ForthisreasonImustomitmanymattersofwhichtheexplanationwouldnot,Iflattermyself,bewithoutinterestformyReaders:asforexample,ourmethodofpropellingandstoppingourselves,althoughdestituteoffeet;themeansbywhichwegivefixitytostructuersofwood,stone,orbrick,althoughofcoursewehavenohands,norcanwelayfoundationsasyoucan,noravailourselvesofthelateralpressureoftheearth;themannerinwhichtherainoriginatesintheintervalsbetweenourvariouszones,sothatthenorthernregionsdonotinterceptthemoisturefallingonthesouthern;thenatureofourhillsandmines,ourtreesandvegetables,ourseasonsandharvests;ourAlphabetandmethodofwriting,adaptedtoourlineartablets;theseandahundredotherdetailsofourphysicalexistenceImustpassover,nordoImentionthemnowexcepttoindicatetomyreadersthattheiromissionproceedsnotfromforgetfulnessonthepartoftheauthor,butfromhisregardforthetimeoftheReader.
YetbeforeIproceedtomylegitimatesubjectsomefewfinalremarkswillnodoubtbeexpectedbymyReadersuponthesepillarsandmainstaysoftheConstitutionofFlatland,thecontrollersofourconductandshapersofourdestiny,theobjectsofuniversalhomageandalmostofadoration:needIsaythatImeanourCirclesorPriests?
Withus,ourPriestsareAdministratorsofallBusiness,Art,andScience;DirectorsofTrade,Commerce,Generalship,Architecture,Engineering,Education,Statesmanship,Legislature,Morality,Theology;doingnothingthemselves,theyaretheCausesofeverythingworthdoing,thatisdonebyothers.
AlthoughpopularlyeveryonecalledaCircleisdeemedaCircle,yetamongthebettereducatedClassesitisknownthatnoCircleisreallyaCircle,butonlyaPolygonwithaverylargenumberofverysmallsides.
Asthenumberofthesidesincreases,aPolygonapproximatestoaCircle;and,whenthenumberisverygreatindeed,sayforexamplethreeorfourhundred,itisextremelydifficultforthemostdelicatetouchtofeelanypolygonalangles.
Letmesayratheritwouldbedifficult:for,asIhaveshownabove,RecognitionbyFeelingisunknownamongthehighestsociety,andtofeelaCirclewouldbeconsideredamostaudaciousinsult.
ThishabitofabstentionfromFeelinginthebestsocietyenablesaCirclethemoreeasilytosustaintheveilofmysteryinwhich,fromhisearliestyears,heiswonttoenwraptheexactnatureofhisPerimeterorCircumference.
ThreefeetbeingtheaveragePerimeteritfollowsthat,inaPolygonofthreehundredsideseachsidewillbenomorethanthehundredthpartofafootinlength,orlittlemorethanthetenthpartofaninch;andinaPolygonofsixorsevenhundredsidesthesidesarelittlelargerthanthediameterofaSpacelandpin-head.
TheascentoftheposterityoftheCirclesinthesocialscaleisnotrestricted,asitisamongthelowerRegularclasses,bytheLawofNaturewhichlimitstheincreaseofsidestooneineachgeneration.
Ifitwereso,thenumberofsidesintheCirclewouldbeamerequestionofpedigreeandarithmetic,andthefourhundrdandninety-seventhdescendantofanEquilateralTrianglewouldnecessarilybeapolygonWithfivehundredsides.Butthisisnotthecase.
Nature'sLawprescribestwoantagonsticdecreesaffectingCircularpropogation;first,thatastheraceclimbshigherinthescaleofdevelopment,sodevelopmentshallproceedatanacceleratedpace;second,thatinthesameproportion,theraceshallbecomelessfertile.
Ontheotherhandthesonofafive-hundred-sidedPolygonhasbeenknowntopossessfivehundredandfifty,orevensixhundredsides.
OurphysicianshavediscoveredthatthesmallandtendersidesofaninfantPolygonofthehigherclasscanbefractured,andhiswholeframere-set,withsuchexactnessthataPolygonoftwoorthreehundredsidessometimes—bynomeansalways,fortheprocessisattendedwithseriousrisk—butsometimesoverleapstwoorthreehundredgenerations,andasitweredoubleatastroke,thenumberofhisprogenitorsandthenobilityofhisdescent.
YetsostrongistheparentalambitionamongthosePolygonswhoare,asitwere,onthefringeoftheCircularclass,thatitisveryraretofindtheNoblemanofthatpositioninsociety,whohasneglectedtoplacehisfirst-bornintheCircularNeo-TherapeuticGymnasiumbeforehehasattainedtheageofamonth.
Oneyeardeterminssuccessorfailure.Attheendofthattimethechildhas,inallprobability,addedonemoretothetombstonesthatcrowdtheNeo-TherapeuticCemetery;butonrareoccasionalagladprocessionbaresbackthelittleonetohisexultantparents,nolongeraPolygon,butaCircle,atleastbycourtesy:andasingleinstanceofsoblessedaresultinducesmultitudesofPolygonalparentstosubmittosimialrdomesticsacrifice,whichhaveadissimilarissue.
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