“I don’t understand that,” was the new corpuscle’s comment. “In the country I came from we believe the best preparation for the future life is a good start in this existence, and as we can none of us reach the future state apart from the whole organism, why, we all work for its good. But I am anxious to know more about these transportation systems. By what method do they regulate their charges?”
“Well,” the native corpuscle said, “they calculate about how much oxygen you have; how greatly the tissues you are bound for need it; what they can afford to pay for it, and then they charge what they think the traffic will bear.”
“But the whole organism must suffer from such a method.”
“It does, but there seems to be no help for it.”
“But, as the whole organism is the loser, and would be the gainer under a better management, why does it not take charge of the system and manage it so all would be benefited?”
“Why! that would be interfering with individual rights! It would never do. It would destroy all individual enterprise, all individual ambition, all individuality of every sort, and reduce everything to a dead level. It would not do at all. Besides, the liver has too much influence with the organism, and would never allow such a state of things to come to pass.”
“Why should the organism ask permission of the liver?”
“Well,” said the other, “the liver is the most important body of our whole community. All our richest corpuscles compose it.”
“Richest corpuscles? What are they?”
“Why, those who have the largest share of the organic wealth, of course. You must be very stupid not to know that.”