absolute fullness of your world is a true fact and also obvious and
incontrovertible. What do you propose to do about it?"

"Why, nothing, Your Deity," replied the Keeper of Morals, "it is not my
business to deal with facts when they interfere with morals--I merely
ignore them."

"Then," asked Gud, "why quarrel you with this Statistician? Why do you
not let him and his facts alone?"

"And that I should do gladly, if he would but let me and my morals
alone, but he is withholding the issuing of birth permits."

So Gud addressed the Statistician and said: "Why do you not let this man
and his morals alone?"

"Because," the Statistician made reply, "his morals are incompatible
with my facts, which are: First, our world is absolutely full: Second,
there can be no more births than deaths: Third, we must either issue
more death permits or cease to issue so many birth permits. That is
absolutely logic, yet this Moralist refuses to accept it."

"I certainly do," shouted the Moralist. "Away with your sinful facts and
your wicked logic! The morality of our world must be preserved at all
costs. We must not encourage murder nor suicide, nor dare we discourage
births, for that is also murder of those who would be born, and so it is
race suicide. On these moral principles I stand as on the rock of truth,
and no torrents of facts or floods of logic can dislodge me."

"You will have to admit," argued Gud, addressing the Vital Statistician,
"that the Moralist has the courage of his convictions. Therefore the
great truth of moral principle should be regarded above the smaller
truths of material facts and mental logic--and many of the inhabitants
of your world, if I know mortal nature, will agree with me."

"Sad but true," agreed the Statistician. "I am only able to hold my job
because I am under civil service and not subject to popular election.
But you, Great Gud, appear to me to be a rational being."

"Oh, yes," confessed Gud, "I am quite rational at times; but from the
nature of my position it is only right that I should uphold morality
when it clashes with rationality, as I regret to say it often does.
Because I must do this, I can see both sides of the case, which neither
of you gentlemen can. So to me the solution is very simple, and will
outrage neither morals nor reason. Murder and suicide must not be
encouraged, births must not be limited, yet your world is full.
Obviously, you must proceed to empty it. There is only on