e evident that
specialization was necessary in order to avoid duplication of effort and
to insure complete coverage of the field. Soon afterward, it was
discovered that very little progress was being made in any branch,
because so much was known that it took practically a lifetime to review
that which had already been accomplished, even in a narrow and highly
specialized field. Many points were studied for years before it was
discovered that the identical work had been done before, and either
forgotten or overlooked. To remedy this condition the mechanical
educator had to be developed. Once it was perfected a new system was
begun. One man was assigned to each small subdivision of scientific
endeavor, to study it intensively. When he became old, each man chose a
successor--usually a son--and transferred his own knowledge to the
younger student. He also made a complete record of his own brain, in
much the same way as you have recorded the brain of the Fenachrone upon
your metallic tape. These records are all stored in a great central
library, as permanent references.

"All these things being true, now a young person may need only finish an
elementary education--just enough to learn to think, which takes only
about twenty-five or thirty years--and then he is ready to begin actual
work. When that time comes, he receives in one day all the knowledge of
his specialty which has been accumulated by his predecessors during many
thousands of years of intensive study."

"Whew!" Seaton whistled, "no wonder you folks know something! With that
start, I believe I might know something myself! As an astronomer, you
may be interested in this star-chart and stuff--or do you know all about
that already?"

"No, the Fenachrone are far ahead of us in that subject, because of
their observatories out in open space and because of their gigantic
reflectors, which cannot be used through any atmosphere. We are further
hampered in having darkness for only a few hours at a time and only in
the winter, when our planet is outside the orbit of our sun around the
great central sun of our entire system. However, with the Rovolon you
have brought us, we shall have real observatories far out in space; and
for that I personally will be indebted to you more than I can ever
express. As for the chart, I hope to have the pleasure of examining it
while you are conferring with Rovol of Rays."

"How many families are working on rays--just one?"

"One upon eac