Daybreak: A Romance of an Old World

to answer about the earth, the Martian mind showing as great a thirst for knowledge as

ttraction of gravitation being less, that everything can grow more easily. Things may as well be one size as another if only they are well adapted to each other, and we would never have known we were large or that you were

I promise not to be surprised again, even when I walk

und inhabitants on the moon what grea

e to make, for it resulted in the doctor's a

interested in what I sa

no inhabitants

poke up the d

und one and l

oman," said

op it now for the doctor's sake. When I could see him alone I could tell him his memory was pl

is of greater importance. We have told you many things in regard to our planet, and are willing to ans

to the earth some time, I think our friends will admit that we have been successful. But first we want to learn all we can about this wonderful world. How long has your race existed? Our ast

y of the age of the planet itself, but we know it is exceedingly old from the evidences of changes that have taken place on its surface. Neither can w

lize that we had indeed something to l

ested we are. But please continue. From what little I have seen I should thin

u have found that, in the main, men look upward more than downward, what would you expect to find in a world so beautiful as this and where life has existed so long? From what we know of our own history and from what we have learned of the wo

o reasonable th

anet. And now we want to hear whatever you ma

rth and its people, I think we were in just about your situation ages ago and that we have merely matured. That is, the causes now at work on the ear

mutual help in many ways, but no rulers nor legislators. The only government is that of the family. Here character is formed so that when the children go forth into the world no one desires to wrong his neighbor. We know from our histories of all the struggles our ancestors passed through before the days of un

" he continued, addressing me, "but the effect of perfect obedience to our golden rule? If men should real

n rule, is it?" asked Thorwald. "An

fall far, very far short of the mark. I do not know a single inhabitant of the eart

was not lost on Tho

it into life and practice, you would gain some hope for the people of the earth. I mean, the result of this struggle would give you hope, for I am not ashamed to say that we are now living up to the full requirements of this law, and if you should spend the remainder of your lives with us I am sure you would n

d I, "in the matter of which you have

into hundreds of nations, each with its own pride and ambition, and each striving to build up itself upon the misfo

h water. But tell us briefly, Thorwald, how you ever passed from th

the growing spirit of brotherly love, and assisted by commercial reciprocity and a world language. Gradually national boundaries were found to be only an annoyance, and in time-a long time

t all fear and anxiety over the confli

cannot be richer than another because all the material bounties of nature and art are common to all, being as free as the air. I suppose, as this seems to be strange talk to you, that you cannot realize

we reach that blessed state of which you have spoken, a condition prayed for and dimly expected by many of our race. But other troubles of ours come from sickness and severe toil,

of the planet now is, but nothing has been felt of those inner convulsions for many ages. One of our feats of engineering has been to see how far we could penetrate into the surface of the globe. A well of vast size has been dug, the temperature being carefully noted and observations made of the many diffe

how thick the cr

f. The temperature has gradually, though slowly, increased, and we believe the time will come when the work will have to be abandoned on account of the heat.

nterrupted, "to throw at some of our pe

old to give you any more trouble from earthquake and volcano, but ho

ler, has cured these evils also. Let me ask, Doctor, if the earth ev

eign substances which we believe the eart

ps you will not be surprised to learn that this new matter, coming to us from the outside, was sufficient to inc

orolites on the surface of the earth is so exceedingly slow that it would ta

ot a fact that the rate of revolution of Mars around the sun is slower than the ear

the earth speeds along at nineteen miles a second, wh

nce was, and our theory is that this has in some way hushed those

saw a chance to make a po

ed. They do not strike the earth in large numbers, but still we have a record of a shower of meteoric stones which devastated a whole village. I suppose all parts of your

e meteorites now,

you d

ong ago. Mars is going slo

d them any longer," said the doctor; "and I suppose you ha

dinous and eccentric orbits intercepted the orbits of the planets, they came within the attraction of these larger masses. Mars has mer

d. And now, Thorwald, tell us how you have esc

of fireproof materials, and, if I mistake not, you on the earth will not long endure an enemy which can be so easily put down. You will f

in the inhabited portions one section would often be deluged with too much rain while another would have none, both conditions leading to a failure in agriculture and much consequent suffering. A long time was spent in gathering statistics, which finally proved that if the rainfall were distributed there would be just about e

ch we were progressing it would seem to be an anomalous thing that we should continue to be subjected to the annoyances of so changeable a tyrant as the weather. We seemed destined to gain control of so many of the forces of nature that our future mastery in this department looked to them reason

ical means. As this discovery was gradually developed we found we had really solved the problem. For, as there was only a certain amount of moisture taken up into the

ur service. The whole face of our planet has been reclaimed, and drouth and famine on the one hand and floods on the other are entire

he answered that he would be glad to give us details of all these matters if we insisted on it, but he thought it would be better for him to present

an apology for my interru

ce nothing can ever happen, in the old sense of that word. To take a homely example, you have of course learned that it is not well to put your hand into the fire, and so, though you use a good deal of fire you keep your hands out of it. You know what the law is, and you do not tempt it. By our long experience we have learned the operation of all laws, and in every positi

e by each individual acquiring full knowledge of himself and acting up to that knowledge. In learning to love our neighbors we did not forget to foster a proper love for ourselves. In fact, our creed teaches that self-love is one of our most important duties. When one is instructed to love his neighbor as himself it is presupposed that his affection for himself is of that high quality that will always lead him to do the very best he can for every part of his being. So, as our development