"That's
one of the troubles with this country," said the Senator. "The
Madison Avenue people have made us all more alarmed about our own
armpits than about Russia, China, and Cuba combined.”
The conversation, actually a very dangerous one between two highly vulnerable men, had drifted into a small area of peace. They could not agree with one another, and not be afraid.
"You know---" said Eliot, "Kilgore Trout once wrote a whole book about a country that was devoted to fighting odors. That was the national purpose. There wasn't any disease, and there wasn't any crime, and there weren't any wars, so they went after odors."
"If you get in court," said the Senator, "it would be just as well if you didn't mention your enthusiasm for Trout. Your fondness for all that Buck Rogers stuff might make you look immature in the eyes of a lot of people."
The conversation had left the area of peace again. Eliot's voice was edgy as he persisted in telling the story by Trout, which was called, Oh Say Can You Smell?
"This country," said Eliot, "had tremendous research projects devoted to fighting odors. They were supported by individual contributions given to mothers who marched on Sundays from door to door. The idea of the research was to find a specific chemical deoderant for every odor. But then the hero, who was also the country's dictator, made a wonderful scientific breakthrough, even though he wasn't a scientist, and they didn't need the projects anymore. He went right to the root of the problem."
"Uh huh," said the Senator. He couldn't stand stories by Kilgore Trout, and was embarrassed for his son. "He found one chemical that would eliminate all odors?" he suggested, to hasten the tale to a conclusion.
"No. As I say, the hero was a dictator, and he simply eliminated noses."
The conversation, actually a very dangerous one between two highly vulnerable men, had drifted into a small area of peace. They could not agree with one another, and not be afraid.
"You know---" said Eliot, "Kilgore Trout once wrote a whole book about a country that was devoted to fighting odors. That was the national purpose. There wasn't any disease, and there wasn't any crime, and there weren't any wars, so they went after odors."
"If you get in court," said the Senator, "it would be just as well if you didn't mention your enthusiasm for Trout. Your fondness for all that Buck Rogers stuff might make you look immature in the eyes of a lot of people."
The conversation had left the area of peace again. Eliot's voice was edgy as he persisted in telling the story by Trout, which was called, Oh Say Can You Smell?
"This country," said Eliot, "had tremendous research projects devoted to fighting odors. They were supported by individual contributions given to mothers who marched on Sundays from door to door. The idea of the research was to find a specific chemical deoderant for every odor. But then the hero, who was also the country's dictator, made a wonderful scientific breakthrough, even though he wasn't a scientist, and they didn't need the projects anymore. He went right to the root of the problem."
"Uh huh," said the Senator. He couldn't stand stories by Kilgore Trout, and was embarrassed for his son. "He found one chemical that would eliminate all odors?" he suggested, to hasten the tale to a conclusion.
"No. As I say, the hero was a dictator, and he simply eliminated noses."
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