time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第112章

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ironment；　you　could　teach　calculus　to　a　horse。
　　
　　〃In　my　early　days　it　was　an　article　of　faith　among　a　selfstyled　'intellectual　elite'　that　they　could　teach　calculus　to　a　horse　。　。　if　they　started　early　enough；　spent　enough　money；　supplied'　special　tutoring；　and　were　endlessly　patient　and　always　careful　not　to　bruise　his　equine　ego。　They　were　so　sincere　that　it　seems　downright　ungrateful　that　the　horse　always　persisted　in　being　a　horse。　Especially　as　they　were　right　。
　　
　　if　'starting　early　enough'　is　defined　as　a　million　years　or　more。
　　
　　〃But　those　savages　will　make　it；　they　can't　avoid　winning。　The　problem　in　reverse　is　more　horridly　interesting。　Justin~　do　you　realize　that　we　Howards　killed　off　Old　Terra？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。〃
　　
　　〃Now；　now；　Son；　you're　not　supposed　to　answer　in　such　a　way　as　to　chop　off　conversation　。　。　thereby　leaving　us　with　nothing　tp　do　but　get　drunk　and　cuddle　the　girls。〃
　　
　　〃Swell！〃　Obadiah…Galahad　shouted。　〃Let's！〃　He　had　Mmerva　with　him　at　that　moment；　he　grabbed　her　and　flipped　her　over　facing　him。　〃Little　whatever…your…name…is；　do　you　have　any　last　words？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。〃
　　
　　〃'Yes'　what？〃
　　
　　〃Just　'Yes。'　That's　my　last　word。〃
　　
　　〃Galahad；〃　said　Ishtar；　〃if　you're　going　to　rape　Mine'rva；　drag　her　back　of　the　fountain。？I　want　to　hear　'what　Justin　means　by　that。〃
　　
　　〃How　can　I　rape　her　when　she　won't　fight？〃　he　plained。
　　
　　〃You've　always　been　able　to　solve　that　problem。　But　do　it　quietly。　Justin；　I　find　myself　shocked。　It　seems　to　me　that　we've　been　quite　generous　in　supplying　Old　Home　Terra　with　new　technologies…and　there's　not　much　else　we　can　give　them。　Didn't　the　last　migrant　transport　e　back　only　half　loaded？〃
　　
　　〃I'll　answer　it；〃　Lazarus　growled。　〃Justin　might　pretty　it　up。　Not　all　the　Howards。　Two。　Andy　Libby　provided　the　weapon；　I　delivered　the　coup　de　grace。　Space　travel　killed　Earth。〃
　　
　　Ishtar　looked　troubled。　〃Grandfather；　I　don't　understand。〃
　　
　　〃She　calls　me　that　when　I've　been　naughty；〃　the　Senior　confided　to　me。　〃It's　her　way　of　spanking　me。　Ish　darling；　you'　are　young　and　sweet　and　have　spent　your　life　studying　biology；　not　history。　Earth　was　doomed　in　any　case；　space　travel　just　hurried　it　along。　By　2012　it　wasn't　fit　to　live　on…so　I　spent　the　next　century　elsewhere；　although　the　other　real　'estate　in　the　Solar　System　is　far　from　attractive。　Missed　seeing　Europe　destroyed；　missed　a　nasty　dictatorship　in　my　home　country。　Came　back　when　things　appeared　to　be　tolerable；　found　that　they　weren't…and　that's　when　the　Howards　had　to　'run　for　it。
　　
　　〃But　space　travel　can't　ease　the　pressure　on　a　pla　grown　too　鑢owded；　not　even　with　today's　ships　and　probably　not　with　any　future　ships…because　stupid　people　won't　leave　the　slopes　of　their　home　volcano…even　when　it　starts　to　smoke　and　rumble。　What　space　travel　does　do　is　drain　off　the　best　brains：
　　
　　those　smart　enough　to　see　a　catastrophe　before　it　happens　and　with　the　guts　to　pay　the　price…。abandon　home；　wealth；　friends；　relatives；　everything…and　go。　That's　a　tiny　fraction　of　one　percent。　But　that's　enough。〃
　　
　　〃It's　the　bell　curve　again；〃　I　said　to　Ishtar。　〃If…as　Lazarus
　　
　　thinks；　and　statistics　back　him　up…every　migration　es　primarily　from　the　right…hand　cOd　of　the　normal…incidence　curve　of　hum'an　ability；　then　this　acts　as　a　sorting　device　whereby　the　new　pla　will　show　a　bell　curve　'0th　a　much　higher　intelligence　norm　than　the　population　it　came　from
　　
　　and　the　old　pla　will　average　almost　imperceptibly　stupider。〃
　　
　　〃Imperceptible　except　for　one　thing！〃　Lazarus　objected。
　　
　　〃That　tiny　fraction　that　hardly　shows　statistically　is　the　brain。　I　recall　a　country　that　lost　a　key　war　by　chasing　out　a　mere　half　dozen　geniuses。　Most　people　can't　think；　most　of　the　remainder　all　fraction　who　do　think　mostly　can't　do　it　very　well。　The　extremely　tiny　fraction　who　think　regularly；　accurately；　creatively；　and　without　self…delusion…in　the　long　run　these　are　the　only　people　who　count
　　
　　and　they　are　the　very　ones　who　migrate　when　it　is　physically　possible　to　do　so。　T
　　
　　〃As　Justin　said；　statistically　it　hardly　shoakes　all　the　difference。　Chop　off　a　chicken's　head　and　it　doesn't　die　at　once；　it　flops　around　more　energetically　than　ever。　For　a　while。　Then　it　dies。
　　
　　〃That's　what　space　travel　did　to　Earth：　chopped　its　head　off。　For　two　thousand　years　its　best　brains　have　been　migrating。　What's　left　is　flopping　harder　than　ever　。　。　to　no　purpose　and　will　die　that　much　sooner。　Soon；　I　think。　I　don't　feel　guilty　about　it；　I　see　no　sin　in　those　smart　enough　to　escape　escaping　if　they　can…and　the　death。　rattle　of　Earth　was　clear　and　strong　back　in　the　twentieth　century；　Earth　reckoning；　when　I　was　a　young　man　and　space　travel　had　barely　started…not　even　started　in　interstellar　terms。　It　took　two　more　centuries　and　then　some　to　get　it　rolling。　Can't　count　the　first　migration　of　the　Howards；　it　was　involuntary；　and　they　weren't　the　best　brains。
　　
　　〃The　later　Howard　migration　to　Secundus　was　more　important；　it　shook　out　some　of　the　dullards；　left　them　behind。　The　non…Howard　migrations　were　even　more　important。　I've　often　wondered　what　would　have　happened　if　there　had　been　no　political　restraints　against　migrating　from　China；　the　few　Chinese　who　did　reach　the　stars　seem　always　to　be　winners；　I　suspect　that　the　Chinese　average　smarter　than　the　rest　of　Earth's　spawn。
　　
　　〃Not　that　slant　of　eye　or　color　of　skin　matters　today；　or　even　matters　at　the　moment　of　truth。　One　of　the　early　Howards　was　Robert　C。　M。　Lee；　of　Richmond；　Virginia…anybody　know　what　his　name　was　originally？〃
　　
　　〃I　do；〃　I　answered。
　　
　　〃Of　course　you　do；　Justin；　so　keep　quiet…and　that　include　you；　Athene。　Anyone　else？〃
　　
　　No　one　answered；　Lazarus　went　on：　〃His　birth　name　wa
　　
　　Lee　'Choy　Moo；　he　was　born　in　Singapore；　and　his　parent
　　
　　came　from　Canton　in　China…and　of　the　people　in。　the　'Nev
　　
　　Frontiers'　he　was　a　mathematician　second　only　to　And~
　　
　　Libby。〃
　　
　　〃Goodness！〃　said　Hamadryad。　〃I'm　descended　from　him…　but　I　didn't　know　he　was　a　great　mathematician。〃
　　
　　〃Did　you　know　he　was　Chinese？〃
　　
　　〃Lazarus；　I'm　not　sure　what　'Chinese'　means；　I　haven〃　studied　much　terrestrial　history。　Isn't　it　a　religion？　Lik~　'Jewish'？〃
　　
　　〃Not　exactly；　dear。　The　point　is　that　it　no　longer　matters　Just　as　few　know　and　no　one　cares　that　the　famous　Zaccui　Barstow；　my　partner　in　crime；　was　a　quarter　Negro。　Does　tha　word　mean　anything　to　you；　Hamadarling？　Not　a　religion。〃
　　
　　〃The　word　means　'black；'　so　I　assume　that　one　of　his　grand。　parents　was　from　Africa。〃
　　
　　〃Which　shows　what　es　of　assuming　anything　on　one　datum。　Two　of　Zack's　grandparents；　both　mulatto；　came　from　Los　Angeles　in　my　homeland。　Since　my　line　mixed　with　his　a　long　time　back；　probably　any　of　you　can　claim　African　ancestry。　Which　is　statistically　equivalent　to　claiming　descent　from　Charlemagne。　I've　gone　far　afield；　and　it　is　time　we　picked　a　new　Stimulator　and　a　new　Respondent。　Space　travel　ruined　old　Earth…that's　one　viewpoint。　The　other　side　of　the　coin；　happier　and　more　important　in　the　long　run；　is　that　it　improved　the　breed。　Probably　saved　it　as　well　but　'improved'　is　certai~s　Homo　sapiens　is　now　not　only　far　more　numerous　than　he　ever　was　on　Earth；　he　is　a　better；　smarter；　more　efficient　animal　in　every　measurable　fashion。　Further　this　Respondent　sayeth　not；　somebody　else　grab　it。　Lazi；　quit　trying　to　tickle　me　and　go　bother　Galahad；　Minerva　needs　a　rest。〃
　　
　　〃Lazarus；〃　Ishtar　said；　〃just　one　more　responding；　please。　Something　you　said　about　Howards　made　me　wonder。　You　seemed　to　place　all　emphasis　on　intelligence。　Don't　you　consider　long…life　important？〃
　　
　　I　was　astonished　to　see　the　oldest　human　alive　frowning　over　this；　slow　to　answer。　Surely　it　was　a　question　he　had　settled　in　his　mind　at　least　a　thousand　years　earlier。　I　tried　to　forstalt　the　quandary；　found　I　could　not　soothly　norom　it。
　　
　　〃Ishtar~　the　only　correct　verbal　answer　to　that　is　Yes　and
　　
　　No…which　merely　says　I　lack　language　to　define　something　that　is　crystal　clea