"Michael McCollum - Man of Renaissance" - читать интересную книгу автора (McCollum Michael)

"A very great advantage if you think about it. Post-Catastrophe civilization is the first ever blessed with
the sure knowledge of what was once possible. Sometimes, while searching for the old secrets, we
uncover new ones.

"Our ancestors built a civilization of factories and assembly lines, of massive industries and even larger
bureaucracies to control them. We, on the other hand, are a world of cottage industries and master
craftsmen, where each machine is the work of a single individual or a few dozen people at most. We are
a society that specializes in prototypes rather than mass production.

"We are also more efficient than they were ... of necessity. They left us too poor to do things their way.
In the long run, who is to say which is the better road to travel?"

"Then you are not one who believes the race is in its twilight, Medico?" the General asked.

"Not at all. As I see it, our situation is somewhat akin to that of Europe after the fall of the Roman
Empire."

"Roman Empire?"

"You might say an earlier Estados Unidos , General. A culture that in its time ruled much of the world."

"The city of Romulus and Remus, Julius Caesar, and Benito Mussolini," Espe said, nodding.

Beckwith beamed like a proud parent. "You've seen the collection of ancient books in your office,
General? Ynicente Galway was a scholar of some renown in his youth. I am predicting that his daughter
will surpass even his accomplishments someday."

"Most unusual," the General said, his tone betraying his opinion of the usefulness of teaching women to
read. "You were saying..."

"Oh, yes, the First Dark Ages! They were a time in history with parallels to our own situation. Then, as
now, the world was a collection of warring fiefdoms, with no nation strong enough to enforce its will on
its neighbors. The result -- as now -- was a growth of feudalism and a certain lack of stability. Yet, the
human race continued its technological advance right through the Middle Ages. Those years saw the
invention of the horse collar, the stirrup, the lateen sail, and the first truly efficient plow -- all significant
advances over Roman technology."

The dinner conversation continued for more than an hour. Beckwith had hoped that the wide-ranging
discussion he had started would cause one of the Sonorans to slip and make a remark that would be a
clue to their purpose here. No such luck. The conversation had never risen above the level of a polite
debate comparing the present with the "good old days."

Eventually, Beckwith concluded that most of his dinner mates really didn't know what was going on --
not surprising if the powers-that-be back home were right in their suspicions. So, just when the
conversation was beginning to lag, he reached into his repertoire of anecdotes and told a funny story.
One advantage of the current state of world communications was that jokes did not age as quickly as
they once had. He had his listeners chuckling in a matter of moments.

The great crackling log in the fireplace had burned low when he finally asked to be excused and started