ucial in the fate of a nation to-day than
the correct, just, and constructive judgment of Contemporary
Inconsistent People.

=VII=

If I could have managed it, I would have had this book printed and
written--every page of it--in three parallel columns.

The first column would be for the reader who believes it, who keeps
writing a book more or less like it as he goes along. I would put in one
sentence at the top for him and then let him have the rest of the space
to write in himself. In other words I would say 2 plus 2 equals 4 and
drop it.

The second column would be for the reader who would like to believe it
if he could, and I would branch out a little more--about half a column.

2 + 2 = 4

20 + 20 = 40

The third column would be for the reader who is not going to believe it
if it can be helped. It would be in fine type, bitterly detailed and
statistical and take nothing for granted.

2 + 2 = 4

20 + 20 = 40

200 + 200 = 400

2,000 + 2,000 = 4,000

20,000 + 20,000 = 40,000

etc.

This arrangement would make the book what might be called a Moving
Sidewalk of Truth. First sidewalk rather quick (six miles an hour).
Second, four miles an hour. Third, two miles an hour. People could move
over from one sidewalk to the other in the middle of an idea any time,
and go faster or slower as they liked to, needed to.

No one would accuse me--though I might like or need for my own personal
use at one time or another, a slower sidewalk or a faster one than
others--no one would accuse me of being inconsistent if I supplied extra
sidewalks for people of different temperaments to move over to suddenly
any time they wanted to. I have come to some of my truth by a bitterly
slow sidewalk--slower than other people need, and sometimes I have come
by a fast one (or what some would say was no sidewalk at all!) but it
cannot fairly be claimed that there is anything inconsistent in my
offering people every possible convenience I can think of--for believing
me.

Mr. Cadbury is not inconsistent if he tells truth at a different rate to
different people, or if he chooses to put truths before people in Indian
file.

A man is not inconsistent who does not tell all the news he knows to all
kinds of people, all at once, all the time.

There is nothing disingenuous about having an order for truth.

It is not considered compromising to have an order in moving railway
trains. Why not allow an o