Therefore Choose Read Free

element, energetic though never seeming to be in a hurry, knowledgeable but often making fun of what he knew.
    â€œDon’t call me Bailiss,” he said. “And I won’t call you Smith. It’s too much like school.”
    Peter Bailiss was interested in politics, but he spent a good deal of time delving into odd sects.
    â€œThe Muggletonians,” said Peter. “There’s a fine name for a group.”
    â€œI’ve never heard of them.”
    â€œI grew up as a Quaker,” said Peter. “The Muggletonians tell everyone that they should be egalitarian and pacifist. But they hate the Quakers, who believe much the same thing. They refuse to proselytize, so it’s astounding there’s any left.”
    â€œWhy are you interested?”
    â€œThese political movements, utopians really. They’re curious distillations of the way people think. People get an idea about how to live and then they take it as their right to tell other people what to do.”
    â€œIsn’t that what politics is about?” said George.
    â€œAnd what about the Oxford Group? They’ve got it down to four principles, or is it three? ‘Absolute chastity, absolute purity, absolute truthy.’ There’s a chap on the other side of the quad. He’s one of them. You must have seen him. He doesn’t walk so much as scuttle: not very tall, short dark hair, always wears a suit. If you listen to him it boils down to not doing anything rude to yourself in bed at night.”
    â€œI don’t think I’ve seen him.”
    â€œThey want to take over the world. First they’re going to get hold of all the top people, to induct them into the Principles. That’s why that chap’s at Cambridge: to nobble future cabinet ministers. Problems of the world? Solved.”
    â€œYou’re looking for something to join and haven’t quite found it yet?”
    â€œSometimes I think about the Party,” he said. “But they’ve not got it right either.”
    â€œThe Party?”
    â€œCommunist Party … I mean, Marx is right that there’s an essential bit about relations between employers and workers. But then they want to kill all the class enemies: ‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.’ Violence justified with a metaphor from cooking breakfast.”
    â€œIs that what they say?”
    â€œYou’ve heard them. Makes them feel they’re in the right, for when the Revolution comes.”
    What George felt was that he’d come from a backwater.
    â€œThe Communists hold quite good meetings. D’you want to come to one next week? About what’s going on in Spain.”

    In first-year Physiology, George had found he had to do practicals: perform experiments in the form of class exercises. People were paired off, and George’s partner was Douglas Hinton, a rather intense person who would peer at George across the top of his spectacles. George was rather awed by him, but the two of them got on. George sensed that Douglas was somewhat lonely, and that he valued the friendship. He knew what the experiments were about, and would show George the manipulations. Then they’d call the demonstrator, who’d ask a few questions, get out his list, and tick their names off. Then they could go.
    â€œThese class exercises,” said Douglas as they left the Physiology Building. “Supposed to show how medicine is founded on science. Total nonsense.”
    â€œBut it is founded on science.”
    â€œNot what we’ve just done. Procedures in a prescribed order: grasp the pipette in the right hand.”
    â€œYou’re already skilled with the pipette, but what about everyone else?”
    â€œI’ve worked in a lab, that’s all. I need Part I Physiology, so I go through the motions. I need to put the elements in place to do a Ph.D.”
    â€œOn what?”
    â€œTo find out how memory works,”