flatland-第5部分

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　husband；　while　pursuing　her　household　avocations　　there　are　at　least　intervals　of　quiet；　when　the　wife　is　neither　seen　nor　heard；　except　for　the　humming　sound　of　the　continuous　Peace…cry；　but　in　the　homes　of　the　upper　classes　there　is　too　often　no　peace。　There　the　voluble　mouth　and　bright　penetrating　eye　are　ever　directed　towards　the　Master　of　the　household；　and　light　itself　is　not　more　persistent　than　the　stream　of　feminine　discourse。　The　tact　and　skill　which　suffice　to　avert　a　Woman's　sting　are　unequal　to　the　task　of　stopping　a　Woman's　mouth；　and　as　the　wife　has　absolutely　nothing　to　say；　and　absolutely　no　constraint　of　wit；　sense；　or　conscience　to　prevent　her　from　saying　it；　not　a　few　cynics　have　been　found　to　aver　that　they　prefer　the　danger　of　the　death…dealing　but　inaudible　sting　to　the　safe　sonorousness　of　a　Woman's　other　end。

To　my　readers　in　Spaceland　the　condition　of　our　Women　may　seem　truly　deplorable；　and　so　indeed　it　is。　　A　Male　of　the　lowest　type　of　the　Isosceles　may　look　forward　to　some　improvement　of　his　angle；　and　to　the　ultimate　elevation　of　the　whole　of　his　degraded　caste；　but　no　Woman　can　entertain　such　hopes　for　her　sex。　　〃Once　a　Woman；　always　a　Woman〃　is　a　Decree　of　Nature；　and　the　very　Laws　of　Evolution　seem　suspended　in　her　disfavour。　　Yet　at　least　we　can　admire　the　wise　Prearrangement　which　has　ordained　that；　as　they　have　no　hopes；　so　they　shall　have　no　memory　to　recall；　and　no　forethought　to　anticipate；　the　miseries　and　humiliations　which　are　at　once　a　necessity　of　their　existence　and　the　basis　of　the　constitution　of　Flatland。




Section　5。　　Of　our　Methods　of　Recognizing　one　another



You；　who　are　blessed　with　shade　as　well　as　light；　you；　who　are　gifted　with　two　eyes；　endowed　with　a　knowledge　of　perspective；　and　charmed　with　the　enjoyment　of　various　colours；　you；　who　can　actually　SEE　an　angle；　and　contemplate　the　complete　circumference　of　a　circle　in　the　happy　region　of　the　Three　Dimensions　　how　shall　I　make　clear　to　you　the　extreme　difficulty　which　we　in　Flatland　experience　in　recognizing　one　another's　configuration？

Recall　what　I　told　you　above。　　All　beings　in　Flatland；　animate　or　inanimate；　no　matter　what　their　form；　present　TO　OUR　VIEW　the　same；　or　nearly　the　same；　appearance；　viz。　that　of　a　straight　Line。　　How　then　can　one　be　distinguished　from　another；　where　all　appear　the　same？

The　answer　is　threefold。　　The　first　means　of　recognition　is　the　sense　of　hearing；　which　with　us　is　far　more　highly　developed　than　with　you；　and　which　enables　us　not　only　to　distinguish　by　the　voice　our　personal　friends；　but　even　to　discriminate　between　different　classes；　at　least　so　far　as　concerns　the　three　lowest　orders；　the　Equilateral；　the　Square；　and　the　Pentagon　　for　of　the　Isosceles　I　take　no　account。　　But　as　we　ascend　in　the　social　scale；　the　process　of　discriminating　and　being　discriminated　by　hearing　increases　in　difficulty；　partly　because　voices　are　assimilated；　partly　because　the　faculty　of　voice…discrimination　is　a　plebeian　virtue　not　much　developed　among　the　Aristocracy。　　And　wherever　there　is　any　danger　of　imposture　we　cannot　trust　to　this　method。　　Amongst　our　lowest　orders；　the　vocal　organs　are　developed　to　a　degree　more　than　correspondent　with　those　of　hearing；　so　that　an　Isosceles　can　easily　feign　the　voice　of　a　Polygon；　and；　with　some　training；　that　of　a　Circle　himself。　A　second　method　is　therefore　more　commonly　resorted　to。

FEELING　is；　among　our　Women　and　lower　classes　　about　our　upper　classes　I　shall　speak　presently　　the　principal　test　of　recognition；　at　all　events　between　strangers；　and　when　the　question　is；　not　as　to　the　individual；　but　as　to　the　class。　What　therefore　〃introduction〃　is　among　the　higher　classes　in　Spaceland；　that　the　process　of　〃feeling〃　is　with　us。　〃Permit　me　to　ask　you　to　feel　and　be　felt　by　my　friend　Mr。　So…and…so〃　　is　still；　among　the　more　old…fashioned　of　our　country　gentlemen　in　districts　remote　from　towns；　the　customary　formula　for　a　Flatland　introduction。　　But　in　the　towns；　and　among　men　of　business；　the　words　〃be　felt　by〃　are　omitted　and　the　sentence　is　abbreviated　to；　〃Let　me　ask　you　to　feel　Mr。　So…and…so〃；　although　it　is　assumed；　of　course；　that　the　〃feeling〃　is　to　be　reciprocal。　Among　our　still　more　modern　and　dashing　young　gentlemen　　who　are　extremely　averse　to　superfluous　effort　and　supremely　indifferent　to　the　purity　of　their　native　language　　the　formula　is　still　further　curtailed　by　the　use　of　〃to　feel〃　in　a　technical　sense；　meaning；　〃to　recommend…for…the…purposes…of…feeling…and…being…felt〃；　and　at　this　moment　the　〃slang〃　of　polite　or　fast　society　in　the　upper　classes　sanctions　such　a　barbarism　as　〃Mr。　Smith；　permit　me　to　feel　Mr。　Jones。〃

Let　not　my　Reader　however　suppose　that　〃feeling〃　is　with　us　the　tedious　process　that　it　would　be　with　you；　or　that　we　find　it　necessary　to　feel　right　round　all　the　sides　of　every　individual　before　we　determine　the　class　to　which　he　belongs。　　Long　practice　and　training；　begun　in　the　schools　and　continued　in　the　experience　of　daily　life；　enable　us　to　discriminate　at　once　by　the　sense　of　touch；　between　the　angles　of　an　equal…sided　Triangle；　Square；　and　Pentagon；　and　I　need　not　say　that　the　brainless　vertex　of　an　acute…angled　Isosceles　is　obvious　to　the　dullest　touch。　It　is　therefore　not　necessary；　as　a　rule；　to　do　more　than　feel　a　single　angle　of　an　individual；　and　this；　once　ascertained；　tells　us　the　class　of　the　person　whom　we　are　addressing；　unless　indeed　he　belongs　to　the　higher　sections　of　the　nobility。　There　the　difficulty　is　much　greater。　　Even　a　Master　of　Arts　in　our　University　of　Wentbridge　has　been　known　to　confuse　a　ten…sided　with　a　twelve…sided　Polygon；　and　there　is　hardly　a　Doctor　of　Science　in　or　out　of　that　famous　University　who　could　pretend　to　decide　promptly　and　unhesitatingly　between　a　twenty…sided　and　a　twenty…four　sided　member　of　the　Aristocracy。

Those　of　my　readers　who　recall　the　extracts　I　gave　above　from　the　Legislative　code　concerning　Women；　will　readily　perceive　that　the　process　of　introduction　by　contact　requires　some　care　and　discretion。　　Otherwise　the　angles　might　inflict　on　the　unwary　Feeler　irreparable　injury。　　It　is　essential　for　the　safety　of　the　Feeler　that　the　Felt　should　stand　perfectly　still。　　A　start；　a　fidgety　shifting　of　the　position；　yes；　even　a　violent　sneeze；　has　been　known　before　now　to　prove　fatal　to　the　incautious；　and　to　nip　in　the　bud　many　a　promising　friendship。　Especially　is　this　true　among　the　lower　classes　of　the　Triangles。　With　them；　the　eye　is　situated　so　far　from　their　vertex　that　they　can　scarcely　take　cognizance　of　what　goes　on　at　that　extremity　of　their　frame。　　They　are；　moreover；　of　a　rough　coarse　nature；　not　sensitive　to　the　delicate　touch　of　the　highly　organized　Polygon。　What　wonder　then　if　an　involuntary　toss　of　the　head　has　ere　now　deprived　the　State　of　a　valuable　life！

I　have　heard　that　my　excellent　Grandfather　　one　of　the　least　irregular　of　his　unhappy　Isosceles　class；　who　indeed　obtained；　shortly　before　his　decease；　four　out　of　seven　votes　from　the　Sanitary　and　Social　Board　for　passing　him　into　the　class　of　the　Equal…sided　　often　deplored；　with　a　tear　in　his　venerable　eye；　a　miscarriage　of　this　kind；　which　had　occured　to　his　great…great…great…Grandfather；　a　respectable　Working　Man　with　an　angle　or　brain　of　59　degrees　30　minutes。　　According　to　his　account；　my　unfortunate　Ancestor；　being　afflicted　with　rheumatism；　and　in　the　act　of　being　felt　by　a　Polygon；　by　one　sudden　start　accidentally　transfixed　the　Great　Man　through　the　diagonal；　and　thereby；　partly　in　consequence　of　his　long　imprisonment　and　degradation；　and　partly　because　of　the　moral　shock　which　pervaded　the　whole　of　my　Ancestor's　relations；　threw　back　our　family　a　degree　and　a　half　in　their　ascent　towards　better　things。　　The　result　was　that　in　the　next　generation　the　family　brain　was　registered　at　only　58　degrees；　and　not　till　the　lapse　of　five　generations　was　the　lost　ground　recovered；　the　full　60　degrees　attained；　and　the　Ascent　from　the　Isosceles　finally　achieved。　　And　all　this　series　of　calamities　from　one　little　accident　in　the　process　of　Feeling。

At　this　point　I　think　I　hear　some　of　my　better　educated　readers　exclaim；　〃How　could　you　in　Flatland　know　anything　about　angles　and　degrees；　or　minutes？　　We　can　SEE　an　angle；　because　we；　in　the　region　of　Space；　can　see　two　straight　lines　inclined　to　one　another；　but　you；　who　can　see　nothing　but　one　straight　line　at　a　time；　or　at　all　events　only　a　number　of　bits　of　straight　lines　all　in　one　straight　line　　how　can　you　ever　discern　any　angle；　and　much　less　register　angles　of　different　sizes？〃

I　answer　that　though　we　cannot　SEE　angles；　we　can　INFER　them；　and　this　with　great　precision。　　Our　sense　of　touch；　stimulated　by　necessity；　and　developed　by　long　training；　enables　us　to　distinguish　angles　far　more　accurately　than　your　sense　of　sight；　when　unaided　by　a　rule　or　measure　of　angles。　Nor　must　I　omit　to　explain　that　we　have　great　natural　helps。　It　is　with　us　a　Law　of　Nature　that　the　brain　of　the　Isosceles　class　shall　begin　at　half　a　degree；　or　thirty　minutes；　and　shall　increase　（if　it　increases　at　all）　by　half　a　degree　in　every　generation；　until　the　goal　of　60　degrees　is　reached；　when　the　condition　of　serfdom　is　quitted；　and　the　freeman　enters　th