lly devoured his own children, and this
phenomenon he'd seen, if it became widely known, would be interpreted as
the proof the legend was correct--and do incalculable damage to
scientific inquiry. He'd known the temper of his fellow man well enough
to take no chances of this kind, to note the experience in his works,
perhaps discuss it with a cautious friend or two, but to add no further
fuel to the raging fires of superstition that consumed men's minds and
seared out possibility of rational thought.

So walk with care. For superstition still is paramount, despite the fact
that some men know how to reach the stars.

To communicate this time, the fields of force took a sere planet, of
barren, blistered rock, and with a concept made it into the garden of
man's dreams. On one island, they set up a crystalline structure, a
thing, this much concession to the mind of man; a tool, to amplify and
clarify their thought to reach the still rudimentary but nevertheless
present centers of man's mind--some certain man who might be ready to
receive that thought.

Placed in man's exploratory path, the waiting was not long until man
found it. They had not led him to it through any intuitive change of
course that he might find suspect. The explorers landed, claimed it for
Earth, and went away. None among them felt any pull from the crystal
tool upon the mountaintop.

The scientists came to make their measurements. Their busy minds were
full of weight and size and the relationship of thing to thing. Perhaps
by now they too were so committed to the use of a thing to act upon
another thing that they could not countenance the thought that thought
could act upon a thing direct. They measured the crystal tool, and
recorded all their measurements, but found no meaning in its arches and
its spires. If any felt the impact of the thinking of the fields of
force, he made no sign nor gave response. Indeed, to preserve his
status and reputation with his fellow scientists he'd not have dared
admit a meaning that could not be measured with his instruments.
Forevermore he'd be outcast, if he but hinted that he thought their
science was insufficient to capture everything of meaning there. And to
scientist most of all, his status with his fellow man means more than
truth. At least to most. But are there some to whom the truth is
paramount?

Yes, for had not scientist after scientist through the years risked and
lost his status through his questionin