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36

can you see that the chiming of this great new bell, mounted and vibrant for the first time, could always wake an act of devotion, so that we would not be at a loss when we look for a reason for respect for humanity and for life. Perhaps the legend or the dogma is not the best way - certainly these are not the only ways - to make note that a sense of awe in the face of life is maintained, because if it is not maintained, if a revolution fermenting in our social order and in ourselves, should disrupt our myths and take over our dogmas too extensively, then finally there could remain nothing but leopards. And if we come back to Alby over again, his question as to the value of human life has a ready answer. No, certainly there is not market price for [?my?] lives. A life acquires value much as a work of art: somebody imparts value to it and somebody else denies that it has any value at all, and the scales and standards vary from those of great art all the way to the one claimed by Mr X for his sow. That could be regarded as more or less self-evident and you might well brush me off with a "Twas ever thus!" but stop and think of the ghastly consequences that we can see now and in the rather recent past. Think of Biafra and of Nazi Germany - and both of those instances occurred after Alby's words of warning."

  "Doctor, I don't want to check your eloquence because you've

shown me something really wonderful. But I'm curious on one point. What happens if, for any reason at all, the pace-maker is knocked out, the bell rings and then, much later on, say, something happens to it and it rings no more. Supposing, for example with all those chest injuries I had, my pace-maker had been knocked out. Would that have meant that my heart would have stopped contracting because nothing was there to say when? And would the heart have continued to contract, only out of rhythm. Slower or faster, or all mixed up?"

  "If just the origin of pulsation had been deleted, it is probable