THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

466 The Harmony of VirtueWhoever interrupts, whoever refuses to discuss an argument,whoever contradicts or says, Absurd! whoever substitutes assertionfor reasoning, whoever loses his temper or allows his voiceto rise to a higher key, whoever tries to make out that he hasconquered in debate because he has appealed to a polysyllablesuch as hallucination, coincidence, subconscious cerebration,whoever questions authority for his opinion, will be instantly calledto order by the Chairman and, if he repeats the offence, condemnedto silence for the evening.All are silent and gaze awe-struck at the Professor.The Practical Man: Hang it, Professor! Where will be thefun? I quite looked forward to the Scientist throwing chemicalsat the Mystic and immediately withering into something infrahumanunder the onslaught of the Mystic's mohanam, stambhanamand mÀraÍam. Don't interfere with human nature.Professor: We will provide the fun, but let it be human, civilisedfun. We must curb the excess of our original semiancestorsin our humour.Mystic: You can't, Professor, and we shouldn't. It is a perpetualand valuable part of Ananda, the joy of existence.Scientist: It can't work. We are not gods or angels.Professor: There you go making assumptions! How do youknow we are not? Let us at least make the experiment. Obviously,with only the four of us, the circle will be incomplete. Wemust have other human specimens. A Jurist now, a Priest, a Historian,a Sanscritist, a Doctor, an Attorney, and a few others thatmay occur to me. I know where all these reasoning animals areto be found. Then, a live Extremist would be an acquisition. Iknow one. He is amiable, pleasing and warranted not to bite,though his views are fiery and his language, when excited, aptto be sulphurous.The Practical Man: No use for him, if we are not to questionthe beneficence of the British Government.Professor: He will complete us. We must be a representativesociety. Besides, Extremism, I understand, has its positiveaspects.Scientist: Will it be safe?Professor (coldly, haughtily and severely): We are not cow-