277.1
Thande
Donor
Part #277: Conscientious Objection
“There is disappointment and uncertainty across the troubled region of Indochina tonight, as the Singhapur peace talks break down once again. Three weeks ago, world leaders applauded the representatives of Burma and Siam returning to the table after the disruption caused by protests by the Front for Karen Rights.
“Now, despite frantic work by mediators from the Chinese and Bengali governments to save the talks, questions over the status of the breakaway Annamese and Cambodian republics remain open—and with them, peace in the entire region…”
*
(A brief explanatory note about the following artefact, recorded by Sgt Bob Mumby (BM) and Sgt Dominic Ellis (DE):
BM: Is this—yes, the little light’s gone—or does that mean it’s charging—good thing the backroom boys worked up that transformer and adaptor but I wish the light was a different—(distorted sounds) OK, that was definitely recording then—but is it recording n—
DE: Alright, alright, Bob, I think we’re OK. So tell the guys back home how you found this one.
BM: There was a load of surplus school stock we found at what I guess our Yanks would call a yard sale, they call it a trunk market here. We were looking for school history textbooks really, and we did find some, I think the Docs will be quoting from those later. But I also happened to find this.
DE: You were looking for comics—uh, sequents—weren’t you?
BM (sotto voce): Crumbs! (out loud) Er, well, what if I was, they’re a very useful insight into the culture and society of—
DE: Never mind, just teasing you. But this isn’t a comic—sequent, is it?
BM: No. When I picked it up I thought it was one of those teach reading to young kids books. And It sort of is, but, well…
DE: I noticed there was more subtlety to it when you opened it up. So I conducted extensive research—
BM: By which you mean you read the label on the back.
DE: …Yes, and I found out its purpose. This is a book for teaching children to read, published in thw 1950s when Carolina was under Societist rule. So it’s all bilingual, English and Novalatina. But the interesting point is that I noticed there seemed to be an unnecessary amount of blank space on the facing pages to the illustrations—which are actually not bad, shame there isn’t an easy way to digitise those right now.
BM: Maybe another time. You realised it’s designed so parts of the page can be peeled away to reveal more text beneath.
DE: Yep, interesting idea. There’s four sets of text and each is pitched at a different reading level. I get the impression from the label that kids were supposed to learn with the first, basic set, then move on to the second and so on, while the pictures stay the same. Good way of saving money!
BM: Although I’m not sure if the third and fourth sets weren’t meant to be aimed at the kids’ parents at different levels, rather than the kids when they grew up.
DE: Maybe. Also there’s a kind of insidious side to it—the Novalatina text is printed normally but the English text is in a special ink that makes it fade after the exposure to ultraviolet—I mean supracynthic—light in sunlight.
BM: Yeah, I guess the idea was the kids would learn in both languages, and the adults would learn Novalatina, but then the English would disappear and they’d only be left with memories in Novalatina. I don’t know how common a practice it was, we’re looking out for more books that use this…
DE: Fortunately, it looks like this one was surplus to requirements and sat on a shelf for decades virtually unused, so the English text hasn’t faded. We reproduce it below, the different sets of text from each page in sequence…
BM: By which you mean I need to type out a copy by hand.
DE: Well, I did all the brain work, Bob.
BM (mutters to himself, interrupted by click of recording being over)
From: “Learning is Fun with Marius and Josepha” issued by the Zone 4 Education and Indoctrination Authority (1951)—
Text page 1 (opposite illustration of 2 smiling children aged about 4-5, a boy and a girl; behind them a window shows a large, oblong tower on the horizon)
Level 1 text
This is Marius and Josepha. They are brother and sister.
Level 2 text
Marius and his sister Josepha live in Zon1Urb1 with their Mommy and Daddy. Can you find Zon1Urb1 on a map? It is a big city.
Level 3 text
These are the children of Markus and Elena, a young couple who live in Zon1Urb1. Their names are Marius and Josepha. Their parents love them very much.
Level 4 text
Little Marius and Josepha love their life in Zon1Urb1 in the year 1922 because they know their parents, Markus and Elena, love them so much they are raising them in the good Societist way and they will never lack peace of prosperity. (The limits of the nationalistically blinded language of English make it inadequate to express the depths of this love and Novalatina fluency is required to truly appreciate it in the accompanying text).
Text page 2 (opposite illustration of Marius and Elena playing with their toys in the foreground, while in the background their father Markus is shown hastily dressing in a suit and their mother Elena, wearing an apron, is kissing him goodbye with a quister handset in one hand)
Level 1 text
Marius is playing with his blocks.
Josepha is playing with her doll.
Daddy is ready to go out and work.
Mommy is ready to stay in and work.
Level 2 text
Marius and Josepha play with their toys, while their Mommy and Daddy get ready for the day’s work. They know the Society means they will never be hungry or hurt by bad men, but Mommy and Daddy love them so much they want to work for more money for treats.
Level 3 text
Markus prepares to leave for his job while Elena checks the kitchen for later. The children play happily. Elena finds she needs to shop for food. She kisses Markus goodbye for the day as she calls a baby-sitter to look after the children.
Level 4 text
Marius leaves for his job, at which he works hard for bounties, knowing that if he is ill the Society will still look after the basics for his family, but his hard work will be rewarded. Elena finds she needs to buy more food for later and quists a baby-sitter to look after the children. The children play, secure in the knowledge that their parents are good Societists and they will never be taken away from them.
Text page 3 (opposite an illustration of Marius, blocks in his hand, with an accompanying one showing his father Markus at work in an office, industriously typing; the illustration is designed with deliberate ambiguity so either side could be a thought bubble from the other)
Level 1 text
Marius plays and thinks of his Daddy at work.
One day, he wants to go to work like his Daddy.
Level 2 text
Marius thinks of his Daddy at work.
One day, he will go to work like his Daddy.
He might be a clerk like Daddy, or an engineer, or a doctor.
The tests will tell him which when he is eleven years old.
Level 3 text
Markus works hard at his job as a clerk.
He thinks of his son Marius.
He is glad his hard work will be rewarded and he can give Marius treats.
He is happy Marius lives in a place where the job he is perfectly suited for
will be chosen for him by the tests.
He wonders what the tests will pick for Marius as his job when he is older.
It is too early to say and he dismisses the thought as being of no purpose.
Level 4 text
Markus works as a clerk, knowing his work is necessary for the Society and benefits Humanity.
He thinks of Marius and is happy to know he is raising him as a good Societist and he will never be taken away.
Markus is worried about some of the rumours he hears at work, about what is going on
outside the Liberated Zones. But he knows violence will never come to the Zones and
the lives of he and his family will always be protected from the nationalistically blinded.
Text page 4 (opposite a similar illustration, but with one half showing Josepha playing with her doll, and the other half showing Elena at a market with a shopping bag, with a man on a soapbox in the background)
Level 1 text
Josepha plays and thinks of her Mommy.
Mommy has left to buy food for tonight’s dinner.
Level 2 text
Josepha plays and thinks of her Mommy buying food.
One day she will be a mommy and have children of her own.
The tests will tell her whether she will work at home like her Mommy
or at work like her Daddy.
She will raise her children as good Societists, and practices on her doll.
Level 3 text
Elena asked Jada, a trustworthy girl she knows, to be baby-sitter.
She has gone out to the markets and buys food for her family.
She knows they will never starve because of the Society, but the peace and
prosperity of the Society also means there are all kinds of interesting foods to try.
She uses Society vouchers for most of her purchases, but the money her husband
has earned for some extra special treats for the children.
Level 4 text
Elena buys food at the market. She is worried about the rumours she hears.
The poor nationalistically blinded humans outside the Liberated Zones are plotting violence again.
She hears a wise man talk about the Doctrine of the Last Throw.
She is relieved that the Society will act for the good of all humanity, as always.
She pities the other humans, who will soon starve for the sake of violence,
but knows that one day they will all know peace under the black flag.
Text page 5 (opposite an illustration of a teenage girl with an East Asian appearance playing a card game with a laughing Marius and Josepha)
Level 1 text
Mommy chose Jada to be baby-sitter while she buys food.
Marius and Josepha like Jada. She is fun!
Level 2 text
Jada plays with Marius and Josepha while Mommy is out.
“You win, Sepha!” she says.
(She knows that ‘Sepha’ is the authorised abbreviation for
Josepha’s name according to current guidance from the Biblioteka Mundial)
Level 3 text
Elena’s trust in Jada was well placed.
The girl watches over the children and keeps them entertained while Elena is out.
Elena thinks Jada may become a closer friend of the family in future.
Level 4 text
Elena was right to trust Jada to look after the children.
Last week, one of Jada’s colleagues at school said her eyes look different.
She reported him to the authorities and he has been sent to the camp for re-education.
Jada is a good Societist and can be trusted with the children.
Text page 6 (opposite an illustration of a weary-looking Markus coming home, while Elena looks up in delight from the oven. The children run to greet their father, leaving Jada behind with a board game)
Level 1 text
Daddy is home and dinner is ready!
Marius and Josepha are excited!
Level 2 text
Daddy is home after a hard day’s work!
His work means Mommy could buy treats for tonight’s dinner!
Mommy has made a delicious meal.
Marius and Josepha ask if Jada can stay for it.
Mommy and Daddy say yes!
Level 3 text
Markus returns home to Elena and the children.
He meets their baby-sitter, Jada.
Elena and Markus are so pleased with Jada, they let her stay for dinner.
Both Markus and Elena have had a hard day’s work, but they are glad
their work has helped their children and the Society.
Level 4 text
Markus is home. Elena has cooked dinner.
Both dismiss their worries about the trouble with the nationalistically
blinded humans outside the Liberated Zones. It is time to feast and be thankful
for what they have under the benevolent rule of the Society.
Jada is asked to stay to thank her for her work. It does not matter where on Earth
she was born, all humans are the same. And she is a good Societist.
Text page 7 (opposite a larger illustration of the family around the table eating a delicious-looking meal, while in the background music notes are shown surrounding a large Photel set)
Level 1 text
Everyone enjoys the food and music after their long day!
Level 2 text
Marius and Josepha thank their Mommy for finding such good food and cooking it.
Mommy thanks Daddy for working so they can afford the treats and the music.
Mommy and Daddy thank Jada for baby-sitting.
Level 3 text
Markus, Elena and their family enjoy good Human music from their
Photel set which Markus bought with his earnings.
The children are happy and love the meal Elena has made.
Jada is shy but happy she has been invited to dinner.
Everyone is happy.
Level 4 text
With the good food Elena has made and the Human music from the Photel set Markus paid for,
the rumours of violence far away fade from the family’s minds.
Markus and Elena know that their children will know a better life than even they know,
as the Society advances.
They know that their children will never be asked to kill people who look like Jada just because
of how they look.
They will raise their children in this knowledge. Perhaps their children’s children’s children will
know a world where all humans live in the Society and there is no violence or starvation anywhere.
It will be a long hard road, but one day it will happen.
THE END
Also in this series:
Marius and Josepha Visit Daddy at Work
Marius and Josepha Meet Jada’s Family
Marius and Josepha’s Grandparents’ Stories
Marius and Josepha Versus the Fanged Hood
“There is disappointment and uncertainty across the troubled region of Indochina tonight, as the Singhapur peace talks break down once again. Three weeks ago, world leaders applauded the representatives of Burma and Siam returning to the table after the disruption caused by protests by the Front for Karen Rights.
“Now, despite frantic work by mediators from the Chinese and Bengali governments to save the talks, questions over the status of the breakaway Annamese and Cambodian republics remain open—and with them, peace in the entire region…”
– Transcription of a C-WNB News Motoscope broadcast,
recorded in Waccamaw Strand, Kingdom of Carolina, 19/03/2020
recorded in Waccamaw Strand, Kingdom of Carolina, 19/03/2020
*
(A brief explanatory note about the following artefact, recorded by Sgt Bob Mumby (BM) and Sgt Dominic Ellis (DE):
BM: Is this—yes, the little light’s gone—or does that mean it’s charging—good thing the backroom boys worked up that transformer and adaptor but I wish the light was a different—(distorted sounds) OK, that was definitely recording then—but is it recording n—
DE: Alright, alright, Bob, I think we’re OK. So tell the guys back home how you found this one.
BM: There was a load of surplus school stock we found at what I guess our Yanks would call a yard sale, they call it a trunk market here. We were looking for school history textbooks really, and we did find some, I think the Docs will be quoting from those later. But I also happened to find this.
DE: You were looking for comics—uh, sequents—weren’t you?
BM (sotto voce): Crumbs! (out loud) Er, well, what if I was, they’re a very useful insight into the culture and society of—
DE: Never mind, just teasing you. But this isn’t a comic—sequent, is it?
BM: No. When I picked it up I thought it was one of those teach reading to young kids books. And It sort of is, but, well…
DE: I noticed there was more subtlety to it when you opened it up. So I conducted extensive research—
BM: By which you mean you read the label on the back.
DE: …Yes, and I found out its purpose. This is a book for teaching children to read, published in thw 1950s when Carolina was under Societist rule. So it’s all bilingual, English and Novalatina. But the interesting point is that I noticed there seemed to be an unnecessary amount of blank space on the facing pages to the illustrations—which are actually not bad, shame there isn’t an easy way to digitise those right now.
BM: Maybe another time. You realised it’s designed so parts of the page can be peeled away to reveal more text beneath.
DE: Yep, interesting idea. There’s four sets of text and each is pitched at a different reading level. I get the impression from the label that kids were supposed to learn with the first, basic set, then move on to the second and so on, while the pictures stay the same. Good way of saving money!
BM: Although I’m not sure if the third and fourth sets weren’t meant to be aimed at the kids’ parents at different levels, rather than the kids when they grew up.
DE: Maybe. Also there’s a kind of insidious side to it—the Novalatina text is printed normally but the English text is in a special ink that makes it fade after the exposure to ultraviolet—I mean supracynthic—light in sunlight.
BM: Yeah, I guess the idea was the kids would learn in both languages, and the adults would learn Novalatina, but then the English would disappear and they’d only be left with memories in Novalatina. I don’t know how common a practice it was, we’re looking out for more books that use this…
DE: Fortunately, it looks like this one was surplus to requirements and sat on a shelf for decades virtually unused, so the English text hasn’t faded. We reproduce it below, the different sets of text from each page in sequence…
BM: By which you mean I need to type out a copy by hand.
DE: Well, I did all the brain work, Bob.
BM (mutters to himself, interrupted by click of recording being over)
From: “Learning is Fun with Marius and Josepha” issued by the Zone 4 Education and Indoctrination Authority (1951)—
Text page 1 (opposite illustration of 2 smiling children aged about 4-5, a boy and a girl; behind them a window shows a large, oblong tower on the horizon)
Level 1 text
This is Marius and Josepha. They are brother and sister.
Level 2 text
Marius and his sister Josepha live in Zon1Urb1 with their Mommy and Daddy. Can you find Zon1Urb1 on a map? It is a big city.
Level 3 text
These are the children of Markus and Elena, a young couple who live in Zon1Urb1. Their names are Marius and Josepha. Their parents love them very much.
Level 4 text
Little Marius and Josepha love their life in Zon1Urb1 in the year 1922 because they know their parents, Markus and Elena, love them so much they are raising them in the good Societist way and they will never lack peace of prosperity. (The limits of the nationalistically blinded language of English make it inadequate to express the depths of this love and Novalatina fluency is required to truly appreciate it in the accompanying text).
Text page 2 (opposite illustration of Marius and Elena playing with their toys in the foreground, while in the background their father Markus is shown hastily dressing in a suit and their mother Elena, wearing an apron, is kissing him goodbye with a quister handset in one hand)
Level 1 text
Marius is playing with his blocks.
Josepha is playing with her doll.
Daddy is ready to go out and work.
Mommy is ready to stay in and work.
Level 2 text
Marius and Josepha play with their toys, while their Mommy and Daddy get ready for the day’s work. They know the Society means they will never be hungry or hurt by bad men, but Mommy and Daddy love them so much they want to work for more money for treats.
Level 3 text
Markus prepares to leave for his job while Elena checks the kitchen for later. The children play happily. Elena finds she needs to shop for food. She kisses Markus goodbye for the day as she calls a baby-sitter to look after the children.
Level 4 text
Marius leaves for his job, at which he works hard for bounties, knowing that if he is ill the Society will still look after the basics for his family, but his hard work will be rewarded. Elena finds she needs to buy more food for later and quists a baby-sitter to look after the children. The children play, secure in the knowledge that their parents are good Societists and they will never be taken away from them.
Text page 3 (opposite an illustration of Marius, blocks in his hand, with an accompanying one showing his father Markus at work in an office, industriously typing; the illustration is designed with deliberate ambiguity so either side could be a thought bubble from the other)
Level 1 text
Marius plays and thinks of his Daddy at work.
One day, he wants to go to work like his Daddy.
Level 2 text
Marius thinks of his Daddy at work.
One day, he will go to work like his Daddy.
He might be a clerk like Daddy, or an engineer, or a doctor.
The tests will tell him which when he is eleven years old.
Level 3 text
Markus works hard at his job as a clerk.
He thinks of his son Marius.
He is glad his hard work will be rewarded and he can give Marius treats.
He is happy Marius lives in a place where the job he is perfectly suited for
will be chosen for him by the tests.
He wonders what the tests will pick for Marius as his job when he is older.
It is too early to say and he dismisses the thought as being of no purpose.
Level 4 text
Markus works as a clerk, knowing his work is necessary for the Society and benefits Humanity.
He thinks of Marius and is happy to know he is raising him as a good Societist and he will never be taken away.
Markus is worried about some of the rumours he hears at work, about what is going on
outside the Liberated Zones. But he knows violence will never come to the Zones and
the lives of he and his family will always be protected from the nationalistically blinded.
Text page 4 (opposite a similar illustration, but with one half showing Josepha playing with her doll, and the other half showing Elena at a market with a shopping bag, with a man on a soapbox in the background)
Level 1 text
Josepha plays and thinks of her Mommy.
Mommy has left to buy food for tonight’s dinner.
Level 2 text
Josepha plays and thinks of her Mommy buying food.
One day she will be a mommy and have children of her own.
The tests will tell her whether she will work at home like her Mommy
or at work like her Daddy.
She will raise her children as good Societists, and practices on her doll.
Level 3 text
Elena asked Jada, a trustworthy girl she knows, to be baby-sitter.
She has gone out to the markets and buys food for her family.
She knows they will never starve because of the Society, but the peace and
prosperity of the Society also means there are all kinds of interesting foods to try.
She uses Society vouchers for most of her purchases, but the money her husband
has earned for some extra special treats for the children.
Level 4 text
Elena buys food at the market. She is worried about the rumours she hears.
The poor nationalistically blinded humans outside the Liberated Zones are plotting violence again.
She hears a wise man talk about the Doctrine of the Last Throw.
She is relieved that the Society will act for the good of all humanity, as always.
She pities the other humans, who will soon starve for the sake of violence,
but knows that one day they will all know peace under the black flag.
Text page 5 (opposite an illustration of a teenage girl with an East Asian appearance playing a card game with a laughing Marius and Josepha)
Level 1 text
Mommy chose Jada to be baby-sitter while she buys food.
Marius and Josepha like Jada. She is fun!
Level 2 text
Jada plays with Marius and Josepha while Mommy is out.
“You win, Sepha!” she says.
(She knows that ‘Sepha’ is the authorised abbreviation for
Josepha’s name according to current guidance from the Biblioteka Mundial)
Level 3 text
Elena’s trust in Jada was well placed.
The girl watches over the children and keeps them entertained while Elena is out.
Elena thinks Jada may become a closer friend of the family in future.
Level 4 text
Elena was right to trust Jada to look after the children.
Last week, one of Jada’s colleagues at school said her eyes look different.
She reported him to the authorities and he has been sent to the camp for re-education.
Jada is a good Societist and can be trusted with the children.
Text page 6 (opposite an illustration of a weary-looking Markus coming home, while Elena looks up in delight from the oven. The children run to greet their father, leaving Jada behind with a board game)
Level 1 text
Daddy is home and dinner is ready!
Marius and Josepha are excited!
Level 2 text
Daddy is home after a hard day’s work!
His work means Mommy could buy treats for tonight’s dinner!
Mommy has made a delicious meal.
Marius and Josepha ask if Jada can stay for it.
Mommy and Daddy say yes!
Level 3 text
Markus returns home to Elena and the children.
He meets their baby-sitter, Jada.
Elena and Markus are so pleased with Jada, they let her stay for dinner.
Both Markus and Elena have had a hard day’s work, but they are glad
their work has helped their children and the Society.
Level 4 text
Markus is home. Elena has cooked dinner.
Both dismiss their worries about the trouble with the nationalistically
blinded humans outside the Liberated Zones. It is time to feast and be thankful
for what they have under the benevolent rule of the Society.
Jada is asked to stay to thank her for her work. It does not matter where on Earth
she was born, all humans are the same. And she is a good Societist.
Text page 7 (opposite a larger illustration of the family around the table eating a delicious-looking meal, while in the background music notes are shown surrounding a large Photel set)
Level 1 text
Everyone enjoys the food and music after their long day!
Level 2 text
Marius and Josepha thank their Mommy for finding such good food and cooking it.
Mommy thanks Daddy for working so they can afford the treats and the music.
Mommy and Daddy thank Jada for baby-sitting.
Level 3 text
Markus, Elena and their family enjoy good Human music from their
Photel set which Markus bought with his earnings.
The children are happy and love the meal Elena has made.
Jada is shy but happy she has been invited to dinner.
Everyone is happy.
Level 4 text
With the good food Elena has made and the Human music from the Photel set Markus paid for,
the rumours of violence far away fade from the family’s minds.
Markus and Elena know that their children will know a better life than even they know,
as the Society advances.
They know that their children will never be asked to kill people who look like Jada just because
of how they look.
They will raise their children in this knowledge. Perhaps their children’s children’s children will
know a world where all humans live in the Society and there is no violence or starvation anywhere.
It will be a long hard road, but one day it will happen.
THE END
Also in this series:
Marius and Josepha Visit Daddy at Work
Marius and Josepha Meet Jada’s Family
Marius and Josepha’s Grandparents’ Stories
Marius and Josepha Versus the Fanged Hood
