I am tired of a world in which there is nothing great but great
disasters. Here is something mankind can attempt, that we can attempt."
"And will?"
"I believe that as Mankind grows up this is the business Man has to
settle down to and will settle down to."
She considered that.
"I've been getting to believe something like this. But--... it frightens
me. I suppose most of us have this same sort of dread of taking too much
upon ourselves."
"So we just live like pigs. Sensible little piggywiggys. I've got a
Committee full of that sort of thing. We live like little modest pigs.
And let the world go hang. And pride ourselves upon our freedom from the
sin of presumption.
"Not quite that!"
"Well! How do you put it?"
"We are afraid," she said. "It's too vast. We want bright little lives
of our own."
"Exactly--sensible little piggy-wiggys."
"We have a right to life--and happiness.
"First," said Sir Richmond, "as much right as a pig has to food. But
whether we get life and happiness or fail to get them we human beings
who have imaginations want something more nowadays.... Of course we want
bright lives, of course we want happiness. Just as we want food, just as
we want sleep. But when we have eaten, when we have slept, when we have
jolly things about us--it is nothing.
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