flatland-第11部分

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ard　for　the　time　of　the　Reader。

Yet　before　I　proceed　to　my　legitimate　subject　some　few　final　remarks　will　no　doubt　be　expected　by　my　Readers　upon　those　pillars　and　mainstays　of　the　Constitution　of　Flatland；　the　controllers　of　our　conduct　and　shapers　of　our　destiny；　the　objects　of　universal　homage　and　almost　of　adoration：　need　I　say　that　I　mean　our　Circles　or　Priests？

When　I　call　them　Priests；　let　me　not　be　understood　as　meaning　no　more　than　the　term　denotes　with　you。　　With　us；　our　Priests　are　Administrators　of　all　Business；　Art；　and　Science；　Directors　of　Trade；　Commerce；　Generalship；　Architecture；　Engineering；　Education；　Statesmanship；　Legislature；　Morality；　Theology；　doing　nothing　themselves；　they　are　the　Causes　of　everything　worth　doing；　that　is　done　by　others。

Although　popularly　everyone　called　a　Circle　is　deemed　a　Circle；　yet　among　the　better　educated　Classes　it　is　known　that　no　Circle　is　really　a　Circle；　but　only　a　Polygon　with　a　very　large　number　of　very　small　sides。　　As　the　number　of　the　sides　increases；　a　Polygon　approximates　to　a　Circle；　and；　when　the　number　is　very　great　indeed；　say　for　example　three　or　four　hundred；　it　is　extremely　difficult　for　the　most　delicate　touch　to　feel　any　polygonal　angles。　　Let　me　say　rather；　it　WOULD　be　difficult：　for；　as　I　have　shown　above；　Recognition　by　Feeling　is　unknown　among　the　highest　society；　and　to　FEEL　a　Circle　would　be　considered　a　most　audacious　insult。　　This　habit　of　abstention　from　Feeling　in　the　best　society　enables　a　Circle　the　more　easily　to　sustain　the　veil　of　mystery　in　which；　from　his　earliest　years；　he　is　wont　to　enwrap　the　exact　nature　of　his　Perimeter　or　Circumference。　Three　feet　being　the　average　Perimeter　it　follows　that；　in　a　Polygon　of　three　hundred　sides　each　side　will　be　no　more　than　the　hundredth　part　of　a　foot　in　length；　or　little　more　than　the　tenth　part　of　an　inch；　and　in　a　Polygon　of　six　or　seven　hundred　sides　the　sides　are　little　larger　than　the　diameter　of　a　Spaceland　pin…head。　It　is　always　assumed；　by　courtesy；　that　the　Chief　Circle　for　the　time　being　has　ten　thousand　sides。

The　ascent　of　the　posterity　of　the　Circles　in　the　social　scale　is　not　restricted；　as　it　is　among　the　lower　Regular　classes；　by　the　Law　of　Nature　which　limits　the　increase　of　sides　to　one　in　each　generation。　　If　it　were　so；　the　number　of　sides　in　a　Circle　would　be　a　mere　question　of　pedigree　and　arithmetic；　and　the　four　hundred　and　ninety…seventh　descendant　of　an　Equilateral　Triangle　would　necessarily　be　a　Polygon　with　five　hundred　sides。　　But　this　is　not　the　case。　　Nature's　Law　prescribes　two　antagonistic　decrees　affecting　Circular　propagation；　first；　that　as　the　race　climbs　higher　in　the　scale　of　development；　so　development　shall　proceed　at　an　accelerated　pace；　second；　that　in　the　same　proportion；　the　race　shall　become　less　fertile。　Consequently　in　the　home　of　a　Polygon　of　four　or　five　hundred　sides　it　is　rare　to　find　a　son；　more　than　one　is　never　seen。　On　the　other　hand　the　son　of　a　five…hundred…sided　Polygon　has　been　known　to　possess　five　hundred　and　fifty；　or　even　six　hundred　sides。

Art　also　steps　in　to　help　the　process　of　the　higher　Evolution。　Our　physicians　have　discovered　that　the　small　and　tender　sides　of　an　infant　Polygon　of　the　higher　class　can　be　fractured；　and　his　whole　frame　re…set；　with　such　exactness　that　a　Polygon　of　two　or　three　hundred　sides　sometimes　　by　no　means　always；　for　the　process　is　attended　with　serious　risk　　but　sometimes　overleaps　two　or　three　hundred　generations；　and　as　it　were　doubles　at　a　stroke；　the　number　of　his　progenitors　and　the　nobility　of　his　descent。

Many　a　promising　child　is　sacrificed　in　this　way。　　Scarcely　one　out　of　ten　survives。　　Yet　so　strong　is　the　parental　ambition　among　those　Polygons　who　are；　as　it　were；　on　the　fringe　of　the　Circular　class；　that　it　is　very　rare　to　find　a　Nobleman　of　that　position　in　society；　who　has　neglected　to　place　his　first…born　in　the　Circular　Neo…Therapeutic　Gymnasium　before　he　has　attained　the　age　of　a　month。

One　year　determines　success　or　failure。　　At　the　end　of　that　time　the　child　has；　in　all　probability；　added　one　more　to　the　tombstones　that　crowd　the　Neo…Therapeutic　Cemetery；　but　on　rare　occasions　a　glad　procession　bears　back　the　little　one　to　his　exultant　parents；　no　longer　a　Polygon；　but　a　Circle；　at　least　by　courtesy：　and　a　single　instance　of　so　blessed　a　result　induces　multitudes　of　Polygonal　parents　to　submit　to　similar　domestic　sacrifices；　which　have　a　dissimilar　issue。




Section　12。　　Of　the　Doctrine　of　our　Priests



As　to　the　doctrine　of　the　Circles　it　may　briefly　be　summed　up　in　a　single　maxim；　〃Attend　to　your　Configuration。〃　　Whether　political；　ecclesiastical；　or　moral；　all　their　teaching　has　for　its　object　the　improvement　of　individual　and　collective　Configuration　　with　special　reference　of　course　to　the　Configuration　of　the　Circles；　to　which　all　other　objects　are　subordinated。

It　is　the　merit　of　the　Circles　that　they　have　effectually　suppressed　those　ancient　heresies　which　led　men　to　waste　energy　and　sympathy　in　the　vain　belief　that　conduct　depends　upon　will；　effort；　training；　encouragement；　praise；　or　anything　else　but　Configuration。　It　was　Pantocyclus　　the　illustrious　Circle　mentioned　above；　as　the　queller　of　the　Colour　Revolt　　who　first　convinced　mankind　that　Configuration　makes　the　man；　that　if；　for　example；　you　are　born　an　Isosceles　with　two　uneven　sides；　you　will　assuredly　go　wrong　unless　you　have　them　made　even　　for　which　purpose　you　must　go　to　the　Isosceles　Hospital；　similarly；　if　you　are　a　Triangle；　or　Square；　or　even　a　Polygon；　born　with　any　Irregularity；　you　must　be　taken　to　one　of　the　Regular　Hospitals　to　have　your　disease　cured；　otherwise　you　will　end　your　days　in　the　State　Prison　or　by　the　angle　of　the　State　Executioner。

All　faults　or　defects；　from　the　slightest　misconduct　to　the　most　flagitious　crime；　Pantocyclus　attributed　to　some　deviation　from　perfect　Regularity　in　the　bodily　figure；　caused　perhaps　（if　not　congenital）　by　some　collision　in　a　crowd；　by　neglect　to　take　exercise；　or　by　taking　too　much　of　it；　or　even　by　a　sudden　change　of　temperature；　resulting　in　a　shrinkage　or　expansion　in　some　too　susceptible　part　of　the　frame。　　Therefore；　concluded　that　illustrious　Philosopher；　neither　good　conduct　nor　bad　conduct　is　a　fit　subject；　in　any　sober　estimation；　for　either　praise　or　blame。　　For　why　should　you　praise；　for　example；　the　integrity　of　a　Square　who　faithfully　defends　the　interests　of　his　client；　when　you　ought　in　reality　rather　to　admire　the　exact　precision　of　his　right　angles？　　Or　again；　why　blame　a　lying；　thievish　Isosceles　when　you　ought　rather　to　deplore　the　incurable　inequality　of　his　sides？

Theoretically；　this　doctrine　is　unquestionable；　but　it　has　practical　drawbacks。　　In　dealing　with　an　Isosceles；　if　a　rascal　pleads　that　he　cannot　help　stealing　because　of　his　unevenness；　you　reply　that　for　that　very　reason；　because　he　cannot　help　being　a　nuisance　to　his　neighbours；　you；　the　Magistrate；　cannot　help　sentencing　him　to　be　consumed　　and　there's　an　end　of　the　matter。　But　in　little　domestic　difficulties；　where　the　penalty　of　consumption；　or　death；　is　out　of　the　question；　this　theory　of　Configuration　sometimes　comes　in　awkwardly；　and　I　must　confess　that　occasionally　when　one　of　my　own　Hexagonal　Grandsons　pleads　as　an　excuse　for　his　disobedience　that　a　sudden　change　of　the　temperature　has　been　too　much　for　his　Perimeter；　and　that　I　ought　to　lay　the　blame　not　on　him　but　on　his　Configuration；　which　can　only　be　strengthened　by　abundance　of　the　choicest　sweetmeats；　I　neither　see　my　way　logically　to　reject；　nor　practically　to　accept；　his　conclusions。

For　my　own　part；　I　find　it　best　to　assume　that　a　good　sound　scolding　or　castigation　has　some　latent　and　strengthening　influence　on　my　Grandson's　Configuration；　though　I　own　that　I　have　no　grounds　for　thinking　so。　　At　all　events　I　am　not　alone　in　my　way　of　extricating　myself　from　this　dilemma；　for　I　find　that　many　of　the　highest　Circles；　sitting　as　Judges　in　law　courts；　use　praise　and　blame　towards　Regular　and　Irregular　Figures；　and　in　their　homes　I　know　by　experience　that；　when　scolding　their　children；　they　speak　about　〃right〃　or　〃wrong〃　as　vehemently　and　passionately　as　if　they　believed　that　these　names　represented　real　existences；　and　that　a　human　Figure　is　really　capable　of　choosing　between　them。

Constantly　carrying　out　their　policy　of　making　Configuration　the　leading　idea　in　every　mind；　the　Circles　reverse　the　nature　of　that　Commandment　which　in　Spaceland　regulates　the　relations　between　parents　and　children。　　With　you；　children　are　taught　to　honour　their　parents；　with　us　　next　to　the　Circles；　who　are　the　chief　object　of　universal　homage　　a　man　is　taught　to　honour　his　Grandson；　if　he　has　one；　or；　if　not；　his　Son。　By　〃honour〃；　however；　is　by　no　means　meant　〃indulgence〃；　but　a　reverent　regard　for　their　highest　interests：　　and　the　Circles　teach　that　the　duty　of　fathers　is　to　subordinate　their　own　interests　to　those　of　posterity；　thereby　advancing　the　welfare　of　the　whole　State　as　well　as　that　of　their　own　immediate　descendants。

The　weak　point　in　the　system　of　the　Circles　　if　a　humble　Square　may　venture　to　speak　of　anything　Circular　as　containing　any　element　of　weakness　　appears　to　me　to　be　foun