Project Gutenberg 2019-05-14 Public domain in the USA. 95 Holden, Fox B. 1923 Finlay, Virgil 1914 1971 Finlay A Matter of Order Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1956 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "A Matter of Order" by Fox B. Holden is a science fiction narrative written during the mid-20th century. The story explores themes of artistic integrity and the philosophical implications of technological progress as a colony of artists on the planet Ste. Catherine encounters three desperate men from Earth seeking their help amid a catastrophic war. This encounter ignites discussions about balance, society, and the very nature of humanity as the inhabitants of Ste. Catherine contemplate the implications of assisting their technologically advanced counterparts. In the story, the protagonist Angelo, the Dean of Masters, along with his fellow artists Tharn, Maler, Ghezi, and Ojar, greet the Earthmen as they arrive in a sleek, unfamiliar spacecraft. The Earthmen reveal their dire situation: a war on Earth has reached a stalemate threatening humanity's survival. Seeking the unique talent of the Artists, they request assistance in crafting propaganda to gain an advantage. Amidst the lighthearted banter and philosophical debates between the characters, the narrative highlights the tension between art and politics, and the characters grapple with their decision to help, underscoring the underlying principles of order, balance, and the essence of true creativity in a world increasingly reliant on technology. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 72.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Space colonies -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 51454 2025-07-23T13:32:51.867739 text/html 48027 2019-05-14T09:52:20 text/html 312248 2025-07-23T13:32:53.515701 application/epub+zip 311087 2025-07-23T13:32:52.222736 application/epub+zip 75409 2025-07-23T13:32:52.020708 application/epub+zip 346857 2025-07-23T13:32:54.659704 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 339527 2025-07-23T13:32:53.324718 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 104126 2022-09-27T00:13:58.669512 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 44814 2025-07-23T13:32:51.759711 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 45044 2019-05-14T09:52:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18967 2025-07-23T13:32:54.786684 application/rdf+xml 21182 2025-07-23T13:32:52.096718 image/jpeg 3906 2025-07-23T13:32:52.057705 image/jpeg 441951 2019-05-14T09:52:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 17753 2019-05-14T09:52:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 444710 2025-07-23T13:32:51.881727 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia