. In the field of science to be sure, this fertility in invention
will lead to a long list of important and beautiful discoveries:
telescopes and the calculus, radiographs, and the spectrum. Discoveries
great enough, almost, to make angels of them. But here again their
simian-ness will cheat them of half of their dues, for they will
neglect great discoveries of the truest importance, and honor
extravagantly those of less value and splendor if only they cater
especially to simian traits.

To consider examples: A discovery that helps them to talk, just to
talk, more and more, will be hailed by these beings as one of the
highest of triumphs. Talking to each other over wires will come in this
class. The lightning when harnessed and tamed will be made to trot
round, conveying the most trivial cacklings all day and night.

Huge seas of talk of every sort and kind, in print, speech, and
writing, will roll unceasingly over their civilized realms, involving
an unbelievable waste in labor and time, and sapping the intelligence
talk is supposed to upbuild. In a simian civilization, great halls will
be erected for lectures, and great throngs will actually pay to go
inside at night to hear some self-satisfied talk-maker chatter for
hours. Almost any subject will do for a lecture, or talk; yet very few
subjects will be counted important enough for the average man to do any
_thinking_ on them, off by himself.

In their futurist books they will dream of an even worse state, a more
dreadful indulgence in communication than the one just described. This
they'll hope to achieve by a system called mental telepathy. They will
long to communicate wordlessly, mind impinging on mind, until all their
minds are awash with messages every moment, and withdrawal from the
stream is impossible anywhere on earth. This will foster the
brotherhood of man. (Conglomerateness being their ideal.) Super-cats
would have invented more barriers instead of more channels.

Discoveries in surgery and medicine will also be over-praised. The
reason will be that the race will so need these discoveries. Unlike the
great cats, simians tend to undervalue the body. Having less
self-respect, less proper regard for their egos, they care less than
the cats do for the casing of the ego,--the body. The more civilized
they grow the more they will let their bodies deteriorate. They will
let their shoulders stoop, their lungs shrink, and their stomachs grow
fat. No other spec