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Scholar Duckworth said: “It takes a great deal of humility–a real feeling of honest humility–to admit that one is actually inferior to someone–or something–else. Most people don’t have it–they rebel because they can’t admit their inferiority.”

“Like the examples of the North American Amerindian tribes.” Turnbull said. “They hadn’t reached the state of civilization that the Aztecs or Incas had. They were incapable of allowing themselves to be beaten and enslaved–they refused to allow themselves to learn. They fought the white man to the last ditch–and look where they ended up.”

“Precisely,” said Duckworth. “While the Mexicans and Peruvians today are a functioning part of civilization–because they could and did learn.”

“I’d just as soon the human race didn’t go the way of the Amerindians,” Turnbull said.

“I have a hunch it won’t,” Scholar Rawlings said. “The builders of the City, whoever they are, are edging us very carefully into the next level of civilization–whatever it may be. At that level, perhaps we’ll be able to accept their teaching more directly.”

Duckworth chuckled. “Before we can become gentlemen, we have to realize that we are not gentlemen.”

Turnbull recognized the allusion. There is an old truism to the effect that a barbarian can never learn what a gentleman is because a barbarian cannot recognize that he isn’t a gentleman. As soon as he recognizes that fact, he ceases to be a barbarian. He is not automatically a gentleman, but at least he has become capable of learning how to be one.

“The City itself,” said Rawlings, “acts as a pretty efficient screening device for separating the humble from the merely servile. The servile man resents his position so much that he will fight anything which tries to force recognition of his position on him. The servile slave is convinced that he is equal to or superior to his masters, and that he is being held down by brute force. So he opposes them with brute force and is eventually destroyed.”

Turnbull blinked. “A screening device?” Then, like a burst of sunlight, the full intuition came over him.

Duckworth’s round face was positively beaming. “You’re the first one ever to do it,” he said. “In order to become a member of the Advanced Study Board, a scholar must solve that much of the City’s secret by himself. I’m a much older man than you, and I just solved it in the past few months.

“You will be the first Ph.D. to be admitted to the Board while you’re working on your scholar’s degree. Congratulations.”

Turnbull looked down at his big hands, a pleased look on his face. Then he looked up at Scholar Duckworth. “Got a cigarette, Jim? Thanks. You know, we’ve still got plenty of work ahead of us, trying to find out just what it is that the City builders want us to learn.”

Duckworth smiled as he held a flame to the tip of Turnbull’s cigarette.

“Who knows?” he said quietly. “Hell, maybe they want us to learn about them!”