"I want to show you a chart. A historical chart of the Argonaut
civilization." Lambert put the projector in position and plugged it in.
He focused it on the wall screen.
"It was decided," Simpkin said firmly, "that the Argonauts are not a
menace to us in any--"
"I know that, sir. Please look at the chart first and then, when
you've seen it, I think you'll know what I mean."
"Go ahead," Simpkin agreed resignedly.
"I can be accused of adding apples and lemons in this presentation,
sir. Note the blank chart. The base line is in years, adjusted to our
calendar so as to give a comparison. Their recorded history covers
twelve thousand of our years. That's better than four times ours. Now
note the red line. That shows the percentage of their total population
involved in wars. It peaked eight thousand years ago. Note how suddenly
it drops after that. In five hundred years it sinks to the base line
and does not appear again.
"Here comes the second line. Crimes of violence. It also peaks eight
thousand years ago. It drops less quickly than the war line, and never
does actually cut the base line. Some crime still exists there. But a
very, very tiny percentage compared to ours on a population basis, or
to their own past. The third line, the yellow line climbing abruptly,
is the index of insanity. Again a peak during the same approximate
period in their history. Again a drop almost to the base line."
* * * * *