IfmypoorFlatlandfriendretainedthevigourofmindwhichheenjoyedwhenhebegantocomposetheseMemoirs,Ishouldnotnowneedtorepresenthiminthispreface,inwhichhedesires,fully,toreturnhisthankstohisreadersandcriticsinSpaceland,whoseappreciationhas,withunexpectedcelerity,requiredasecondeditionofthiswork;secondly,toapologizeforcertainerrorsandmisprints(forwhich,however,heisnotentirelyresponsible);and,thirdly,toexplainoneortwomisconceptions.
Yearsofinprisonment,andthestillheavierburdenofgeneralincredulityandmockery,havecombinedwiththethoughtsandnotions,andmuchalsooftheterminology,whichheacquiredduringhisshortstayinspaceland.
Hehas,therefore,requestedmetoreplyinhisbehalftotwospecialobjections,oneofanintellectual,theotherofamoralnature.
Thefirstobjectionis,thataFlatlander,seeingaLine,seessomethingthatmustbethicktotheeyeaswellaslongtotheeye(otherwiseitwouldnotbevisible,ifithadnotsomethickness);andconsequentlyheought(itisargued)toacknowledgethathiscountrymenarenotonlylongandbroad,butalso(thoughdoubtlesstoaveryslightdegree)thickorhigh.
Thisobjectionisplausible,and,toSpacelanders,almostirresistible,sothat,Iconfess,whenIfirstheardit,Iknewnotwhattoreply.
"Iadmit,"saidhe—whenImentionedtohimthisobjection—"Iadmitthetruthofyourcritic'sfacts,butIdenyhisconclusions.
ItistruethatwehavereallyinFlatlandaThirdunrecognizedDimensioncalled'height,'justasitalsoistruethatyouhavereallyinSpacelandaFourthunrecognizedDimension,calledbynonameatpresent,butwhichIwillcall'extra-height.'
EvenI—whohavebeeninSpaceland,andhavehadtheprivilegeofunderstandingfortwenty-fourhoursthemeaningof'height'—evenIcannotnowcomprehendit,norrealizeitbythesenseofsightorbyanyprocessofreason;Icanbutapprehenditbyfaith.
Now,allourlinesareequallyandinfinitesimallythick(orhigh,whicheveryoulike);consequently,thereisnothinginthemtoleadourmindstotheconceptionofthatDimension.
No'delicatemicrometer'—ashasbeensuggestedbyonetoohastySpacelandcritic—wouldintheleastavailus;forweshouldnotknowwhattomeasure,norinwhatdirection.
WhenweseeaLine,weseesomethingthatislongandbright;brightness,aswellaslength,isnecessarytotheexistenceofaLine;ifthebrightnessvanishes,theLineisextinguished.
Hence,allmyFlatlandfriends—whenItalktothemabouttheunrecognizedDimensionwhichissomehowvisibleinaLine—say,'Ah,youmeanbrightness':andwhenIreply,'No,ImeanarealDimension,'theyatonceretort,'Thenmeasureit,ortellusinwhatdirectionitextends';andthissilencesme,forIcandoneither.
Onlyyesterday,whentheChiefCircle(inotherwordsourHighPriest)cametoinspecttheStatePrisonandpaidmehisseventhannualvisit,andwhenfortheseventhtimeheputmethequestion,'WasIanybetter?'
SupposeapersonoftheFourthDimension,condescendingtovisityou,weretosay,'Wheneveryouopenyoureyes,youseeaPlane(whichisofTwoDimensions)andyouinferaSolid(whichisofThree);butinrealityyoualsosee(thoughyoudonotrecognize)aFourthDimension,whichisnotcolournorbrightnessnoranythingofthekind,butatrueDimension,althoughIcannotpointouttoyouitsdirection,norcanyouposssiblymeasureit.'
Well,thatismyfate:anditisasnaturalforusFlatlanderstolockupaSquareforpreachingtheThirdDimension,asitisforyouSpacelanderstolockupaCubeforpreachingtheFourth.
Points,Lines,Squares,Cubes,Extra-Cubes—weareallliabletothesameerrors,allaliketheSlaversofourrespectiveDimensionalprejudices,asoneofourSpacelandpoetshassaid—
Ithasbeenobjectedthatheisawoman-hater;andasthisobjectionhasbeenvehementlyurgedbythosewhomNature'sdecreehasconstitutedthesomewhatlargerhalfoftheSpacelandrace,Ishouldliketoremoveit,sofarasIcanhonestlydoso.
ButtheSquareissounaccustomedtotheuseofthemoralterminologyofSpacelandthatIshouldbedoinghimaninjusticeifIwereliterallytotranscribehisdefenceagainstthischarge.
Acting,therefore,ashisinterpreterandsummarizer,Igatherthatinthecourseofanimprisonmentofsevenyearshehashimselfmodifiedhisownpersonalviews,bothasregardsWomenandasregardstheIsoscelesorLowerClasses.
Personally,henowinclinestotheopinionoftheSphere(seepage86)thattheStraightLinesareinmanyimportantrespectssuperiortotheCircles.
But,writingasaHistorian,hehasidentifiedhimself(perhapstooclosely)withtheviewsgenerallyadoptedbyFlatland,and(ashehasbeeninformed)evenbySpaceland,Historians;inwhosepages(untilveryrecenttimes)thedestiniesofWomenandofthemassesofmankindhaveseldombeendeemedworthyofmentionandneverofcarefulconsideration.
InastillmoreobscurepassagehenowdesirestodisavowtheCircularoraristocratictendencieswithwhichsomecriticshavenaturallycreditedhim.
WhiledoingjusticetotheintellectualpowerwithwhichafewCircleshaveformanygenerationsmaintainedtheirsupremacyoverimmensemultitudesoftheircountrymen,hebelievesthatthefactsofFlatland,speakingforthemselveswithoutcommentonhispart,declarethatRevolutionscannotalwaysbesuppressedbyslaughter,andthatNature,insentencingtheCirclestoinfecundity,hascondemnedthemtoultimatefailure—"andherein,"hesays,"IseeafulfilmentofthegreatLawofallworlds,thatwhilethewisdomofManthinksitisworkingonething,thewisdomofNatureconstrainsittoworkanother,andquiteadifferentandfarbetterthing."
Fortherest,hebegshisreadersnottosupposethateveryminutedetailinthedailylifeofFlatlandmustneedscorrespondtosomeotherdetailinSpaceland;andyethehopesthat,takenasawhole,hisworkmayprovesuggestiveaswellasamusing,tothoseSpacelandersofmoderateandmodestmindswho—speakingofthatwhichisofthehighestimportance,butliesbeyondexperience—declinetosayontheonehand,"Thiscanneverbe,"andontheotherhand,"Itmustneedsbepreciselythus,andweknowallaboutit."
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