The Psychological Regulator
healthily."

Isral stared at him. "How can we take a great city of the South?"

"Isral," answered Stevens, "you don't know what has happened to men in
the great cities. They have become soft and helpless. A score of them,
all armed, came after me, and fled at the first sign of opposition. A
band of determined infants could take the city, for these city-dwellers
are incapable of violence. What do you say to that, friend?"

"I say," declared Heber slowly, "that we'll do it!"

The Historian faced the little group of men, sweeping the small room
with a glance. "Where's Denning?" he asked.

The General Practitioner coughed. "The Rightmen got him," he said.
"Since Alfreed linked up the entire scientific council with what he
calls the subversives, none of us have been able to appear in public
safely. Denning's apartment was raided last night and I think he's been
liquidated."

The Neuro-specialist drummed the table-top nervously. "It's incredible
the way this psychopathia has spread all over the city. In three short
months Alfreed and his followers have become so powerful that they do
not need to intimidate opposition; they're a majority."

"You're wrong there," said the Historian. "They make a lot of noise.
But the investigation has shown--well, let's hear it from first hand
sources. Would you please repeat what you told me this morning,
Gallacher?"

A tall, thin man arose. "Despite appearance to the contrary," he
began, "Alfreed has only succeeded in winning over a certain part of
the population. Those people who have succumbed, and become Rightmen,
are those whose social position has been such as to require a minimum
training in social consciousness and responsibility, those whose
functions are such to require the minimum application of intelligence."

These people, despite the facilities that the city offers, have been
leading very narrow, cramped lives. Their emotional attainment has been

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