Evening star., 1939-01-16

tactical and strategic lying, detrac-
tions, stupefactions, hysterical re-
actions, blind insurgence.
Gradually things began to fall
into place as the idea that the Com
mon World State had come to stay
prevailed over the belief that 1t was
merely provisional arrangement,
pending a satisfactory restoration
and adjustment of old claims.
Everywhere larger proportion Of
people, especially in the younger
generation, set itself to learn new
ways of living and abandoned the
thought of returning to the old rou-
tines. What had been Utopianism
a few years before became normal
common sense, and romantic tradi-
tionalism retreated into that world
of imaginative reality from which
Utopianism had come.
The Group, with vastly increased
resources and now everywhere in
control, resumed its pre-war propa-
ganda of world unity on an enor-
mously enlarged scale. It was un-
dercutting rival conceptions of life
by withdrawing endowments and
subsidies, taking over schools, taking
possession of religious buildings in
the name of art and history. 1t
had deprived reactiopary newspaper
propaganda of the incentive of gross
profits by Its rigorous censorship of
newspaper advertisement and by its
separation of newspaper finance
from general speculative activities.
The complex public controls of eco
nomic life that had come into exist
ence under war conditions were re-
tanned and amplified to carry on
the peace. Proflt-seeking produc-
ton and distribution had already
been squeezed into a mere cor
ner of life; the main staple indus
tries and housing and transport
were already in the hands of the
munition controls of the victors,
and this time there was no storm
of financial racketeering. Without
a break the world war passed into
world adjustment. This time there
was no peace conference and no
peace treaty.
Backed by Scientists.
The Group had found an unex-
pected amount of support from the
world of scientific men. After a
deliberate survey Of contemporary
fact, the World Association for the
Advancement of Science had pro-
duced a lucid and Unconditional ex-
position of the attitude of the ever
multiplying class of scientific work.
ers to the World Directorate. In
less than two years after the coup
d'etat that had made Rud World
Director, the World Association pro-
duced its official declaration that
the Common World State was also
the Scientific State, and that the
whole body of organized knowledge
was definitely in support of the
Directorate. In effect the scientific
body was deliberately taking upon
itself the role of the church in the
theory of medieval Christendom,
it was becoming the repository of
knowledge, the directive power in
education, and the criterion of all
social organization and readjust-
ment It was not so much proposing
itself as tacitly becoming new sort
of church, progressive church, a
monistic congregationalism with
ministers indeed, but without priest
or Pope.
Rud read their declaration with a
certain feeling of self-applause. He
had been doing what he had done
in the name of the common man,
but apparently he had been doing
the right thing all the time. If he
found anything to object to in this
declaration it was that there was a
certain failure in it to recognize his
own guiding role in the release OF
the Scientific State.
There was an impressive array Of
signatures. He ran his eye down
the list. Several were the names
of men he knew to be In admins
trative positions. Then he saw
Richard Carstall"
ne SIOQpeQ SIlOIL dL LIldL.
The Same Carstall.
Richard Carstall," he whispered.
Richard? Dick? Dick Carstall.
That's the man! And I went to
school with him at Hooplady House!
And afterward he was doing re-
search at Camford. They gave him
a fellowship the year before I came
down. Old Carstall's son. Old
Carstall the atheist, who made a
job for ALT and ALI thought it was
an answer to prayer"
Afterward he recalled that. He
thought of Carstall in the night.
He saw him tall and self assured,
telling him just what was done"
and just what one didn't do. Now
as Rud contemplated the vast view
from his balcony, that sustaining
declaration came into his head
again.
'They might have said all that
two years ago." he remarked to the
mountains and the sky. But these
scientific people always like to be
quite sure Of things before they do
anything. I've been doing the heavy
work while you've been theorizing-
and don't you forget that, doctor,
professor, my Good Lord Carstall
It's all natural forces and inevitable
and all that-so you say now. But
your theories are excellent and !
don't see why they shouldn't be
made the basis Of our new political
education.
II bear you no malice about it.
None"
Copyright, 1899, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)