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these hurdles still could expect death from old age sometime between seventy…five and one hundred。 Very few reached one hundred； nevertheless every population group had its tiny minority of 〃centenarians。〃 There is a legend about 〃Old Toni Parr〃 who is supposed to have died in 1635' aged one hundred and fifty…two years。 Whether or not the legend is true； probability analysis of demographic data of that era shows that some individuals must have lived a century and a half。 But they were few indeed~
The Foundation started its work as a prescientific breeding experiment； as nothing was then known of geics： Adults of long…lived stock were encouraged to mate with others like them； money being the inducement。
Unsurprisingly the inducement worked。 Equally unsurprisingly this experiment worked； as it was an empirical method used by stockbreeders for centuries before the science of geics came into being： Breed to reinforce one characteristic； then eliminate the culls。
~The Families' Archives do not show how the earliest culls were eliminated； they simply show that some were eliminated from the Families…root and branch； all descendants…for the unforgivable sin of dying of old age too young。
By the Crisis of 2136 all members ？f the Howard Families had life expectancies in excess of one hundred and fifty years； and some had exceeded that age。 The cause of that crisis。 seems unbelievable…yet all records both from inside and from outside the Families agree on it。 The Howard Families were in extreme danger from all other humans simply because they lived so 〃long。〃 Why this was true is a matter for group psychologists； not for a record…keeper。 But it was true。
They were seized and concentrated in a prison camp； and were about to be tortured to death in an attempt to wrest from them their 〃secret〃 of 〃eternal youth。〃 Fact…not myth。
Here the Senior es into the story。 Through audacity； a talent for lying convincingly； and what would seem to most people today a childish delight in adventure and intrigue for its own sake； the Senior brought off the greatest jailbrealk of all time； stealing a primitive starship and escaping right out of the Solar System with all of the Howard Families （then numbering about 100；000 men； women； and childre*~）。
If this seems impossible…so many people and just one ship…remember that the first starships were enormously big…
ger than the ones we now use。 They were self…sustaining axti~ ficial plaoids intended to remain in space for many years at speeds below that of light； they had to be huge。
The Senior was not the only hero of that Exodus。 But in all the varied and sometimes conflicting accounts that have e down to us； he was always the driving force。 He was our Moses who led his people out ~of bondage。 …
He brought them home again three~quarters of a century later （2210）…but not into … bondage。 For that date； Year One of the Standard Galactic calendar； marks the opening of the Great Diaspora 。 。 caused by extreme population pressure on Old Home Terra； and made possible by two new factors： the Libby…Sheffield Para…Drive as it was Iqiown then （not a 〃drive〃 in any true sense； but a means of manipulating n…dimensional spaces）； and the first （and simplest） of effective longevity techniques： new blood grown in vitro。 … …
The Hw；ard Families caused this to happen simply by escaping。 The short…lived humans back on Terra； still convinced that the long…lived families possessed a 〃secret；〃 set。 about trying to find it by wide and systematic research； and； as always； research paid off serendipitously； npt with the nonexistent 〃secret〃 but with something almost as good： a therapy； and eventually a sheaf of therapies； for postponing old age； and for extending yigor； virility； and fertility。 …。
The Great Diaspora was then both necessary and possible。
The Senior's great talent （aside from his ability to lie extemporaneously and convincingly） seems always to have been a rare gift for extrapolating the possibilities of any situation
…then twisting it to suit his own purposes。 （He calls it： 〃You have to have a feeling for what makes the frog jump。〃 Psychometrists who have studied him say that he has an extremely high psi talent expressed as 〃forerunners〃 and 〃luck〃…but what the Senior has to say about them is less polite。 As a record…keeper； I refrain from opinion。）
The Senior saw at once that this benison of extended youth； although promised to everyone； would in fact be limited to the powerful and their nepots。 The billions of helots could not be allowed to live beyond their normal pan； there was no room for them…imless they migrated to the stars； in which case there would be room for each human to live as long as he could manage。 How the Senior exploited this is not always clear； he seems to have used several names snd many fronts。 His key corporations wound up in the ~ands of this Foundation； then ove the
Foundation and the Howard Families to Secundus…at his behest； he having saved 〃the best real estate〃 for his relatives and descendants。 Sixty…eight percent of those then liv。ing accepted the challenge of new frontiers。
Our geic debt to him is both indirect and direct。 The indirect debt lies in the fact that migratio~i is a sorting device； a forced Darwinian selection； under which s？perior stock goes to the stars while culls stay home and die。 This is true even for those forcibly transported （as in the twenty…fourth and twenty…fifth centuries）； save that the sorting then takes place on the new pla。 In a raw frontier weaklings and mis… fits die； strong stock survives。 Even those who migrate voluntarily still go through this second drastic special selection。 The Howard Families have been culled in this fashion at least three times。
Our geic 〃debt〃 to the Senior is even easier to prove。 Part of it needs only simple arithmetic。 If you live anywhere but on Old Home Terra…and you almost certainly do if you。 read this； in view of the present miserable state of 〃The Fair Green Hills of Earth〃…and can claim even one member of the Howard Families among your ancestors…and most of you can…then you are most probably descended from the Senior。
By the official Families' genealogies this probability is 87。3 percent。 You are descended from many other twentiethcentury members of the Howard Families； too； if you are descended from any of them； but I speak here only of Woodrow Wilson Smith； the Senior。 By the Crisis Year 2136 nearly one…tenth of the youngest generation of the Howard Families were descended from the Senior 〃legitimately〃…by which I mean that each linking birth was so recorded in the Families' records and ancestry confirmed by such tests as were available at the time。 （Even blood typing was not known when the breeding experiment started； but the culling process made it strongly to a female's advantage not to stray； at least not outside the Families。）
By now the cumulative probability is； as I have said； 87。3 percent if you have any Howard ancestor…but if you have a Howard ancestor from a recent generation； your probability climbs toward an effective 100 percent。
But； as a statistician； I have reason to believe （backed by puter analyses of blood types； hair types； eye color； tooth count； enzyme types； and other characteristics responsive to geic analysis ）…strong reason to believe that the Senior
has many descendants not recorded in genealogies； both inside and outside the Howard Families。 …
To put it mildly； he is a shameless old goat whose seed is scattered all through this part of our Galaxy。
Take the years of the Exodus； after he stole the New Frontiers。 He was not married even once during those years； and ship's records and legends based on memoirs of that time suggest that he was； in an early idiom； a 〃woman hater；〃 a misogynist。
Perhaps。 Biostistical records （rather than genealogies）； when analyzed； suggest that he was not that unapproachable。 The puter that analyzed it offered to bet me even money on more than one hundred offspring fathered by him during those years。 （I refused the bet； that puter beats me at chess even though I insist on a one…rook advantage。）
I do not find this surprising； in view of the almost … pathological emphasis placed on longevity among the Families at that time。 The oldest male； if still virile…and he certainty was…would have been subjected to endless temptation； endless opportunity； by females anxious to have offspring of his demonstrated superiority…〃superiority〃 by the only criterion the Howard Families respected。 We can assume that marital status would not matter much； all Howard Families marriages were marriages of convenience…Ira Howard's will insured that…and they were rarely for life。 The only surprising aspect is that so few fertile females managed to triy him any thousands were willing。 But he was always fast on his feet。
As may be… If today I see a man with sandy red hair； a big nose； an easy disarming grin； and a slightly feral look in his gray…green eyes； I always wonder how recently the Senior has passed through that part of the Galaxy。 If such a stranger es close to me； I put my hand on my purse： If he speaks。 to me； I resolve not to make wagers or promises。
But how did the Senior； himself only a third…generation member of… Ira Howard's breeding experiment； manage to live and stay young hi？ first three hundred years without artificial rejuvenation？
A mutation； of course…which simply says that we don't know。 But in the course of his several rejuvenations we have learned a little about his physical makeup。 He has an unusually large heart that beats very slowly。 He has only twentyeight teeth； no caries； and seems to be immune to infection。 He has never had … surgery other than for wounds or for
rejuvenation procedures。 His reflexes are extremhly fast… but appear always to be reasoned； so one may question the correctness of the term 〃reflex。〃 His eyes have never needed correction either for distance or close work； his hearing range is abnormally high； abnormally low； and is unusually acute throughout his range。 His color vision includes indigo。 He was born without prepuce； without vermiform appendix；
…and apparently without a conscience。 I am pleased that he is my ancestor。
Justin Foote the 45th
Chief Archivist； Howard Foundation
PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION
In this abridged popular edition the technical appendix has been published separately in order to make room for an account of the Senior's actions after he left Secundus until his disappearance。 An apocryphal and obviously impossible tale of the last events in his life has been included at the insistence of the editor of the original memoir； but it cannot be taken seriously。
Carolyn Briggs
Chief Archivist
Note： My lovely and learned successor in office does not know what she is talking about。 With the Senior； the most fan… tastic is always the most probable。
Justin Foote the 45th
Chief Archivist Emeritus
…PRELUD~3
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