BERNICK. A thought has occurred to me lately: When one stands on the threshold of a great undertaking, that is to promote the welfare of thousands,—if a single sacrifice should be demanded——? RÖRLUND. How do you mean? BERNICK. Take, for example, a man who is starting a large manufactory. He knows very well—for all experience has taught him—that sooner or later, in the working of that manufactory, human life will be lost. RÖRLUND. Yes, it is only too probable. BERNICK. Or suppose he is about to open a mine. He takes into his service both fathers of families and young men in the heyday of life. May it not be predicted with certainty that some will perish in the undertaking? RÖRLUND. Unhappily there can be little doubt of that. BERNICK. Well; such a man, then, knows beforehand that his enterprise will undoubtedly, some time or other, lead to the loss of life. But the undertaking is for the greater good of the greater number; for every life it costs, it will, with equal certainty, promote the welfare of many hundreds. RÖRLUND. Ah, you are thinking of the railway—of all the dangerous tunnellings, and blastings, and that sort of thing—— BERNICK. Yes—yes, of course—I am thinking of the railway. And, besides, the railway will bring with it both manufactories and mines. But don’t you think that—— RÖRLUND. My dear Consul, you are almost too scrupulous. If you place the affair in the hands of Providence—— BERNICK. Yes; yes, of course; Providence—— RÖRLUND. ——you can have nothing to reproach yourself with. Go on and prosper with the railway. BERNICK. Yes, but let us take a peculiar case. Let us suppose a blasting has to be made at a dangerous place; and unless it is carried out, the railway will come to a standstill. Suppose the engineer knows that it will cost the life of the workman who fires the fuse; but fired it must be, and it is the engineer’s duty to send a workman to do it. RÖRLUND. H’m—— BERNICK. I know what you will say: It would be heroic if the engineer himself took the match and went and fired the fuse. But no one does such things. So he must sacrifice a workman. RÖRLUND. No engineer among us would ever do that. BERNICK. No engineer in the great nations would think twice about doing it. RÖRLUND. In the great nations? No, I daresay not. In those corrupt and unscrupulous communities—— BERNICK.