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Chapter 24 — The Natural History of the Selenites
SomeIcouldholdonthepalmofmyhand.ThereisevenasortofturnspitSelenite,verycommon,whosedutyandonlydelightitistoapplythemotivepowerforvarioussmallappliances.AndtoruleoverthesethingsandorderanyerringtendencytheremightbeinsomeaberrantnaturesarethemostmuscularbeingsIhaveseeninthemoon,asortoflunarpolice,whomusthavebeentrainedfromtheirearliestyearstogiveaperfectrespectandobediencetotheswollenheads.
“Themakingofthesevarioussortsofoperativemustbeaverycuriousandinterestingprocess.Iamverymuchinthedarkaboutit,butquiterecentlyIcameuponanumberofyoungSelenitesconfinedinjarsfromwhichonlythefore-limbsprotruded,whowerebeingcompressedtobecomemachine-mindersofaspecialsort.Theextended‘hand’inthishighlydevelopedsystemoftechnicaleducationisstimulatedbyirritantsandnourishedbyinjection,whiletherestofthebodyisstarved.Phi-oo,unlessImisunderstoodhim,explainedthatintheearlierstagesthesequeerlittlecreaturesareapttodisplaysignsofsufferingintheirvariouscrampedsituations,buttheyeasilybecomeinduratedtotheirlot;andhetookmeontowhereanumberofflexible-mindedmessengerswerebeingdrawnoutandbrokenin.Itisquiteunreasonable,Iknow,butsuchglimpsesoftheeducationalmethodsofthesebeingsaffectmedisagreeably.Ihope,however,thatmaypassoff,andImaybeabletoseemoreofthisaspectoftheirwonderfulsocialorder.
