Note: All statements and beliefs are mine and do not nessecarily
represent any organisations I happen to be a member of. Thank you.

Shallam,

Over the recent months, I realise you seem to be making a large issue of
Ashtan and the way we handle our orphans. However, I ask you this:

What happens to -your- orphans?

We all know that when we die, Lord Sarapis, The Creator of All, restores
our weary souls to life. We can therefore logically assume the orphans
that we kill in the orphanage (according to you, anyway) are also
restored to life. This would explain the large numbers of orphans to
Ashtani streets - after they die, they return.

However, there are a large number of orphans of the streets of Shallam
as well. Where do they come from? If the orphans from your city are
taken to Handel, why would they reappear on the streets? I can think of
a few possibilities:

1. They leave the Bascillica. If this is the case, then obviously they
don't like it. How can you therefore continue to drag them to the Choir
if they have this obvious distaste of it? Seems more like slavery to me.

2. They die. Of course, you'll raise your voices against this
possibility, but still, it is a possibility.

3. Shallam has a lot of orphans. I guess this is the most likely answer,
but it is a problem in itself. How can the citizens of your city
continue to breed when obviously they are not prepared for such a
responsibility? Is it really "Good" and "Righteous" to overpopulate
Sapience when it obviously can't take the load? How can you create
something and then leave it on the streets to face a life of
uncertainty, so that the only way out it seems is to join a choir for
the rest of the its existience? Since some you seem to have taken the
"pro-Freedom" stance in some of your posts attacking Ashtan, is this
freedom?

I'm sure the most likely response is: All of the orphans lost their
parents in tradgedies and that's why we take them to the orphanage.
Simple.

If this is the case, then obviously Shallam is an epicentre of
misfortune. How many members of your populace die in freak accidents?
I'd be surprised if anyone can walk around Shallam without being killed
by falling masonary, run over by rogue carriages or immolated by bizzare
random infernos. I've walked around Shallam before, and I didn't notice
these exposions rocking the city. Maybe I was just there at a lull.

4. The orphans eventually go to loving homes.

So, the higher-classes of the Jewel use the lower-classes as a breeding
class. This is obviously the only logical conclusion with the high
orphan turn-over, as there must be a high demand for children in the
higher echalons of society.

Anyway, I think my point is clear. Rather than telling us what to do
with our orphans, maybe you should deal with your own overpopulation
issues.

Cenetar

(Note: I'm not made of gold, if you come up with some witty retort you
want to send at me, try a message instead.)



Penned by my hand on the 25th of Phaestian, in the year 371 AF.