“Permit? It is obligatory. As science has diminished the need of labor, we have met the challenge of the machine by successively reducing the population. Anything else would be unscientific. The production of females and males is fixed for each country by the World Commission, of which I am a member. Our decisions are immutable and never disobeyed.” “How can you be sure of that?” “Fundamental laws are reduced to the smallest number and any wilful infraction is punishable by death. In the case of the resistance of a community we would wipe out that community,” Acquilla concluded calmly. “Acquilla, when you talk like that you make me shudder.” “In your day,” replied Acquilla quickly, “you had thousands of laws and expected them all to be broken.” “But death--” “The infraction of any law must be punishable by death if there is any necessity for the law.” “But an unjust law--” “There are no unjust laws because there is no oppression of the individual. As for the death penalty (which of course, is simply the arrestation of life by means of the Frigidrome) you would be astonished to see how it has simplified the observance.” “I shall reserve my opinion to our discussion on morality,” I said obstinately. “But to continue; what do you do with the children when they are born?” “They are removed to the state nurseries immediately and brought up in community.” “And you never see them?” “Never.” “But the children?” “Science has demonstrated that children to be entirely normal, must be removed from the dangers of the mother or father complex. But Freud and Bertrand Russell, in your day, must have realized that.” “The mother and father complex, it is true, were held responsible for many things.” “You see we have really broken up the home in the interest of the children.” I felt a dizziness in my head and took a long breath. “What is wrong, dear?” said Acquilla solicitously. “I am trying to acquire your modern point of view,” I answered feebly. “One thing occurs to me; why go through the torture of childbirth at all?” “In the first place childbearing has now no discomforts. In the second place it is a duty imposed by the state and finally it has been established that it is a process of nature that is essential to the complete health and mental vigor of a woman.” “Then all children are treated alike?” “No, but the children of each caste, yes. For, Bogardus, it would be absurd to say that a child of mine has no greater equipment than the child of a servant.” “Naturally.” “Eugenics has taught us to develop inherited characteristics. We breed not only for physical form but for developed tendencies. A great scientist or a philosopher in her offspring, with the proper mating, produces a finer brain, naturally. Nothing more complex in that than breeding for speed in horses or scent in dogs.” “What then, Acquilla, is the arrangement of castes?”