"Olaf Stapledon - Sirius" - читать интересную книгу автора (Stapledon Olaf)

on his super-sheep-dogs, and consequently scientists from all over the world used to turn up at Garth to be shown the animals at
work. Throughout the district their fame was fully established among farmers, and there were many demands for puppies. Very
few could be supplied. Some farmers refused to believe that the offspring of these bright animals would not inherit their parents"
powers. Naturally, all attempts to breed super-sheep-dogs from super-sheep-dogs without the introduction of the hormone into
the mother were a complete failure.

But it is time to return to the little Alsatian, in fact, to Sirius. Trelone was from the first very excited about this animal. The longer
it remained a helpless infant, the more excited he became. He saw in it the possibility of the fulfilment of his almost wildest
hopes. Discussing it with Elizabeth, he fired her imagination with the prospects of this canine infant, and unfolded his plan before
her. This animal must have as far as possible the same kind of psychological environment as their own baby. He told her of an
American animal-psychologist and his wife who had brought up a baby chimpanzee in precisely the same conditions as their own
little girl. It was fed, clothed, cared for, exactly as the child; and with very interesting results. This, Thomas said, was not quite
what he wanted for little Sirius, because one could not treat a puppy precisely as a baby without violating its nature. Its bodily
organization was too different from the baby's. But what he did want was that Sirius should be brought up to feel himself the
social equal of little Plaxy. Differences of treatment must never suggest differences of biological or social rank. Elizabeth had
already, he said, proved herself an ideal mother, giving the children that precious feeling of being devotedly loved by a divinely
wise and generous being, yet fostering their independence and making no greedy emotional claims on them. This was the
atmosphere that Thomas demanded for Sirius; this and the family environment. And their family, he told her, had taught him a




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very important truth. Unfortunate experiences in his own childhood had led him to regard family as a hopelessly bad institution,
and one which ought to be abolished. She would remember his wild ideas of experimenting with their own children. She had
tactfully and triumphantly resisted every attempt to remove her own first two children from her; and before the third was born
Thomas was already convinced that a really good family environment was the right influence for a growing child. No doubt she
had made mistakes. Certainly he had made many. No doubt they had to some extent unwittingly damaged their children. There
was Tamsy's occasional mulishness and Maurice's diffidence. But on the whole--well it would be false modesty and unfair to the
children not to recognize that they were all three fine specimens, friendly, responsible, yet independent and critical. This was the
ideal social tradition in which to perform the great experiment with baby Sirius. Dogs, Thomas reminded Elizabeth, were prone
to servility; but this vice was probably not due to something servile in their nature; it sprang from the fact that their great social
sensitivity was forced to take a servile turn by the tyranny of the more developed species which controlled them. A dog with
human intelligence, brought up to respect itself, would probably not be servile at all, and might quite well develop a superhuman
gift for true social relationship.

Elizabeth took some time to consider her husband's suggestion, for the responsibility would be mainly hers. Moreover, she was
naturally anxious about the effects of the experiment on her own baby. Would her little Plaxy suffer in any way? Thomas
persuaded her that no harm would be done, and indeed that the companionship of child and super-canine dog must be beneficial
to both. With fervour he insisted that the most valuable social relationships were those between minds as different from one
another as possible yet capable of mutual sympathy. It is perhaps remarkable that Thomas, who was not himself gifted with
outstanding personal insight or sympathy, should have seen intellectually the essential nature of community. It would be very
interesting, he said, to watch the growth of this difficult but pregnant companionship. Of course it might never develop. There
might be mere antagonism. Certainly Elizabeth would have to exercise great tact to prevent the child from overpowering the dog
with its many human advantages. In particular the little girl's hands and more subtle eyesight would be assets which the puppy