"That explanation is easy. You see, my people do not consider my edicts against stealing as law because they maintain that it conflicts with their established habits."
"Did you say all of your citizens were thieves?"
"No, not all; sixty per cent., to be specific. If you do not understand percentage, that means that there are three thieves for every two honest men."
When the king said this Gud's eyes brightened and a satisfied smile beamed on his courtly countenance. "The trouble," said he, "is that your system of government is wrong."
"What?" exclaimed the king. "I am the government. Am I wrong?"
"Yes, you should have another government."
"You mean that I should hire an assassin to kill me, so that my son should be the government?"
"No," replied Gud, "I mean that you should have a different form of government."
"I never heard of a different form of government!" declared the king, throwing his cigar on the rug in his excitement.
"Then I will explain it to you. What you need is a democracy. Your people want it for they have an innate sense of it already. They believe in the majority rule. Because the majority of them are thieves they want stealing legalized. In fact, to make law against stealing is, under the circumstances, very demoralizing, for it breeds contempt for law."