population of slaves. You know your Aristotle, Mr. Green," he went on
blandly, "and you will remember his admirable remark about some men
being born masters and others born to obey, and that, if only Nature had
made the difference in their mental capacities as apparent to the eye as
is the difference in their bodies, everyone would recognize this at
once."

His voice grew intense: the subject interested him.

"You may say," he went on, "that Aristotle, Plato and Socrates accepted
the fact of slavery without protest because it was an institution from
time immemorial, and so the idea did not appear to them so repugnant.
But do you mean to tell me that such consummate geniuses, such unbiased
glorious brains would have glossed over any idea, or under-considered
any point in their schemes for the advancement of man? They accepted
slavery because they saw that it was the only possible way to make a
republic work, where all citizens might aspire to be equal."

"You would advocate slavery then? Oh! Mr. Derringham, how dreadful of
you!" exclaimed Mrs. Cricklander, half playfully.

"Not in the least," he returned, still allowing some feeling to stay in
his voice. "I would only have it recognized that there must be some
class in my ideal republic who will do the duties of the slaves of old.
I would have it so arranged that they should occupy this class only when
they had shown they were unfit for anything higher, and I would also
arrange it that the moment they appeared capable of rising out of it
there should be no bar to their doing so. It is the cry of our all being
equal because we have two arms and two legs and a head in common, not
counting any mental endowment, which is utter trash and hypocrisy. But