of pondering too long over injuries, and becoming
vindictive in the end, out of all due proportion. If a young
super-elephant were to murder another on impulse, they would consider
him a dangerous character and string him right up. But if he could
prove that he had long thought of doing it, they would tend to forgive
him. "Poor fellow, he brooded," they would say. "That's upsetting to
any one."

As to modesty and decency, if we are simians we have done well,
considering: but if we are something else--fallen angels--we have
indeed fallen far. Not being modest by instinct we invent artificial
ideals, which are doubtless well-meaning but are inherently of course
second-rate, so that even at our best we smell prudish. And as for our
worst, when we as we say let ourselves go, we dirty the life-force
unspeakably, with chuckles and leers. But a race so indecent by nature
as the simians are would naturally have a hard time behaving as though
they were not: and the strain of pretending that their thoughts were
all pretty and sweet, would naturally send them to smutty extremes for
relief. The standards of purity we have adopted are far too strict--for
simians.

_FOURTEEN_

We were speaking a while ago of the fertility with which simians breed.
This is partly due to the constant love interest they take in each
other, but it is also reenforced by their reliance on numbers. That
reliance will be deep, since, to their numbers, they will owe much
success. It will be thus that they will drive out other species, and
garrison the globe. Such a race would naturally come to esteem
fertility. It will seem profane not to.

As time goes on, however, the advantage of numbers will end; and in
their higher stages, large numbers will be a great drawback. The
resources of a planet are limited, at each stage of the arts. Also,
there is only a limited space on a planet. Yet it will come hard to
them to think of ever checking their increase. They will bring more
young into existence than they can either keep well or feed. The earth
will be covered with them everywhere, as far as eye can see. North and
south, east and west, there will always be simians huddling. Their
cities will be far more distressing than cities of vermin,--for vermin
are healthy and calm and successful in life.

Ah, those masses of people--unintelligent, superstitious, uncivilized!
What a dismal drain they will be on the race's strength! Not merely
will they lessen