the coming race-第19部分

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you　have　raised；　there　being　then　amongst　us　no　stimulus　to　painstaking　labour；　whether　in　desire　of　fame　or　in　pressure　of　want；　such　as　have　the　poetic　temperament；　no　doubt　vent　it　in　song；　as　you　say　the　bird　sings；　but　for　lack　of　elaborate　culture　it　fails　of　an　audience；　and；　failing　of　an　audience；　dies　out；　of　itself；　amidst　the　ordinary　avocations　of　life。〃

〃But　how　is　it　that　these　discouragements　to　the　cultivation　of　literature　do　not　operate　against　that　of　science？〃

〃Your　question　amazes　me。　　The　motive　to　science　is　the　love　of　truth　apart　from　all　consideration　of　fame；　and　science　with　us　too　is　devoted　almost　solely　to　practical　uses；　essential　to　our　social　conversation　and　the　comforts　of　our　daily　life。　　No　88fame　is　asked　by　the　inventor；　and　none　is　given　to　him；　he　enjoys　an　occupation　congenial　to　his　tastes；　and　needing　no　wear　and　tear　of　the　passions。　　Man　must　have　exercise　for　his　mind　as　well　as　body；　and　continuous　exercise；　rather　than　violent；　is　best　for　both。　　Our　most　ingenious　cultivators　of　science　are；　as　a　general　rule；　the　longest　lived　and　the　most　free　from　disease。　　Painting　is　an　amusement　to　many；　but　the　art　is　not　what　it　was　in　former　times；　when　the　great　painters　in　our　various　communities　vied　with　each　other　for　the　prize　of　a　golden　crown；　which　gave　them　a　social　rank　equal　to　that　of　the　kings　under　whom　they　lived。　　You　will　thus　doubtless　have　observed　in　our　archaeological　department　how　superior　in　point　of　art　the　pictures　were　several　thousand　years　ago。　　Perhaps　it　is　because　music　is；　in　reality；　more　allied　to　science　than　it　is　to　poetry；　that；　of　all　the　pleasurable　arts；　music　is　that　which　flourishes　the　most　amongst　us。　　Still；　even　in　music　the　absence　of　stimulus　in　praise　or　fame　has　served　to　prevent　any　great　superiority　of　one　individual　over　another；　and　we　rather　excel　in　choral　music；　with　the　aid　of　our　vast　mechanical　instruments；　in　which　we　make　great　use　of　the　agency　of　water；*　than　in　single　performers。〃

*　This　may　remind　the　student　of　Nero's　invention　of　a　musical　machine；　by　which　water　was　made　to　perform　the　part　of　an　orchestra；　and　on　which　he　was　employed　when　the　conspiracy　against　him　broke　out。

〃We　have　had　scarcely　any　original　composer　for　some　ages。　　Our　favorite　airs　are　very　ancient　in　substance；　but　have　admitted　many　complicated　variations　by　inferior；　though　ingenious；　musicians。〃

〃Are　there　no　political　societies　among　the　Ana　which　are　animated　by　those　passions；　subjected　to　those　crimes；　and　admitting　those　disparities　in　condition；　in　intellect；　and　in　morality；　which　the　state　of　your　tribe；　or　indeed　of　the　Vril…ya　generally；　has　left　behind　in　its　progress　to　perfection？　If　so；　among　such　societies　perhaps　Poetry　and　her　sister　arts　still　continue　to　be　honoured　and　to　improve？〃　89　〃There　are　such　societies　in　remote　regions；　but　we　do　not　admit　them　within　the　pale　of　civilised　communities；　we　scarcely　even　give　them　the　name　of　Ana；　and　certainly　not　that　of　Vril…ya。　　They　are　savages；　living　chiefly　in　that　low　stage　of　being；　Koom…Posh；　tending　necessarily　to　its　own　hideous　dissolution　in　Glek…Nas。　　Their　wretched　existence　is　passed　in　perpetual　contest　and　perpetual　change。　　When　they　do　not　fight　with　their　neighbours；　they　fight　among　themselves。　　They　are　divided　into　sections；　which　abuse；　plunder；　and　sometimes　murder　each　other；　and　on　the　most　frivolous　points　of　difference　that　would　be　unintelligible　to　us　if　we　had　not　read　history；　and　seen　that　we　too　have　passed　through　the　same　early　state　of　ignorance　and　barbarism。　　Any　trifle　is　sufficient　to　set　them　together　by　the　ears。　　They　pretend　to　be　all　equals；　and　the　more　they　have　struggled　to　be　so；　by　removing　old　distinctions；　and　starting　afresh；　the　more　glaring　and　intolerable　the　disparity　becomes；　because　nothing　in　hereditary　affections　and　associations　is　left　to　soften　the　one　naked　distinction　between　the　many　who　have　nothing　and　the　few　who　have　much。　　Of　course　the　many　hate　the　few；　but　without　the　few　they　could　not　live。　　The　many　are　always　assailing　the　few；　sometimes　they　exterminate　the　few；　but　as　soon　as　they　have　done　so；　a　new　few　starts　out　of　the　many；　and　is　harder　to　deal　with　than　the　old　few。　　For　where　societies　are　large；　and　competition　to　have　something　is　the　predominant　fever；　there　must　be　always　many　losers　and　few　gainers。　　In　short；　they　are　savages　groping　their　way　in　the　dark　towards　some　gleam　of　light；　and　would　demand　our　commiseration　for　their　infirmities；　if；　like　all　savages；　they　did　not　provoke　their　own　destruction　by　their　arrogance　and　cruelty。　　Can　you　imagine　that　creatures　of　this　kind；　armed　only　with　such　miserable　weapons　as　you　may　see　in　our　museum　of　antiquities；　clumsy　iron　tubes　charged　with　saltpetre；　have　more　than　once　threatened　with　destruction　a　tribe　of　the　90Vril…ya；　which　dwells　nearest　to　them；　because　they　say　they　have　thirty　millions　of　population…　and　that　tribe　may　have　fifty　thousand…　if　the　latter　do　not　accept　their　notions　of　Soc…Sec　（money　getting）　on　some　trading　principles　which　they　have　the　impudence　to　call　'a　law　of　civilisation'？〃

〃But　thirty　millions　of　population　are　formidable　odds　against　fifty　thousand！〃

My　host　stared　at　me　astonished。　　〃Stranger；〃　said　he；　〃you　could　not　have　heard　me　say　that　this　threatened　tribe　belongs　to　the　Vril…ya；　and　it　only　waits　for　these　savages　to　declare　war；　in　order　to　commission　some　half…a…dozen　small　children　to　sweep　away　their　whole　population。〃

At　these　words　I　felt　a　thrill　of　horror；　recognising　much　more　affinity　with　〃the　savages〃　than　I　did　with　the　Vril…ya；　and　remembering　all　I　had　said　in　praise　of　the　glorious　American　institutions；　which　Aph…Lin　stigmatised　as　Koom…Posh。　　Recovering　my　self…possession；　I　asked　if　there　were　modes　of　transit　by　which　I　could　safely　visit　this　temerarious　and　remote　people。

〃You　can　travel　with　safety；　by　vril　agency；　either　along　the　ground　or　amid　the　air；　throughout　all　the　range　of　the　communities　with　which　we　are　allied　and　akin；　but　I　cannot　vouch　for　your　safety　in　barbarous　nations　governed　by　different　laws　from　ours；　nations；　indeed；　so　benighted；　that　there　are　among　them　large　numbers　who　actually　live　by　stealing　from　each　other；　and　one　could　not　with　safety　in　the　Silent　Hours　even　leave　the　doors　of　one's　own　house　open。〃

Here　our　conversation　was　interrupted　by　the　entrance　of　Taee；　who　came　to　inform　us　that　he；　having　been　deputed　to　discover　and　destroy　the　enormous　reptile　which　I　had　seen　on　my　first　arrival；　had　been　on　the　watch　for　it　ever　since　his　visit　to　me；　and　had　began　to　suspect　that　my　eyes　had　deceived　me；　or　that　the　creature　had　made　its　way　through　the　cavities　within　91the　rocks　to　the　wild　regions　in　which　dwelt　its　kindred　race；…　when　it　gave　evidences　of　its　whereabouts　by　a　great　devastation　of　the　herbage　bordering　one　of　the　lakes。　　〃And；〃　said　Taee；　〃I　feel　sure　that　within　that　lake　it　is　now　hiding。　　So；〃　（turning　to　me）　〃I　thought　it　might　amuse　you　to　accompany　me　to　see　the　way　we　destroy　such　unpleasant　visitors。〃　As　I　looked　at　the　face　of　the　young　child；　and　called　to　mind　the　enormous　size　of　the　creature　he　proposed　to　exterminate；　I　felt　myself　shudder　with　fear　for　him；　and　perhaps　fear　for　myself；　if　I　accompanied　him　in　such　a　chase。　　But　my　curiosity　to　witness　the　destructive　effects　of　the　boasted　vril；　and　my　unwillingness　to　lower　myself　in　the　eyes　of　an　infant　by　betraying　apprehensions　of　personal　safety；　prevailed　over　my　first　impulse。　　Accordingly；　I　thanked　Taee　for　his　courteous　consideration　for　my　amusement；　and　professed　my　willingness　to　set　out　with　him　on　so　diverting　an　enterprise。


Chapter　XVIII。


As　Taee　and　myself；　on　quitting　the　town；　and　leaving　to　the　left　the　main　road　which　led　to　it；　struck　into　the　fields；　the　strange　and　solemn　beauty　of　the　landscape；　lighted　up；　by　numberless　lamps；　to　the　verge　of　the　horizon；　fascinated　my　eyes；　and　rendered　me　for　some　time　an　inattentive　listener　to　the　talk　of　my　companion。

Along　our　way　various　operations　of　agriculture　were　being　carried　on　by　machinery；　the　forms　of　which　were　new　to　me；　and　for　the　most　part　very　graceful；　for　among　these　people　art　being　so　cultivated　for　the　sake　of　mere　utility；　exhibits　itself　in　adorning　or　refining　the　shapes　of　useful　objects。　　Precious　metals　and　gems　are　so　profuse　among　them；　that　they　are　lavished　on　things　devoted　to　purposes　the　most　92commonplace；　and　their　love　of　utility　leads　them　to　beautify　its　tools；　and　quickens　their　imagination　in　a　way　unknown　to　themselves。

In　all　service；　whether　in　or　out　of　doors；　they　make　great　use　of　automaton　figures；　which　are　so　ingenious；　and　so　pliant　to　the　operations　of　vril；　that　they　actually　seem　gifted　with　reason。　　It　was　scarcely　possible　to　distinguish　the　figures　I　beheld；　apparently　guiding　or　superintending　the　rapid　movements　of　vast　engines；　from　human　forms　endowed　with　thought。

By　degrees；　as　we　continued　to　walk　on；　my　attention　became　roused　by　the　lively　and　acute　remarks　of　my　companion。　　The　intelligence　of　the　children　among　this　race　is　marvellously　precocious；　perhaps　from　the　habit　of