“Candora, I have heard a great deal in criticism of my sex since my arrival here,” I interjected irritated beyond measure, “and a great deal of talk about the abuse of over-population. I am willing to admit the admirable results of the decimation of the inhabitants of the earth. I gladly, even enthusiastically, admit that you, in your restoration of the world to the individual have corrected the dreadful mass tyranny to which we men had condemned society. I likewise admire the way you breed to perfected types. But,” here I turned to my auditors, “is it not justice to admit that in order to have lifted man from the brute to the gods, it was necessary first to multiply? If mankind had simply reproduced itself like the elephant, man would be as extinct today as the dodo. I am not defending war today, but without war would there have been any civilization? When men multiplied rapidly they began to move over mountains and across the seas and to do so, they had to invent and to invent is to progress. Therefore, at least admit that only the male instinct to breed could have raised us to the civilization of the twentieth century. Remember that I am speaking in defence of my embattled sex.” There was a murmur of approbation, rather grudgingly given, it seemed to me, but Germa, Stella and Dulcina, who represented the new radical school of thought, beamed on me enthusiastically. Candora, however, showed a strong atavistic tendency to be irritated by contradiction. She hesitated and finally said: “As an historian, it would be idle for me to deny the truth of what you state. But in a way it only proves my contention; the male state was instinctive and traditional. You were committed to one principle and could not rise above it.” “Let us leave till later what--after all, must be a philosophical discussion,” I said, well pleased with the effect I had produced. “Let me continue my questions.” “Well, what?” said Candora, not relishing the turn, while Acquilla looked at me anxiously. “You speak of the formation of great industrial oligarchies and their final absorption into one great national industry--then we did come to socialism?” “Not at all, socialism preached the equality of men and the industrial state was founded on a recognition of their inequalities. Socialism is international and this on the contrary, was pure chauvinism; the standardization of all activities for the better crushing out of foreign competition.” “But was there no revolt?” “No, because men had become so standardized in their thinking and habits that individualism could only exist among the leaders.” “But the press--” “The printed newspapers?” “Yes.” “They were bought up with the magazines and the radio trust in a central control under the Mercantile Trust which in turn disappeared with the arrival of the newspaper of the air.” “But if America was able to organize itself with such scientific concentration, why did it fail?”