so psychologically incapable of
piecing together the clues which would indicate the existence of such
beings."

Scholar Duckworth said: "It takes a great deal of humility--a real
feeling of honest humility--to admit that one is actually inferior to
someone--or something--else. Most people don't have it--they rebel
because they can't admit their inferiority."

"Like the examples of the North American Amerindian tribes." Turnbull
said. "They hadn't reached the state of civilization that the Aztecs or
Incas had. They were incapable of allowing themselves to be beaten and
enslaved--they refused to allow themselves to learn. They fought the
white man to the last ditch--and look where they ended up."

"Precisely," said Duckworth. "While the Mexicans and Peruvians today are
a functioning part of civilization--because they _could_ and _did_
learn."

"I'd just as soon the human race didn't go the way of the Amerindians,"
Turnbull said.

"I have a hunch it won't," Scholar Rawlings said. "The builders of the
City, whoever they are, are edging us very carefully into the next level
of civilization--whatever it may be. At that level, perhaps we'll be
able to accept their teaching more directly."

Duckworth chuckled. "Before we can become gentlemen, we have to realize
that we are _not_ gentlemen."

Turnbull recognized the allusion. There is an old truism to the effect
that a barbarian can never learn what a gentleman is because a barbarian
cannot recognize that he isn't a gentleman. As soon as he recognizes
that fact, he ceases to be a barbarian. He is _not_ automatically a
gentleman, but at least he has become capable of learning how to be one.

"The City itself," said Rawlings, "acts as a pretty efficient screening
device for separating the humble from the merely servile. The servile
man resents his position so much that he will fight anything which tries
to force recognition of his position on him. The servile slave is
convinced that he is equal to or superior to his masters, and that he is
being held down by brute force. So he opposes them with brute force and
is eventually destroyed."

Turnbull blinked. "A screening device?" Then, like a burst of sunlight,
the full intuition came over him.

Duckworth's round face was positively beaming. "You're the first one
ever to do it," he said. "In order to become a member of the Advanced
Study Board, a scholar must solve that much of the City's secret by
himself. I'm a much old