"Well, now," he returned, helping himself from the box, "I never thought of it, but, of course, it's true. Your proposition is that progress depends on development and development depends on new ideas. If the new idea is contrary to those of society it is probably criminal. If its inventor puts it across, gets away with it, and persuades society that he is right he is a leader in the march of progress. If he fails he goes to jail. Hence the relationship between crime and progress. Why not say that crime is progress?" "If successful it is," answered Mr. Tutt. "But the moment it is successful it ceases to be crime." "I get you," nodded Tutt. "Here to-day it is a crime to kill one's grandmother; but I recall reading that among certain savage tribes to do so is regarded as a highly virtuous act. Now if I convince society that to kill one's grandmother is a good thing it ceases to be a crime. Society has progressed. I am a public benefactor." "And if you don't persuade society you go to the chair," remarked Mr. Tutt laconically. "To use another illustration," exclaimed Tutt, warming to the subject, "the private ownership of property at the present time is recognized and protected by the law, but if we had a Bolshevik government it might be a crime to refuse to share one's property with others." "In that case if you took your share of another's property by force, instead of being a thief you would be a Progressive," smiled his partner. Tutt robbed his forehead. "Looking at it that way, you know," said he, "makes it seem as if criminals were rather to be admired." "Well, some of them are, and a great multitude of them certainly were," answered Mr. Tutt. "All the early Christian martyrs were criminals in the sense that they were law-breakers." "And Martin Luther," suggested Tutt. "And Garibaldi," added Mr. Tutt. "And George Washington--maybe?" hazarded the junior partner. Mr. Tutt shrugged his high shoulders. "You press the analogy a long way, but--in a sense every successful revolutionist was in the beginning a criminal--as every rebel is and perforce must be," he replied. "So," said Tutt, "if you're a big enough criminal you cease to be a criminal at all. If you're going to be a crook, don't be a piker--it's too risky. Grab everything in sight. Exterminate a whole nation, if possible. Don't be a common garden highwayman or pirate; be a Napoleon or a Willy Hohenzollern."