“On the contrary, but not to mate with those castes which have reached a high degree of mentality. We find the best results come from a union with the Cerenes particularly those that live habitually in the mountains.” The hospitals though on a grander scale, I found in their material arrangements much like our own, with the exception of course, of the ingenuous devices by which light and air were continuously provided. All the nurses were of the lithe physical type of Acquilla, though the visiting doctors inclined to the brunette type, not over six feet, and thinner. Two things struck my attention at once, the absence of eyeglasses and operating rooms. Surgery, it appeared, had passed out of general use with the knowledge of the glandular organization of the body and was only reserved for accidents and the experimental laboratories. The uniform good eyesight was achieved, first by selective breeding and more particularly with the discovery of what might be called ocular calisthenics, exercises by which the eye was strengthened in youth. Needless to say, my appearance excited the greatest curiosity, for the circumstances of my arrival had evidently been widely broadcast. However, the prestige of Doctrina commanded such universal deference that all curiosity was within the bounds of good manners. “The first stage,” said Doctrina, resuming her lecture as we passed to the kindergarten, “is in the education of the mind how to study. We discover the aptitude of each child and concentrate on the things it likes to achieve the ideal of perfection. Later when the mind has acquired the habit of concentration, we introduce those subjects which are difficult to it. Needless to say, we consider this period the most critical and the indications we discover as to the quality and fineness of the mind are seldom in error. In other words by the age of five it is possible to make the division of the castes with unfailing accuracy.” “Yet many great geniuses developed late.” “In your time yes, from faulty early training and also from the error of subjecting an abnormal mind to a normal routine. In our practice we are, of course, aided by the knowledge of the inherited tendencies. Such children are the object of special attention.” “Then education is specialization.” “Not entirely. Only we have reversed the process. We begin, as I said, by intensive training along lines of natural aptitude in order to produce the enthusiasm for knowledge. Later sometimes as late as ten or eleven, we broaden the horizon along the lines of general knowledge.” “At what period then, do you finish your education?” Doctrina looked at me in surprise. “Really, Bogardus, for the clever man you are supposed to be, that is a strange question.” I did not perceive immediately the reason for her astonishment, so I answered, somewhat piqued: