GOVERNMENT 141 



ALBERT. You've not heard of our Amazons. 



ANT. Yes, but that's a myth. 



ALBERT. What do you call your kind of government? 



ANT. It is Anarchistic Socialism in form. 



ALBERT. I know as much as before I asked. 



ANT. Well, each ant does its part willingly, correctly, 

 honestly and without fear of law or ruler and without any 

 use for law except custom. In a way we have good gov- 

 ernment with no government. When everybody obeys the 

 law, you don't know there is a law. 



ALBERT. Don't you have to learn how to do it, and 

 don't you know why you do it? 



ANT. No, to both questions. 



ALBERT. We know so much we have to have govern- 

 ment to settle our quarrels. 



ANT. Still, our government isn't so different from yours. 



ALBERT. I know we have a President, but have never 

 seen him. I have read and heard about him. 



ANT. And I know we have a queen even if I have never 

 seen her. I know her by the queen odor. We all know 

 when she is in the house. Without her we should soon 

 have no colony. 



ALBERT. I see. 



ANT. When she is present we work for her, but not 

 because she drives us. She stands for our government. 

 We know what to do, how to do it, want to do it, and do 

 it, when we have a queen. 



ALBERT. That's about the way we do. Our President 

 stands for our government, too. We feel his presence, 

 although we have never seen him ; love him, obey him, even 

 die for him (the government), just as you would for your 

 queen. 



ANT. I know our queen through the queen odor. You 



