Evening star., 1938-12-16

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himself and began rattlins his
spoon against his cup to get his
bill.
Returning to college he was still
trying to recall something that
has never really been in his mind,
Old DR.. Carstall, whom Mrs.
Whitlow considered so big and de-
liberate, had often wanted to talk
things over with his son, things
in general, fundamental things.
what everything was for and what
one thought one was up to, and
things Of that sort, and like all In
telligent fathers he was afraid Of
his son and shy Of him.
THESE young people, he felt,
know SO much more than We do
and SO much less than we do; one
ought to make some sort Of show
down to them and get some idea
OF what they thought they were
doing. There ought to be that
much continuity between the gen.
erations. His sons visit to his
home en- route for the Alps, that
trite and wholesome and not too
expensive playground for the earn
est young don, seemed to give lust
the OCCASION needed. They sat At
dinner. an excellent dinner, for the
doctor was an easy and stimulating
master to his cook.
World in Queer State.
Ihe world seems in q queer
state nowadays" the old man be-
gan. What do you make of II all
Dick2" '
AN old world dying, a new one
unable to get born-who was It said
something like that?"
only worlds don't die and get
born again." said the doctor. IF
world dies, 1t dies, and there's an
end TO 1t. There's no more on its
line You might perhaps OF
course, II you're thinking Of oh.
stetrics, the image might Just pass
-. Died In childbirth Phoenix
-. Something Of that sort T.. Is
your world dying, Dick? And what
are you doing about it?"
Young Carstall had been sitting
at his ease and he had answered
his father after the manner of
casual conversation. NOW he sat
up a little. He felt the slovenltness
OF his previous response. mo one
OF my age, sir, thinks his world is
dying" he said. 1T isn't natural.
But we're certainly in for troubled
times. Dangerous times"
Those fellows who lecture to us
about the world and who talk on the
radio and write in the MAGAZINES
and papers and all that have got
hold of phrase lately: what Is it:
Ah!-imperfect adaptation"
Not bad as an elementary state
ment. Don't you agree, father? I'm
perfect adaptation to all the new
powers and implements IN the world.
Following them up clumsily, using
them vulgarly and not keeping pace
with the new possibilities and dan
gers. Particularly the dangers. Air
war and disorganization generally.
1t seems fairly obvious" q
"A few years ago we used to talk
about morality failing to keep its
ascendency over-what was it?-
material progress?"
No Fixed Morality.
Said by bishops usually, father.
don't attach much value to all
that scolding OF airplanes and the
cinema and the radio and motor
cars and so on. No It's the moral
side which has to adapt. 1t always
has had to adapt. There's no such
thing as fixed and final morality.
Though the bishops like to think 80.
The immutable laws of heaven!
They're like obstinate men with
dying patent-or a vanishing trade.
Their stuff doesn't 60 any more and
they won't give it up. No, they won't
give it up. Until the church files its
petition in bankruptcy and there
are no more stipends forthcoming.
But their game is pretty nearly over
all the same. We have to get new
values and ideas to fit these innexi-
BILE new facts we've got ourselves
up against. Or come a cropper."
"You mean?"
Political ideas. Religion. History.
Ownership. All the ideas we have
about such things, are threadbare
and rotten and splitting. I suppose
they've all got to be changed. The
material facts won't change"
Such facts asp"
Three hundred miles an hour
travel. News almost instantaneous.
Limitless power. Overproduction-
whenever you try in the least, that
is. Health control. Population con-
troll. No animal has ever faced such
changes in what it can do and what
it can bring down on itself, and sur
vived."
Man q New Animal.
II know that song, Dick. Yes. I
can sing 1t almost in unison with
you. guess we agree pretty COM
pletely about all that. Man is now
new animal, a new and different
animal; he can jump a hundred
miles, see through brick walls, bonn
bard atoms, analyze the stars, set
about his business with the strength
of a million horses. And so forth
and so on. Yes. Yes. But all the.
same he goes on behaving like the
weak little needy ape he used to be.
He grabs, snarls, quarrels, fears,
stampedes and plays in his immense
powder magazine until he seems
likely to blow up the whole damned
show. Eh?"
That's on the face of things,
father"
Il see the distant land of the
future like Moses, but you-you
have to carry on The problem
comes to you. Sixty years of life
may be in front of you. Sixty tre-
mendous years. What are you going
to do about it, Dick? Is it all going
to happen to you or are you going
to do something about it? It's for
your generation now, you know, to
do something about it. No good
blaming us. That won't help YOU"
Inform ourselves, suppose.
Readjust our imaginations. Think