suddenly 'knock off' from active business for about three weeks in every month; everyone is in the doctor's hands all the year round—that is, while the doctor is not prevented from attending him by being ill in bed himself; you see, as the general illness originates from overwork, and as the doctors are, under the circumstances, the most overworked section of the community, the doctors are generally a little more ill than their patients.
"The doctors are generally more ill than the patients."
"Everybody suffers from chronic nerves, and 'jumps,' and 'blues,' and various other diseases with similar scientific names; in fact, everybody has nothing particular the matter with him—no serious illness—and is in consequence always seriously ill. It is all the result of civilization, or over-population—which are exchangeable terms for the same thing."
"Hum!" grumbled the unreflecting William. "Don't quite see why they need be! Why can't your civilized communities draw the line when the population has reached its comfortable limits, and smother the superfluous individ—"
"Oh, William! How can you? What a horrible idea! Smother their fellow-creatures! No, William; morality, piety, the better feelings of the community would, with one accord, rebel against so hideous and shocking an expedient nay, it would not do at all. I have told you that the surplus population are required to be smashed and torn to death by explosives, and cut to pieces with swords, and so forth. Pray, do not make such dreadful suggestions again! This city increases its population with incredible rapidity; is, in fact, the envy of the world, and is always pointed to as a model."
"What a noise of cheering there is over in that part of the city!" exclaimed William. "There are all sorts of decorations, and illuminations, and triumphal arches."
"Public-spirited joy."
"Ah! that parish has gained the prize for the highest birth-rate; and you perceive it is erecting immense buildings within its bounds. These are new workhouses to receive the increment of population, which will, of course, be unable to find a means of livelihood. That parish is the champion parish of that great city—a guiding star for all the parishes in the world. The paupers in it—two-thirds of the entire population—have just been put on half rations in consequence of the increasing strain on the parish resources; but those paupers are wise enough to perceive that increase of population is the greatest boon, the highest aim, of a community; and are filled with public-spirited joy at the deduction from their allowance of food.
"Let me show you a picture of the place a few hundred years later—a year is a small division of time. It would be difficult to make you understand exactly what I mean by the abstract thing called Time, which I have conceived. Never mind."
Something seemed to whirl past the consciousness of William; and
