Astounding British Edition, Vol. 6, No. 8 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

12 | ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION quer them!’ That may be bum misquote, Miss Ward, but it is true.” “Then you intend to try it out?” “I most certainly do!” Edith Ward stood up. “I’ve nothing more to say. You force me to take action.” “T’m sorry, Miss Ward. If it is battle you want, you'll get it. You'll find it harder to quell Tom Barden The Successful than you found it a year ago when you shut off Tom Barden The Theorist with a word of scorn. I’m sorry—lI really am.” “Sorrv?” she repeated with disbelief. _ “Sure,” he said. ‘‘Barden Laboratories and Solar Labs could really go places if we. weren't fighting. Only one more thing, Miss Ward.” ! “What?” she replied impatiently. “Divide and conquer is not uniquely Terran!” : After she left, Barden wondered whether his final shot had hit anything. He returned to work and forgot about it, sensibly ad- mitting that if it did he would not be bothered and if it did not he wouldn’t stop anyway, and so he might as well get to work. He rather hoped to avoid the pos- sible delay that would follow official action. Dr. Edith Ward answered him within twenty-four hours. Her word was accepted as valid in many places; had been the final authority on such matters for some time. Up to now there had never been any de- fense. Plus the fact that his side of the argument had never been voiced. Barden didn’t scourge the court for thei decision. With only one accredited side o the evidence in, they could but take action. So Barden shrugged, grinned to himself, and spent several days in intense study, laying out the program that was to continue in his absence. Then he took the flier for the Terran Capital. It was not a court hearing. It was more of a high-powered debate before a group of qualified judges and investigators. Barden looked into the background of his judges and was glad that the old system of appoint- ment to investigating committees had been stopped. Though these men were not quali- fied physicists, they were not the old-line politician, who took an arbitrary stand because he thought that waving a banner with a certain device would sound good to his constituents. There would be little per- sonal opinion or personal ambition in this hearing, and not’ one of the judges would sacrifice either contestant on the altar of publicity. By unspoken agreement, neither he nor Edith Ward mentioned the source of their information: This Barden admitted was hard on the female physicist’s argument for she could claim only mathematical analysis and he could claim experimental evidence. They heard her side and then asked for his. He gave his arguments simply and answered every point she brought up, There was rebuttal and rejoinder and finally open discussion. “I claim that this-man is not a qualified hysicist,” she stated firmly. “As such he as not the experience necessary to judge the validity of my argument.” “T admit that I hold no degrees,” said Barden. “Neither did Thomas Edison. Is Miss Ward convinced that no man without - a string of college degrees is qualified to’do* anything but dig ditches?” That hurt, for the investigators were not blessed with doctor’s degrees in philosophy; the scattering of LL.Ds were about half honorary degrees and their owners though gratified for the honor knew how it was earned, “Of course not,” snapped Miss Ward. “I merely state—” “If Miss Ward is so firm in her belief, why doesn’t she bring forth some experi- mental evidence. She has the entire holdings of the Solar Space Laboratory at her dis- - posal, If this is as important as she claims, then the financial argument may be dis- pensed with. For no amount of money is capable of paying for total destruction of the solar system.” “I need no experiments,” she snapped. “Or is Miss Ward trying to tell us that any line of research that she does not sponsor is not worth bothering with? Or is she trying to stop me so that she can take up? Or has she started—late—and wants me stopped before I get to the answer. That would make the famous Solar Space Laboratory look slightly second-rate, wouldn’t it.” “Gentlemen,” cried Miss Ward facing the committee and ignoring Barden, “his state- ments are invidious. He is accusing me of jealousy, personal ambition, and egomania. This is not fair!” “Miss Ward, I regret that you are not a man—or that I am not a woman. Then we would have an even chance before a com- mittee of our contemporaries.” “Mr. Barden,” she said in an icy voice, “T’ve been accused of flaunting my sex every time a question is raised, I’ve also been told by many that my position was gained in the same way. Just because I prefer to be a physicist instead of some man’s housekeeper, I am viewed with suspicion, hatred, jealousy, and dislike. Well, Mr. Barden, you accuse me of using my sex. It is as much a hindrance as an aid, because I find that a woman has to be three times as good as the man in the same job in order to get the same recognition. If she isn’t, nobody trusts her at all! Now,” she said facing the com- mittee, “I’ll make my final plea. I’ve had mathematical physicists at work for almost a year. They agree with me. Thomas Barden has earned his position, I admit. But I still claim that he is moving forward along an COMMcooolks COLA