And there is nothing so
splendid as a physical contest--the lightning correlation of mind
and body. It is a picture of life."
"Do the Rhamdas think this?"
"Most assuredly. A Rhamda is always first an athlete."
"Why?"
"Perfection, my lord. A perfect mind does not always dwell in a
perfect body, but they strive for it as much as possible. The
first test of a Rhamda is his body. After he passes that he must
take the mental test."
"Mental?"
"Moral first. The most rigid, perhaps of all; he must be a man
above suspicion. The honour of a Rhamda must never be questioned.
He must be upright and absolutely unselfish. He must be broad-
minded, human, lovable, and a leader of men. After that, my lord,
comes the intellectual test."
"He must be a learned man?"
"Not exactly, your lordship. There are many very learned men who
could not be Rhamdas; and there are many who have had no learning
at all who eventually were admitted. The qualifications are
intellectual, not educational; the mind is put to a rigid test. It
is examined for alertness, perception, memory, reason, emotion,
and control. There is no greater honour in all the Thomahlia."
"And they are all athletes?"
"Every one, my lord. In all the world there is no finer body of
men, I myself would hesitate before entering a match with even the
old Rhamda Geos."
"How about the Rhamda Avec?"
"Nor he, either; in the gymnasium he was always the superior, just
as he topped all others morally and mentally.
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