ngs,
and if unfit, passed _out_! It is your tendency to pamper the unfit
which I deplore. You have only one idea on your Radical Socialist side
of the House, to pull down those who are in any inherited or agreeable
authority--not because they are doing their work badly, but because you
would prefer their place! The war-cry of boons for the people covers a
multitude of objects, and is the most attractive cry for the masses to
hear all over the world. The real boon for the people would be to give
them more practical sound education and ruthlessly to clear out the
unfit." Then his face lost its whimsical expression and became
interested.

"Let us imagine a Utopian state of republic. Let every male citizen who
has reached twenty-five years, say, pass his examination in the right to
live freely, regardless of class, and if he cannot do so, let him go
into the ranks of the slaves, because, turn it how you will, we must
have some beings to do the lowest offices in life. Who would willingly
clean the drains, fill the dust-carts--and, indeed, do the hundred and
one things that are simply disgusting, but which must be done?"

Mr. Hanbury-Green had not a sufficiently strong answer ready, so
remained loftily silent, while John Derringham went on:

"We obscure every issue nowadays by a sickly sentiment and this craze
for words to prove black is white in order to please the mediocrity. If
we could only look facts in the face we should see that the idea of
equality of all men is perfectly ridiculous. No ancient republic ever
worked, even the most purely democratic, like the Athenian, of the fifth
and fourth centuries B.C., without an unconsidered and unrepresented
population of slaves. You know your Aristotle, Mr. Green," he went on
blandly, "and you will remember his admirable remark about some men
being born masters and others born to obey, and that, if only Nature had
made the difference in their mental capacities as apparent to the eye as
is the difference in their bodies, everyone would recognize this at
once."

His voice grew intense: the subject interested him.

"You may say," he went on, "that Aristotle, Plato and Socrates accepted
the fact of slavery without protest because it was an institution from
time immemorial, and so the idea did not appear to them so repugnant.
But do you mean to tell me that such consummate geniuses, such unbiased
glorious brains would have glossed over any idea, or under-considered
any point i