“We have seen adorers of the truth, like close followers of Mother Grey, the Florist, going from Synagogue to Church and from Church to the Open Forum, and it is generally deemed a mark of a good citizen, certainly among the descendants of the Iron Gentleman, to understand all of these movements, and to love many, though they appear to contradict one another. Within the dominion of the Springfield mind, there is a principle:—one sect, one vote: one race, one vote. As florist Mother Grey is willing to say to her most devoted following ‘Our religions and races may be looked upon by the wise as many flowers of opposite design, yet all making glad the Springfield garden.’ Yet there is no place in the world where people are more loyal to their clans. Boones are Boones forever. “You, as a Japanese, will be glad and comprehend when I say that even the religious life from the far east, except the teaching of Singapore, moves up into this common denominator in Springfield that we call citizenship. There are a few Mohammedan Philippinos, and I happen to know, they are good citizens and good Americans, though they are allowed but one apparent wife in these states. There is a group of Thibetans, of whom the Thibetan Boy is one socially, if not religiously, who do not find a contradiction between their Springfield patriotism that has gone on these three generations, and their reformed Buddhism. Of course, they marry for the most part among themselves, or bring Thibetans from New York or San Francisco to build up their colony. Whatever church a group of our people finds in tune with their race and sex and love-tradition, no matter how separate they keep their race strains, or how guarded their family altars and holy family flags, they surely belong to the Springfield race and the Springfield Civic Religion. They are loyal to the city as a scholar is to his University. This is the mood I would like to get into World-Government-Flag-Patriotism, which is now too crude. With obvious Singaporian exceptions, this Springfield civic religion is preached by every philosopher and every local atheist. Even Sparrow Short, though he seems to hate me and the World Government, would count it as great a hardship to be banished from Springfield, as Dante counted it, to be banished from Florence. I wish his kind could see the World Flag as they see the Springfield Flag. “You have wanted to understand my politics, to make it clearer to your brother in Japan. In most things the city is a symbol and pattern to me of World Unity and World Government and if there has been any consistency in my battles in the World Senate, it is because I had faith in this pattern.