The Fruits of Former Civilizations and the Blossoms of the Contemporary

“Strictly speaking, the capacity to cook up ‘fantastic sciences’ and to devise new methods for ordinary being-existence there, did not pass from the ancient Greeks to the beings of that contemporary Germany alone; the same capacity was perhaps no less also inherited by the beings of another contemporary community, also an independent one, and also in her turn enjoying dominion.

“That other contemporary community of your favorites is called ‘England.’

“There has even passed from ancient Greece to the beings of that second contemporary community England, and directly to them alone, one of their most maleficent inventions which the beings of that contemporary community have most thoroughly adopted and now actualize in practice.

“This particularly maleficent invention of theirs the ancient Greeks called ‘Diapharon,’ and the contemporary beings call ‘sport.’

“About this contemporary sport there I shall explain to you in as much detail as possible at the end of my tale; but you must meanwhile know, that though the beings of that community England also now invent large quantities of the various new objects required by your favorites in the process of their ordinary being-existence, nevertheless they do not invent chemical substances like the beings of the contemporary community Germany, no . . . they invent chiefly what are called ‘metalwares.’

“Especially in recent times, they have become expert in inventing and in distributing to the beings existing over the whole of the surface of your planet, vast quantities of every kind of metalwares called there locks, razors, mousetraps, revolvers, scythes, machine guns, saucepans, hinges, guns, penknives, cartridges, pens, mines, needles, and many other things of the same kind.