This simian world . a blind inherited instinct. Hellforget what hes read, the very next hour, ormoment. Yet there he will faithfully sit, theridiculous creature, reading of bombs in Spainor floods in Thibet, and especially insisting onall the news, he can get of the kind our raceloved when they scampered and fought in theforest, news that will stir his most primitivesimian feelings,—wars, accidents, love affairs,and family quarrels. To feed himself with this largely purposelessprovender, he will pay thousands of simians tobe reporters of such events day and night; andthey will report them on s
This simian world . a blind inherited instinct. Hellforget what hes read, the very next hour, ormoment. Yet there he will faithfully sit, theridiculous creature, reading of bombs in Spainor floods in Thibet, and especially insisting onall the news, he can get of the kind our raceloved when they scampered and fought in theforest, news that will stir his most primitivesimian feelings,—wars, accidents, love affairs,and family quarrels. To feed himself with this largely purposelessprovender, he will pay thousands of simians tobe reporters of such events day and night; andthey will report them on such a voluminous. -47- This Simian World scale as to smother or obscure more significantnews altogether. Great printed sheets will beread by every one every day; and even the laziestof this lazy race will not think it labor to performthis toil. They wont like to eat in the morningwithout their papers, such slaves they will beto this droll greed for knowing. They wont eventhink it is droll, it is so in their Their swollen desire for investigating every-thing about them, including especially otherpeoples affairs, will be quenchless. Few will feelthat they really are fully informed; and allwill give much of each day all their lives to thenews. Books too will be used to slake this unap--48- This Simian World peasable thirst. They will actually hold booksin deep reverence. Books! Bottled chatter! thingsthat some other simian has formerly said. Theywill dress them in costly bindings, keep themunder glass, and take an affecting pride in thenumber they read. Libraries,—store-houses ofbooks,—will dot their world. The destruction ofone will be a crime against civilization. (Mean-ing, again, a simian civilization.) Well, it is anoffense to be sure—a barbaric offense. But so isdefacing forever a beautiful landscape; and theywont even notice that sometimes; they wontshudder anyway, the way they instinctively doat the loss of a library. All this is inevitable and natural, and
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