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At best； history is hard to grasp； at worst； it is a lifeless collection of questionable records。 It is most alive through the words of eyewitnesses 。 。 and we have but one witness whose life spans the twenty…three centuries of crisis and Diaspora。 The next oldest human being whose age this offIce has been able to verify is only a little over a thousand years old。 Probability theory makes it possible that there is somewhere a person half again that age…but it is both mathematically and historically certain that there is no other human alive today who was born in the twentieth century。*
Some may question whether this 〃Senior〃 is the member of the Howard Families born in 1912 and also the 〃Lazarus Long〃 who led the Families in their escape from Old Home in 2136； etc。…pointhg out that all the ancient methods of identifica
* When the Howard Families seized the Starship New Frontiers' only a few were more than a century and a quarter old； all of that few…save the Senior…are dead； at times and places on record。 （I except the strange and possibly mythical case of life…in…death of Elder Mary Sperling。） Despite geic advantage and access to the longevity therapies known colle？tively as 〃the immortality option；〃 the last died in 3003 Gregorian。 By the records it would seem that most of them died through refusing further rejuvenation…that being still the second monest cause of death today。
…JF。45th
tion （fingerprints； retinal patterns； etc~） van now be bea~iea~True； but those methods e and the Howard Families Foundation had special reason to use them with care； the 〃Woodrow Wilson Smith〃 whose birth was registered with the Foundation in 1912 is certainly the
〃Lazarus Long〃 of 2136 and 2210。 Before those tests ceased to be reliable； they were supplemented by modern unbeatable tests based first on clone transplants and； more lately； on absolute identification of geic patterns。 （It is interesting to note that an impostor showed up about three centuries ago~ here on Secundus； and was given a new heart from a cloned pseudobody of the Senior。 It killed him。） The Senior whose words are quoted herein has a geic pattern identical with that of a bit of muscle tissue removed from 〃Lazarus Long〃 by Dr。 Gordon Hardy in the Starship New Frontiers about 2145； and cultured by him for longevity research。 Q。E。D
But what sort of man is he？ You must judge for yourself。 In condensing this memoir to manageable length I have omitted many verified historical incidents （the raw data are
… available to scholars at the Archives）…but I have left in lies and and unlikely stories on the assumption that the lies a man tells tell more truth about him…when analyzed…than does 〃truth。〃
It is clear that this man is； by standards usual in civilized societies； a barbarian and a rogue。
But it is not for children to judge their parents。 The qualities that make him what he is are precisely those needed to stay alive in a jungle…or on a raw frontier。 Do not forget your debt to him both geic and historic。
To understand our historic debt to him it is necessary to riew some ancient history…part tradition or m~'th； and part fact as firmly established as the assassination of Julius Caesar。 The Howard Families Foundation was established by the will of Ira Howard； who died in 1873。 His will instructed the trustees of the foundation to use his money to 〃prolong human life。〃 This is fact。
Tradition says that he willed this in anger at hjs own fate； for he found himself dying of old age in his forties… dead at forty…eight； a bachelor without progeny。 So none of us carries his genes； his immortality lies only in a name； and in an idea…that death could be thwarted。
At that time death at forty…eight was not unusual。 Believe it or not； in those days the average age at death was about thirty…five！ But not from senility。 Disease； starvation； … acci
dent； murder； war； childbirth； and her violens cut down most humans long before senility set in。 But a human who passed all 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 possibl