 In describing the Conclave's reaction to the Maternite emergency, the author is making a comparison to:
It was a day soft and clear; a day accepted by the young, cherished by we old. And indeed it was but a moment before Melia slipped through the high grass to stand at his side. "Sias," they were saying, "the Maternite's gone." Everything has evaporated in Maternite. In moments of emergency, it is wise to speak with caution. They were aware that they stood in the midst of an unprecedented happening; indeed, an emergency. They were created so long ago, indeed, that the ignorant believe them to have been constructed by the gods themselves. Indeed, the watcher is more a tradition than a necessity. I hastened to the City Hall and found the Conclave assembled, waiting for me to bring them to order. They accompanied me past the marble pillars into the cool recesses of the Hall, then seated themselves on the floor as I took my place by the great table. At such a time, many men feel impelled to make speeches, and one must not be disrespectful. Prayers and supplications were offered to the gods, priests were sent to sacrifice, and finally, as the light of the sun was falling between the pillars, the High Priest of the Maternite Machine was heard. He rambled through the customary opening remarks and then, continually smoothing his white beard—of which he is excessively proud—approached the crux of the matter and the Conclave finally heard the facts it had assembled to hear. By this time, unfortunately, many of the Conclave had departed for home and supper. Yet perhaps it is for the best, for those left were the most earnest and intelligent. Know, then, that once granted a few cells of Prelife, it is an easy matter for the Maternite Machine to add more and more; thus assuring us, as has always been, a continuous source of Prelife to be born by the Generating Machine as children. The machines bear the exact number of children each year to balance the number of us whom the gods claim. Such it has always been from time immemorial." "But now," he continued, however, with less assurance and indeed with even a stutter here and there, "an unprecedented situation has arisen. For the M-Maternite Machine has actually failed." Cries of "Treason" sprang up, and I fear it might have gone hard for the priest had I not been able to insure order. It is at such times that I most revere the wisdom of the ancients, who decreed seventy years the minimum age for a member of the Conclave.
 how modern leaders revert to ceremony and argument instead of problem-solving
 how authoritarian governments, though less humane, are often more effective in executing policies  how modern leaders revert to ceremony and argument instead of problem-solving  how the filibuster prevents governments from making real progress for its people  how young members and elder members of governments typically reach an impasse