"
"Yes, that is very well. But we should think it was paying too much for it
if we had to give up the hope of ever having more than we wanted," and at
this point the banker uttered his jolly laugh, and I perceived that he had
been trying to draw the Altrurian out and practise upon his patriotism. It
was a great relief to find that he had been joking in so much that seemed
a dead give-away of our economical position. "In Altruria," he asked, "who
is your ideal great man? I don't mean personally, but abstractly."
The Altrurian thought a moment. "With us there is so little ambition for
distinction, as you understand it, that your question is hard to answer.
But I should say, speaking largely, that it was some man who had been able
for the time being to give the greatest happiness to the greatest number--
some artist or poet or inventor or physician."
I was somewhat surprised to have the banker take this preposterous
statement seriously, respectfully. "Well, that is quite conceivable with
your system. What should you say," he demanded of the rest of us
generally, "was our ideal of greatness?"
No one replied at once, or at all, till the manufacturer said: "We will
let you continue to run it.
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