Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
"
"Inthelongrun—"Mouchstarteduncertainly.
"Inthelongrun,we’llallbedead,"snappedCuffyMeigs.Hewaspacingrestlessly."Retrenching,hell!There’splentyofpickingsleftinCaliforniaandOregonandallthoseplaces.WhatI’vebeenthinkingis,weoughttothinkofexpanding—thewaythingsare,there’snobodytostopus,it’sthereforthetaking—Mexico,andCanadamaybe—itoughttobeacinch."
Thenshesawtheanswer;shesawthesecretpremisebehindtheirwords.Withalloftheirnoisydevotiontotheageofscience,theirhystericallytechnologicaljargon,theircyclotrons,theirsoundrays,thesemenweremovedforward,notbytheimageofanindustrialskyline,butbythevisionofthatformofexistencewhichtheindustrialistshadsweptaway—thevisionofafat,unhygienicrajahofIndia,withvacanteyesstaringinindolentstuporoutofstagnantlayersofflesh,withnothingtodobutrunpreciousgemsthroughhisfingersand,onceinawhile,stickaknifeintothebodyofastarved,toil-dazed,germ-eatencreature,asaclaimtoafewgrainsofthecreature’srice,thenclaimitfromhundredsofmillionsofsuchcreaturesandthusletthericegrainsgatherintogems.
Shehadthoughtthatindustrialproductionwasavaluenottobequestionedbyanyone;shehadthoughtthatthesemen’surgetoexpropriatethefactoriesofotherswastheiracknowledgmentofthefactoriesvalue.
