Whetherpolitical,ecclesiastical,ormoral,alltheirteachinghasforitsobjecttheimprovementofindividualandcollectiveConfiguration—withspecialreferenceofcoursetotheConfigurationoftheCircles,towhichallotherobjectsaresubordinated.
ItisthemeritoftheCirclesthattheyhaveeffectuallysuppressedthoseancientheresieswhichledmentowasteenergyandsympathyinthevainbeliefthatconductdependsuponwill,effort,training,encouragement,praise,oranythingelsebutConfiguration.
ItwasPantocyclus—theillustriousCirclementionedabove,asthequelleroftheColourRevolt—whofirstconvincedmankindthatConfigurationmakestheman;thatif,forexample,youarebornanIsosceleswithtwounevensides,youwillassuredlygowrongunlessyouhavethemmadeeven—forwhichpurposeyoumustgototheIsoscelesHospital;similiarly,ifyouareaTriangle,orSquare,orevenaPolygon,bornwithanyIrregularity,youmustbetakentooneoftheRegularHospitalstohaveyourdiseasecured;otherwiseyouwillendyourdaysintheStatePrisonorbytheangleoftheStateExecutioner.
Allfaultsordefects,fromtheslightestmisconducttothemostflagitiouscrime,PantocyclusattributedtosomedeviationfromperfectRegularityinthebodilyfigure,causedperhaps(ifnotcongenital)bysomecollisioninacrowd;byneglecttotakeexercise,orbytakingtoomuchofit;orevenbyasuddenchangeoftemperature,resultinginashrinkageorexpansioninsometoosusceptiblepartoftheframe.
Therefore,concludedthatillustriousPhilosopher,neithergoodconductnorbadconductisafitsubject,inanysoberestimation,foreithepraiseorblame.
Forwhyshouldyoupraise,forexample,theintegrityofaSquarewhofaithfullydefendstheinterestsofhisclient,whenyououghtinrealityrathertoadmiretheexactprecisionofhisrightangles?
Oragain,whyblamealying,thievishIsosceles,whenyououghtrathertodeploretheincurableinequalityofhissides?
IndealingwithanIsosceles,ifarascalpleadsthathecannothelpstealingbecauseofhisunevenness,youreplythatforthatveryreason,becausehecannothelpbeinganuisancetohisneighbours,you,theMagistrate,cannothelpsentencinghimtobeconsumed—andtehre'sanendofthematter.
Butinlittledomesticdifficulties,whenthepenaltyofconsumption,ordeath,isoutofthequestion,thistheoryofConfigurationsometimescomesinawkwardly;andImustconfessthatoccasionallywhenoneofmyownHexagonalGrandsonspleadsasanexcuseforhisdisobediencethatasuddenchangeoftemperaturehasbeentoomuchforhisPerimeter,andthatIoughttolaytheblamenotonhimbutonhisConfiguration,whichcanonlybestrengthenedbyabundanceofthechoicestsweetmeats,Ineitherseemywaylogicallytoreject,norpracticallytoaccept,hisconclusions.
Formyownpart,IfinditbesttoassumethatagoodsoundscoldingorcastigationhassomelatentandstrengtheninginfluenceonmyGrandson'sConfiguration;thoughIownthatIhavenogroundsforthinkingso.
AtalleventsIamnotaloneinmywayofextricatingmyselffromthisdilemma;forIfindthatmanyofthehighestCircles,sittingasJudgesinlawcourts,usepraiseandblametowardsRegularandIrregularFigures;andintheirhomesIknowbyexperiencethat,whenscoldingtheirchildren,theyspeakabout"right"and"wrong"asvehementlyandpassionatelyasiftheybelievethatthesenamesrepresentedrealexistence,andthatahumanFigureisreallycapableofchoosingbetweenthem.
ConstantlycarryingouttheirpolicyofmakingConfigurationtheleadingideaineverymind,theCirclesreversethenatureofthatCommandmentwhichinSpacelandregulatestherelationsbetweenparentsandchildren.
Withyou,childrenaretaughttohonourtheirparents;withus—nexttotheCircles,whoarethechiefobjectofuniversalhomage—amanistaughttohonourhisGrandson,ifhehasone;or,ifnot,hisSon.
By"honour,"however,isbynomeansmean"indulgence,"butareverentregardfortheirhighestinterests:andtheCirclesteachthatthedutyoffathersistosubordinatetheirownintereststothoseofposterity,therebyadvancingthewelfareofthewholeStateaswellasthatoftheirownimmediatedescendants.
TheweakpointinthesystemoftheCircles—ifahumbleSquaremayventuretospeakofanythingCircularascontaininganyelementofweakness—appearstometobefoundintheirrelationswithWomen.
AsitisoftheutmostimportanceforSocietythatIrregularbirthsshouldbediscouraged,itfollowsthatnoWomanwhohasanyIrregularitiesinherancestryisafitpartnerforonewhodesiresthathisposterityshouldrisebyregulardegreesinthesocialscale.
NowtheIrregularityofaMaleisamatterofmeasurement;butasallWomenarestraight,andthereforevisiblyRegularsotospeak,onehastodevicesomeothermeansofascertainingwhatImaycalltheirinvisibleIrregularity,thatistosaytheirpotentialIrregularitiesasregardspossibleoffspring.
Thisiseffectedbycarefully-keptpedigrees,whicharepreservedandsupervisedbytheState;andwithoutacertifiedpedigreenoWomanisallowedtomarry.
NowitmighthavebeensupposedtheaCircle—proudofhisancestryandregardfulforaposteritywhichmightpossiblyissuehereafterinaChiefCircle—wouldbemorecarefulthananyothertochooseawifewhohadnoblotonherescutcheon.Butitisnotso.
NothingwouldinduceanaspiringIsosceles,whohashopesofgeneratinganEquilateralSon,totakeawifewhoreckonedasingleIrregularityamongherAncestors;aSquareorPentagon,whoisconfidentthathisfamilyissteadilyontherise,doesnotinqureabovethefive-hundredthgeneration;aHexagonorDodecagonisevenmorecarelessofthewife'spedigree;butaCirclehasbeenknowndeliberatelytotakeawifewhohashadanIrregularGreat-Grandfather,andallbecauseofsomeslightsuperiorityoflustre,orbecauseofthecharmsofalowvoice—which,withus,evenmorethanwithyou,isthought"anexcellentthinginaWoman."
Suchill-judgedmarriagesare,asmightbeexpected,barren,iftheydonotresultinpositiveIrregularityorindiminutionofsides;butnoneoftheseevilshavehithertoproviedsufficientlydeterrent.
Thelossofafewsidesinahighly-developedPolygonisnoteasilynoticed,andissometimescompensatedbyasuccessfuloperationintheNeo-TherapeuticGymnasium,asIhavedescribedabove;andtheCirclesaretoomuchdisposedtoacquiesceininfecundityasalawofthesuperiordevelopment.
Yet,ifthisevilbenotarrested,thegradualdiminutionoftheCircularclassmaysoonbecomemorerapid,andthetimemaynotbefardistantwhen,theracebeingnolongerabletoproduceaChiefCircle,theConstitutionofFlatlandmustfall.
Oneotherwordofwarningsuggestitselftome,thoughIcannotsoeasilymentionaremedy;andthisalsoreferstoourrelationswithWomen.
Aboutthreehundredyearsago,itwasdecreedbytheChiefCirclethat,sincewomenaredeficientinReasonbutabundantinEmotion,theyoughtnolongertobetreatedasrational,norreceiveanymentaleducation.
Theconsequencewasthattheywerenolongertaughttoread,noreventomasterArithmeticenoughtoenablethemtocounttheanglesoftheirhusbandorchildren;andhencetheysensiblydeclinedduringeachgenerationinintellectualpower.
Fortheconsequenceisthat,asthingsnoware,weMaleshavetoleadakindofbi-lingual,andImayalmostsaybimental,existence.
WithWomen,wespeakof"love,""duty,""right,""wrong,""pity,""hope,"andotherirrationalandemotionalconceptions,whichhavenoexistence,andthefictionofwhichhasnoobjectexcepttocontrolfeminineexuberances;butamongourselves,andinourbooks,wehaveanentirelydifferentvocabularyandImayalsosay,idion.
"Love"thembecomes"theanticipationofbenefits";"duty"becomes"necessity"or"fitness";andotherwordsarecorrespondinglytransmuted.
Moreover,amongWomen,weuselanguageimplyingtheutmostdeferencefortheirSex;andtheyfullybelievethattheChiefCircleHimselfisnotmoredevoutlyadoredbyusthantheyare:butbehindtheirbackstheyarebothregardedandspokenof—byallbuttheveryyoung—asbeinglittlebetterthan"mindlessorganisms."
Nowmyhumblefearisthatthisdoubletraining,inlanguageaswellasinthought,imposessomewhattooheavyaburdenupontheyoung,especiallywhen,attheageofthreeyearsold,theyaretakenfromthematernalcareandtaughttounlearntheoldlanguage—exceptforthepurposeofrepeatingitinthepresenceoftheMothersandNurses—andtolearnthevocabularyandidiomofscience.
AlreadymethinksIdiscernaweaknessinthegraspofmathematicaltruthatthepresenttimeascompredwiththemorerobustintellectofourancestorsthreehundredyearsago.
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