The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 23
The World’s Oldest Profession
The old herdsman’s tale left Jonathan more perplexed than ever.
The Bazaar of Governments sounded intriguing, so he decided
to go and see if anyone could help him get his money back.
“You can’t miss it,” said the old herdsman, preparing to lead his
cows away. “It’s in the Palace, the biggest thing on the square. You
take the main portal – that’s for you – fl anked by two enormous
windows. The window on the right is where people line up to pay
their tax money in. The window on the left is where people line up
to take tax money out.”
“I can guess which line is more popular,” joked Jonathan.
“That’s for sure. Every month, one line gets a bit shorter and the
other gets a bit longer.” The old man tightened the hitches and gave
a tug on the lead. “Eventually, when one line disappears, the other
will too.”
Sure enough, all streets led to the Town Square. On the square
stood a magnifi cent palace. Words carved in stone over the huge
entrance read: “PALACE OF LORDS.” Mices, his tail standing
straight up, had followed close to Jonathan’s heels until he started
up the broad steps leading into the building. The cat’s back arched
slightly and his hair bristled. This was as far as he would go.
Jonathan trotted up the steps until he stood before the grand
entrance. Spread out before him was a gloomy hall with ceilings
so high that the lamps could not light the interior completely. Just
as the old herdsman described it, several booths lined the hall,
displaying different banners and fl ags. People paced before the
booths calling to every passerby and pressing pamphlets on them.
On the far side of the hall stood a great bronze door, fl anked by
large marble statues and fl uted columns. Jonathan started to walk
through the hall, hoping to avoid the sellers of governments. He had
not moved two steps before a mature woman with gold bangles on
her wrists and large earrings accosted him.