142 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



know your President through talking, reading, hearing and 

 thinking. My queen does not drive me nor your President 

 you. We do right because we want to, not because we 

 are driven. So do most of you. 



ALBERT. You're about right. 



ANT. If we should lose our queen we would all know it 

 at once. If you should lose your President, you would all 

 know it at once. We would adopt another queen if neces- 

 sary, and you another President. 



ALBERT. Right again. 



ANT. I feel the presence of my ruler the same as you 

 feel the presence of yours. Patriotism moves us to support 

 our queen, and you to do the same for your President 

 (government). 



ALBERT. Without patriotism we would have no nation 

 and without it you would have no colony, if I understand. 



ANT. Neither of us had to learn to be .patriotic. We've 

 both lived on earth long enough to inherit that feeling. 

 Young ants and people are as patriotic as older ones 

 sometimes more so. 



ALBERT. But your government is in your mind and 

 ours in books. 



ANT. Wrong. Our government is in the minds of our 

 ants, and your government is what is in the minds of your 

 people, not what is in law books. You can't enforce a book 

 law very long, unless it becomes a mind law. Animals 

 that obey law live, those that don't die. 



ALBERT. Well, it will be a long time before man can 

 have such a democratic government as yours everybody 

 do right because he has forgotten how to do any other 

 way. But I think we understand each other better now. 



FLORENCE. Well, I don't think I know what you've 

 been talking about, although you've repeated about every- 



