You,whoareblessedwithshadeaswellaslight,you,whoaregiftedwithtwoeyes,endowedwithaknowledgeofperspective,andcharmedwiththeenjoymentofvariouscolours,you,whocanactuallyseeanangle,andcontemplatethecompletecircumferenceofaCircleinthehappyregionoftheThreeDimensions—howshallImakeitcleartoyoutheextremedifficultywhichweinFlatlandexperienceinrecognizingoneanother'sconfiguration?
RecallwhatItoldyouabove.AllbeingsinFlatland,animateandinanimate,nomatterwhattheirform,presenttoourviewthesame,ornearlythesame,appearance,viz.thatofastraightLine.
Theansweristhreefold.Thefirstmeansofrecognitionisthesenseofhearing;whichwithusisfarmorehighlydevelopedthanwithyou,andwhichenablesusnotonlytodistinguishbythevoiceofourpersonalfriends,buteventodiscriminatebetweendifferentclases,atleastsofarasconcernsthethreelowestorders,theEquilateral,theSquare,andthePentagon—fortheIsoscelesItakenoaccount.
Butasweascendthesocialscale,theprocessofdiscriminatingandbeingdiscriminatedbyhearingincreasesindifficulty,partlybecausevoicesareassimilated,partlybecausethefacultyofvoice-discriminationisaplebeianvirtuenotmuchdevelopedamongtheAristocracy.
Amongstourlowestorders,thevocalorgansaredevelopedtoadegreemorethancorrespondentwiththoseofhearing,sothatanIsoscelescaneasilyfeignthevoiceofaPolygon,and,withsometraining,thatofaCirclehimself.
Feelingis,amongourWomenandlowerclasses—aboutourupperclassesIshallspeakpresently—theprincipaltestofrecognition,atalleventsbetweenstrangers,andwhenthequestionis,notastotheindividual,butastotheclass.
"PermitmetoaskyoutofeelandbefeltbymyfriendMr.So-and-so"—isstill,amongthemoreold-fashionedofourcountrygentlemenindistrictsremotefromtowns,thecustomaryformulaforaFlatlandintroduction.
Butinthetowns,andamongmenofbusiness,thewords"befeltby"areomittedandthesentenceisabbreviatedto,"LetmeaskyoutofeelMr.So-and-so";althoughitisassumed,ofcourse,thatthe"feeling"istobereciprocal.
Amongourstillmoremodernanddashingyounggentlemen—whoareextremelyaversetosuperfluouseffortandsupremelyindifferenttothepurityoftheirnativelanguage—theformulaisstillfurthercurtailedbytheuseof"tofeel"inatechnicalsense,meaning,"torecommend-for-the-purposes-of-feeling-and-being-felt";andatthismomentthe"slang"ofpoliteorfastsocietyintheupperclassessanctionssuchabarbarismas"Mr.Smith,permitmetofeelMr.Jones."
LetnotmyReaderhoweversupposethat"feeling"iswithusthetediousprocessthatitwouldbewithyou,orthatwefinditnecessarytofeelrightroundallthesidesofeveryindividualbeforewedeterminetheclasstowhichhebelongs.
Longpracticeandtraining,begunintheschoolesandcontinuedintheexperienceofdailylife,enableustodiscriminateatoncebythesenseoftouch,betweentheanglesofanequal-sidedTriangle,Square,andPentagon;andIneednotsaythatthebrainlessvertexofanacute-angledIsoscelesisobvioustothedullesttouch.
Itisthereforenotnecessary,asarule,todomorethanfeelasingleangleofanindividual;andthis,onceascertained,tellsustheclassofthepersonwhomweareaddressing,unlessindeedhebelongstothehighersectionsofthenobility.Therethedifficultyismuchgreater.
EvenaMasterofArtsinourUniversityofWentbridgehasbeenknowntoconfuseaten-sidedwithatwelve-sidedPolygon;andthereishardlyaDoctorofScienceinoroutofthatfamousUniversitywhocouldpretendtodecidepromptlyandunhestitatinglybetweenatwenty-sidedandatwenty-foursidedmemberoftheAristocracy.
ThoseofmyreaderswhorecalltheextractsIgaveabovefromtheLegislativecodeconcerningWomen,willreadilyperceivethattheprocessofintroductionbycontactrequiressomecareanddiscretion.
Astart,afidgetyshiftingoftheposition,yes,evenaviolentsneeze,hasbeenknownbeforenowtoprovefataltotheincautious,andtonipinthebudmanyapromisingfriendship.
Withthem,theeyeissituatedsofarfromtheirvertexthattheycanscarcelytakecognizanceofwhatgoesonatthatextremityoftheirframe.
IhaveheardthatmyexcellentGrandfather—oneoftheleastirregularofhisunhappyIsoscelesclass,whoindeedobtained,shortlybeforehisdecease,fouroutofsevenbotesfromtheSanitaryandSocialBoardforpassinghimintotheclassoftheEqual-sided—oftendeplored,withatearinhisvenerableeye,amiscarriageofthiskind,whichhadoccuredtohisgreat-great-great-Grandfather,arespectableWorkingManwithanangleorbrainof59degrees30minutes.
Accordingtohisaccount,myunfortunatelyAncestor,beingafflictedwithrheumatism,andintheactofbeingfeltbyaPolygon,byonesuddenstartaccidentallytransfixedtheGreatManthroughthediagonalandthereby,partlyinconsequenceofhislongimprisonmentanddegradation,andpartlybecauseofthemoralshockwhichpervadedthewholeofmyAncestor'srelations,threwbackourfamilyadegreeandahalfintheirascenttowardsbetterthings.
Theresultwasthatinthenextgenerationthefamilybrainwasregisteredatonly58degrees,andnottillthelapseoffivegenerationswasthelostgroundrecovered,thefull60degreesattained,andtheAscentfromtheIsoscelesfinallyachieved.
AsthispointIthinkIhearsomeofmybettereducatedreadersexclaim,"HowcouldyouinFlatlandknowanythingaboutanglesanddegrees,orminutes?
Weseeanangle,becausewe,intheregionofSpace,canseetwostraightlinesinclinedtooneanother;butyou,whocanseenothingbutonstraightlineatatime,oratalleventsonllyanumberofbitsofstraightlinesallinonestraightline,—howcanyoueverdiscernanangle,andmuchlessregisteranglesofdifferentsizes?"
Oursenseoftouch,stimulatedbynecessity,anddevelopedbylongtraining,enablesustodistinguishanglesfarmoreaccuratelythanyoursenseofsight,whenunaidedbyaruleormeasureofangles.
ItiswithusaLawofNaturethatthebrainoftheIsoscelesclassshallbeginathalfadegree,orthirtyminutes,andshallincrease(ifitincreasesatall)byhalfadegreeineverygenerationuntilthegoalof60degreesisreached,whentheconditionofserfdomisquitted,andthefreemanenterstheclassofRegulars.
Consequently,NatureherselfsuppliesuswithanascendingscaleorAlphabetofanglesforhalfadegreeupto60degrees,SpecimenofwhichareplacedineveryElementarySchoolthroughouttheland.
Owingtooccasionalretrogressions,tostillmorefrequentmoralandintellectualstagnation,andtotheextraordinaryfecundityoftheCriminalandVagabondclasses,thereisalwaysavastsuperfluityofindividualsofthehalfdegreeandsingledegreeclass,andafairabundanceofSpecimensupto10degrees.
Theseareabsolutelydestituteofcivilrights;andagreatnumberofthem,nothavingevenintelligenceenoughforthepurposesofwarfare,aredevotedbytheStatestotheserviceofeducation.
Fetteredimmovablysoastoremoveallpossibilityofdanger,theyareplacedintheclassroomsofourInfantSchools,andtheretheyareutilizedbytheBoardofEducationforthepuposeofimpartingtotheoffspringoftheMiddleClassesthetactandintelligencewhichthesewretchedcreaturesthemselvesareutterlydevoid.
InsomeStatestheSpecimensareoccasionallyfedandsufferedtoexistforseveralyears;butinthemoretemperateandbetterregulatedregions,itisfoundinthelongrunmoreadvantageousfortheeducationalinterestsoftheyoung,todispensewithfood,andtorenewtheSpecimenseverymonth—whichisabouttheaveragedurationofthefoodlessexistenceoftheCriminalclass.
Inthecheaperschools,whatisgainedbythelongerexistenceoftheSpecimenislost,partlyintheexpenditureforfood,andpartlyinthediminishedaccuracyoftheangles,whichareimpairedafterafewweeksofconstant"feeling."
Normustweforgettoadd,inenumeratingtheadvantagesofthemoreexpensivesystem,thatittends,thoughslightlyyetperceptibly,tothediminutionoftheredundantIsoscelespopulation—anobjectwhicheverystatesmaninFlatlandconstantlykeepsinview.
Onthewholetherefore—althoughIamnotignorantthat,inmanypopularlyelectedSchoolBoards,thereisareactioninfavourof"thecheapsystem"asitiscalled—Iammyselfdisposedtothinkthatthisisoneofthemanycasesinwhichexpenseisthetruesteconomy.
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