Chapter 16

           Theseventhplanet,then,wastheEarth. 

           TheEarthisnotjustanotherplanet! Itcontainsonehundredandelevenkings(including,ofcourse,theAfricankings),seventhousandgeographers,ninehundredthousandbusinessmen,seven-and-a-halfmilliondrunkards,three-hundred-elevenmillionvainmen; inotherwords,abouttwobilliongrown-ups. 

           TogiveyouanotionoftheEarth’sdimensions,Icantellyouthatbeforetheinventionofelectricity,itwasnecessarytomaintain,overthewholeofsixcontinents,averitablearmyoffour-hundred-sixty-twothousand,fivehundredandelevenlamplighters. 

           Seenfromsomedistance,thismadeasplendideffect. Themovementsofthisarmywereorderedlikethoseofaballet. FirstcametheturnofthelamplightersofNewZealandandAustralia; thenthese,havinglittheirstreetlamps,wouldgohometosleep. NextitwouldbetheturnofthelamplightersofChinaandSiberiatoperformtheirstepsinthelamplighters’ballet,andthentheytoowouldvanishintothewings. ThencametheturnofthelamplightersofRussiaandIndia. ThenthoseofAfricaandEurope. ThenthoseofSouthAmerica,andofNorthAmerica. Andtheynevermissedtheircuesfortheirappearancesonstage. Itwasaweinspiring. 

           OnlythelamplighterofthesinglestreetlampattheNorthPoleandhiscolleagueofthesinglestreetlampattheSouthPoleledcarefree,idlelives: Theyworkedtwiceayear.