lay up treasures for yourself in heaven, Where moth nor rust corrupt, nor thieves may steal.' And have ye heard his voice and scorned him so? I say to you, my brothers, verily, Thy gold can nowise profit thee on earth ; It buys but sorrow and it breeds but pain. Thou canst not make the bird pour forth his song For golden guerdon, canst not deck the skies Of eve with royal purple and with flame, Tho' Pluto pour his coffers in the sea, And offer prayers to Jove from morn to night, Thou canst not barter wnth swift-speeding time, Nor with thy boundless gold stay age's blight; Thou canst not buy the dead to life again ; Thou canst not rob the grave of bitterness. But love can bid the bird pour forth his song, And light can kiss the clouds until they burn 30 TflE SIEGE OF THE (iOT.DEN CITY In radiant splendor 'mid the evening sky ; And wisdom can transcend the sweep of time, Folding all ages in its ample span. Beholding life's new dwelling place in death, And in the grave a making o'er of clay." When Arhan paused a man vouchsafed reply: " No man may know the secrets of the grave, But all behold the magic wrought by gold — Commerce and argosies and stately homes, Trails speeding o'er the land, and miglity toil Of engines laboring in man's behest. All luxury and power are bought with gold. And thus the world upgrows and business thrives." Then Arhan answer'd him : "A desert land In some sequestered nook may hold a well Where palms grow tall and stately, tho' the wa.ste Of boundless barrenness is fraught with dread. 31 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEX CITY Think you, is this a goodly place to dwell, Or would you not go rather to some land Where verdure stretches its unending green, With clear streams winding through its cooling shade ? men of little vision, see, thy gold Has grown thee an oasis midst a plain Of utter barrenness and cruel want ; And like the lazj^ Arab in his grove Vou loiter here, tho' life's long caravan Toils painfully o'er burning sands of time ! 1 tell thee, verily, no joy is thine \\^hile want howls round thee unconsolable ! Thou art beset with wolves thy greed has bred, And, O, beware the day they feed on thee ! There is no rest for man while one lone soul Is w^eary with life's burden ; as the sun Shines on all upturned faces equally, So shall salvation shine alike for men ! " Then voices in the multitude uprose. 32 THK SIKGF? OF THE COLDEN CITY With cries of " ranter ! traitor ! anarchist ! " Till some one shouted, " Hold, we'll hear him out ! " Then said to Arhan, "Stranger, you declare That all life's evils flow from wealth of gold ; Now tell us how, sans gold, the w^orld would thrive." And Arhan answered, "All the ills of men Flow from their lustful hearts and sordid minds, And wealth is but an instrument of wrong. When man can stand before his brother man And say, ' I never took thy share of life from thee, I never rose by treading thee to earth, — When thus the merchant can in truth de- clare Unto his brother working in the fields, When thus the lady decked in silk and gems Can say unto her sister, faint with toil. Who sews and scrubs to earn a crust of bread, TilK SIKGK OF THK (ioi.DEN CITY Tli2n shall lown that wealth is good for man." A voice replied from out the multitude : "You tamper, thus, with nature's foremost law, h'or competition spurs us to our best, — Through struggle all life's forms have won their place. And still the fittest in life's race survive." Arlian replied, "A deeper law controls This world of ours, for at the heart of things Is love and reason, dominating all, And life forever treasures but the best. Does the swift deer in life's hot race survive ? Then swiftness is its virtue and its right. Does the fierce tiger life's stern battle win ? Then strengtli and courage meet their due re- ward. Does the wise man o'er brutal might prevail ? Then wis lom stands approved by destiny. But wisdom's insight, moral duty shows, And man can win alone by noble deeds. 34 *rHK SIEGE OE THE GOLDEN CITY Compete in righteousness, and nature's law Shall be fulfilled. All else is false and vain !" A surging multitude had gather'd round The fountain while he talked thus earnestly , And many hostile faces looked at him. "He preaches insurrection," one exclaimed. Another, " He would overthrow the law ; " While only one face looked compassionate. Mizpah, a slender girl, beheld him there Pleading for man oppressed, and worshiped him. She understood not all, but felt his pow'r. And in his sore need loved him utterly. The tumult grew more loud as angry men Jeered Arhan, calmly standing 'midst the crowd. Then stones were hurled that felled him, bruised and stunned, And Mizpah uttered a sharp wail of pa^*' She hastened to his side and tende^^ Dipping cool water from the fo- THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY To bathe his pallid brow and moist his lips ; And in his swoon a vision came to him Of what should come to pass in days unborn. Ah blessed, she who tendeth him, despised, For she shall minister to all mankind, And with her love shall heal this bruised world. Who careth for the humblest shall be great In that fair city of immortal jo3^ He wakened from his trance, beholding her, And said, " Sweet angel, thou shalt be a sign To all mankind, of peace, good will and love. Go forth and bear the message taught of old, ^ That all may share the light that shines from thee." Then, in a lower tone, he calmly said, " I greet thee. Father, unashamed, to-day, For thus have I fulfilled my vow to thee." These were his parting words, for he was dead. The crowd dispersed, and Mizpah wept alone, 36 THE SIEGE OF THE GOI.DEN CITY When, from on high, a golden shower fell Upon her, thrilling her with strength and light. Thus Arhan's spirit came to greet the girl And bid her rise and bear his word afar. It came to pass that Mizpah rose And went forth from the Golden City's bounds, Where thronged the heavy-hearted host of poor. Then in my vision was a marvel wrought, For lo, the maid, transfigured, walked the earth Even as an angel clad in shining robes, And men wept tears of joy to see her come. She took the cripple by the hand, Andt)ade him, nsupported, stand; She raised the pale child from his bed. And bade him follow where she led ; She called the robber from his spoil. And bade him, for his brothers, toil. Her march of triumph swept the plain. 37 THE SIEGK OF THE GOLDEN CITV All followed in her ardent train, — And silver horns rang out their jubilee, While Love sang loud, *'0 follow, follow me," From out the skies fell words exultingly, And from the heaving tumult of the sea Voices arose in joyous melody ; For, clad in heaven's blest planoply, Came Love to set men free From shame and tyranny, — Came love to lead all men to harmony, With those glad words, " O follow, follow me!" Weaver and baker and farmer and sailor,-—^ Carpenter, painter, mechanic and tailor, — Plumber and tinner and tinker and tanner Marched through the land with fraternity's banner. They marched round the walls of the City of Gold, And they sang as they marched, and their voices uproUed 38 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY To the sentinels, startled to hear their song — Startled to see them thus marching along. Thrice marched they the city beleaguer'd"^ around, Till heaven was shaken, so loud was the sound Of their song as it swelled through the radi- ant sky, Bursting in pseans of triumph on high : Hail to the o-lory and greatness of man, Hail to the promise and pome/r of love ! God in His mage sty ruleth His children, And leadeth them on to His -infinite home ! Liberty shines frofn the' heavens upon us, Law bids us list to its voice and obey ; God iri His magesty ruleth His children, And leadeth them on to His infinite home ! Heaven is his who has made it and won it. Love is the sescLme openiiig its gates ; God in His magesty ruleth His childreii. And leadeth the7n on to His infinite home ! 39 THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Shoulder to shoulder we march without sway, Bearing the burdens that heaven ordains ; God in His magesty ruleth His children And leadeth them on to His infinite home ! Each with a cross of a brother to carry, Each with a burden of sin and of shame ; God in His magesty ruleth His children. And leadeth them on to His infinite home ! Then the mighty walls quivered and tottered and fell, Enchanted by love's unresistible spell, And the army of peace on the city advanced^ The maiden about her triumphantly glanced, As she stepped o'er the ruin and entered the street, For the army of Mammon bowed down at her feet. On, on through the city the host in its might. Singing and shouting its song in delight, Swept unimpeded, and crowded the street. 40 THK SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY Forth came the people their brothers to greet— = Banker and merchant and writer and clerk, Idler with hands uncorrupted by work, — All joined the conquering army of love. Then mighty deeds were wrought through all the land, Muscle and brain combining for the task, And nowhere idleness found room to be. There were the low and sordid to be raised, To learn love's import and to do love's toil, — There were the proud and vain to be sub- dued, To learn humanity and neighbor love. The sound of hammer and of saw were heard In village and in town, for industr}^ Waged its unceasing toil among all men, And hearts grew lighter as their cares took wing. Mammon, alone, in sorrow pined away. For all his proud domain was torn from him, 4t THE SIEGE OF THE GOLDEN CITY And all his empire dwindled into dust. Thus Arhan's toil attained fruition, meet, And thus love strove his conquest to com- plete. No more could factions breed in men their hate, No more could lustful greed predominate; For men had learned that each is served by all, That none can mount where one is left to fall. That none are rich while any still are poor, That all together must life's pain endure. O, man, how wonderful a work is thine ! For, in the wilderness, thou hast upreared A city throbbing with a love divine, — A city of great tenderness, endeared To all, because one pulse is beating there, One toil is straining ev'ry arm and hand, One thought of life is throbbing every w^here: — God spake to men and they did understand. 42 -^^^ .^^4:%% .-^'^ ./y?^^ ♦ O ^^ '" • * " \^ <^ -TXT* .0^ ^3