Yes, I think you might as well be told also about an idea which has only just arisen in my madcap brain, and namely, specially to request the printer, to whom I shall give my first book, to print this first chapter of my writings in such a way that anybody may read it before cutting the pages of the book itself, whereupon, on LEARNING that it is not written in the usual manner, that is to say, for helping to produce in one’s mentation, very smoothly and easily, exciting images and lulling reveries, he may, if he wishes, without wasting words with the bookseller, return it and get his money back, money perhaps earned by the sweat of his own brow. BTG I

After what you have just perceived, I hope there may already be arising in your mentation a corresponding mental association which should, as a result, effectuate in you, as it sometimes happens to contemporary people, that which you call, in general, understanding, and that in the present case you will understand just why I, well knowing and having many a time commiserated with this human inherency, the inevitable manifestation of which is that if anybody pays money for something, he is bound to use it to the end, was animated in the whole of my entirety with the idea, arisen in my mentation, to take every possible measure in order that you, as is said “my brother in appetite and in spirit” – in the event of your proving to be already accustomed to reading books, though of all kinds, yet nevertheless only those written exclusively in the aforesaid “language of the intelligentsia” – having already paid money for my writings and LEARNING only afterwards that they are not written in the usual convenient and easily read language, should not be compelled as a consequence of the said human inherency, to read my writings through to the end at all costs, as our poor Transcaucasian Kurd was compelled to go on with his eating of what he had fancied for its appearance alone – that “not to be joked with” noble red pepper. BTG I

If for example when LEARNING to catch a ball with the right hand, my brother, sisters and neighbors’ children who came to play with us, threw the ball in the air, I, with the same aim in view, would first bounce the ball hard on the ground, and only when it rebounded would I, first doing a somersault, catch it, and then only with the thumb and middle finger of the left hand; or if all the other children slid down the hill head first, I tried to do it, and moreover each time better and better, as the children then called it, “backside-first”; or if we children were given various kinds of what are called “Abaranian pastries”, then all the other children, before putting them in their mouths, would first of all lick them, evidently to try their taste and to protract the pleasure, but … I would first sniff one on all sides and perhaps even put it to my ear and listen intently, and then though only almost unconsciously, yet nevertheless seriously, muttering to myself “so and so and so you must, do not eat until you bust”, and rhythmically humming correspondingly, I would only take one bite and without savoring it, would swallow it – and so on and so forth. BTG I

“Here it will do no harm to remark that I also, thanks only to his LEARNING, had later in my observatory on the planet Mars that Teskooano which, when it was finally established, enabled my sight to perceive, or as is said, ‘approach-the-visibility ‘ of remote cosmic concentrations, 7,000,285 times. BTG XVIII

“When during these flights to him I had become convinced of his great LEARNING, the idea once arose in me to invite him to descend on our ship Occasion to the planet Mars, in order there, on the spot, to help me personally with his knowledge in the details of arranging my observatory which was just then being completed. BTG XXIII

“Here I might as well emphasize the fact that if this observatory of mine afterwards became famous and indeed the best of all the constructions of its kind in the whole of the Universe, I am chiefly indebted to the LEARNING of this same essence-friend of mine. BTG XXIII

“At that period, these terrestrial three-brained beings, already of responsible age, whom the others named ‘Astrologers’, besides making the said observations and investigations of various other cosmic concentrations for the purpose of a greater, as is said ‘detailizing’, of that branch of general LEARNING of which they were representatives, fulfilled I several further definite essence obligations taken upon themselves towards surrounding beings similar to themselves. BTG XXIII

“Suddenly one of them, namely, the oldest among them who enjoyed the greatest reputation, jumped up on the table like a boy, and in a loud voice and with the intonation which had already long before become proper to the learned beings there of new formation, and which has also reached the contemporary learned beings, uttered the following: “‘Listen, and all of you be aware that we, the representatives of terrestrial beings assembled here who have, thanks to our great LEARNING already attained independent individuality, have the happiness to be the first to behold with our own eyes the creation of a Messiah of Divine consciousness sent from Above to reveal World-truths to us. BTG XXVIII

“As it later became clear, these ancient fishermen amused themselves at first with such games as children now play there – but children, it must be remarked, who have not yet started contemporary schooling – because the children there who do go to school have so much homework to do, consisting chiefly of LEARNING by rote the ‘poetry’ which various candidate Hasnamusses have composed there, that the poor children never have time to play any games. BTG XXIX

I after LEARNING which, you will be able clearly to represent to yourself and approximately to understand how greatly the ‘logical mentation’ in all these three-brained beings who have taken your fancy must have deteriorated in so short a time that without any what is called ‘constancy-of-self-individuality’ they have submitted to be made ‘slaves’ of those few from among their midst who are called ‘wastrels’, and who, in consequence of the total loss of the divine impulse ‘conscience’ could for their egoistic aims create from this ’empty word’ art which chanced to reach them, also such a ‘sure-fire-factor’ in all of them for the final atrophy of all the data that still survived in them for ‘conscious-Being’. BTG XXX

“Here also, I must tell you that when in this second case the contemporary terrestrial beings who have the profession of physician leave the house of the person who needed their help and walk along the street, then all their exteriors, even the muscles of their faces invariably express something as follows: ‘Eh, you curs, look out! otherwise I shall crush you like cockroaches; don’t you see that here comes not just anybody, but a genuine representative of science who has fully assimilated the knowledge given by the highest contemporary seat of LEARNING!!’ BTG XXXI

“But having now no other possibility of LEARNING all the secret sacraments, except only by attempting to enter into relations with the Reason of their deceased chief, they decided to try to carry out this sacred sacrament upon the body Kesdjan of their former chief, even without the said preliminary preparation. BTG XXXVIII

“From the third most sacred canticle of our cherubim and seraphim, we were worthy of LEARNING that our CREATOR OMNIPOTENT once ascertained that this same Sun Absolute, on which HE dwelt with HIS cherubim and seraphim was, although almost imperceptibly yet nevertheless gradually, diminishing in volume. BTG XXXIX

“Further, again from the sacred canticle of our cherubim and seraphim, but this time the fifth sacred canticle we were worthy of LEARNING that after this Divine ascertainment of HIS, our ENDLESSNESS devoted HIMSELF entirely to finding a possibility of averting such an inevitable end, which had to occur according to the lawful commands of the merciless Heropass, and that after HIS long Divine deliberations, HE decided to create our present existing ‘Megalocosmos’. BTG XXXIX

“I wish to explain to you about this in even as great detail as possible, with all the sequence of the historical course of development both as regards the constatation of the cognizance concerning this sacred law, as well as the gradual forgetting about it, because such information relating to all this will greatly help you, first of all, to elucidate those, as you expressed it, ‘unimportant details’ of this sacred law, which you have not yet completely transubstantiated in your Reason; and secondly, thanks to these elucidations of mine, you will likewise learn that among the number of your favorites, even the contemporary ones, such responsible beings do occasionally appear in the sphere of genuine learned beings; and assuming that the other three-brained beings there existed more or less normally, then thanks to the impartial and modest conscious efforts of these beings, genuine objective LEARNING might arise and gradually develop also on this ill-fated planet, as a result of which that welfare might be obtained also for them, which the three-brained beings of all the other planets of our great Megalocosmos have long ago deservedly enjoyed. BTG XL

“Owing on the one hand to the fact that the environment of these two brothers, direct descendants of one of the chief members of the great learned society, happened to be arranged correspondingly for their ‘preparatory age’, and on the other hand that they themselves tried not to allow the atrophy of the hereditary inherency – which they as in general all newly arising three-brained beings of this planet have – to crystallize the data for engendering in themselves the power to actualize ‘being-Partkdolg-duty’, and also in consequence of the fact that the ‘affirming-source’ of the causes of their arising, that is, their, as is called, father, decided to destine their responsible existence for the field of LEARNING and took all corresponding measures for their preparation for this, then already from the very beginning of their responsible age they almost became such as three-brained beings everywhere on the planets of our great Megalocosmos become who choose the same Aim, that is to say, those who carry out all their studied researches not for the satisfaction of their, what are called ‘vainglorious’, ‘proud’, and ‘self-loving’ weaknesses – as is done by the beings there, particularly the contemporary ones who choose the same field for themselves – but for the attainment of a higher gradation of Being. BTG XL

“As the time for LEARNING the second form of the English language by this system suited me best, I decided to pay him immediately the dollars he charged in order to know the secret of his system. BTG XLII

“‘According to the information which has come down to us from ancient times and also according to our own common sense, it is plain that the Great Moses, who as we learn from another source was a very great authority on medicine, wished by this means to secure that the totality of substances accumulating in the said places might of itself be mechanically removed owing to all kinds of accidental contact and thus cease to become a factor for the arising of the mentioned maleficent itching. Concerning the vast LEARNING of the Great Moses in the province of medicine, many diverse historical sources agree that he obtained his medical knowledge during his stay in Egypt as a pupil of the Egyptian high priests to whom this knowledge had come down from their ancestors of the continent Atlantis, the first and last genuinely learned beings of the Earth, the members of the society then called Akhaldan. BTG XLII

“‘The philosopher Veggendiadi was famous for his LEARNING only in his own country, but Hertoonano was famous all over the Earth. He was considered the greatest authority on the laws of the inner organization of man, and also an authority on the science then called alchemy – not of course the alchemic science of which contemporary people have a notion and which they express by the same word. BTG XLII

“Later when the results of my active principle arose and were formed to corresponding age, I once asked this learned Pooloodjistius to undertake the duty also of ‘Oskianotsner’ or, as your favorites would say, ‘educator’ of my children; and to this proposal of mine he agreed with great readiness, because, existing there under unusual conditions, he had no possibility of using his multifarious LEARNING to his satisfaction, and, thanks to this proposal of mine, what is called a ‘wide field of activity’ was opened up for him in this respect. BTG XLIV

“You dispose of your time as you please, you are a patron of the arts, you settle world questions over a cup of coffee, and you are even interested in the development of the latent spiritual forces of man. You are not unfamiliar with the needs of the spirit, and are well versed in philosophical matters. You are well educated and widely read. Having a great deal of LEARNING on all kinds of questions, you are reputed to be a clever man, being at home in a variety of fields. You are a model of culture. BTG XLVIII