And
these, with the others, worshiped Bigness and the growth, each man
serving for his own sake and for what he could get out of it, but
all united in their faith in the beneficence and glory of their god.
To almost all alike that service stood as the most important thing
in life, except on occasion of some such vital, brief interregnum as
the dangerous illness of a wife or child. In the way of "relaxation"
some of the servers took golf; some took fishing; some took "shows"
--a mixture of infantile and negroid humor, stockings, and tin music;
some took an occasional debauch; some took trips; some took cards;
and some took nothing. The high priests were vigilant to watch that
no "relaxation" should affect the service. When a man attended to
anything outside his business, eyes were upon him; his credit was
in danger--that is, his life was in danger. And the old priests were
as ardent as the young ones; the million was as eager to be bigger as
the thousand; seventy was as busy as seventeen. They strove mightily
against one another, and the old priests were the most wary, the most
plausible, and the most dangerous. Bibbs learned he must walk charily
among these--he must wear a thousand eyes and beware of spiders
indeed!
And outside the temple itself were the pretenders, the swarming
thieves and sharpers and fleecers, the sly rascals and the open
rascals; but these were feeble folk, not dangerous once he knew them,
and he had a good guide to point them out to him.
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