the coming race-第31部分

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h　trivial　contrivances　as　wings；　which　every　schoolboy　knows　has　been　tried　and　found　wanting；　from　the　mythical　or　pre…historical　period；　I　proceed　to　that　very　delicate　question；　urged　of　late　as　essential　to　the　perfect　happiness　of　our　human　species　by　the　two　most　disturbing　and　potential　influences　on　upper…ground　society；…　Womankind　and　Philosophy。　　I　mean；　the　Rights　of　Women。

Now；　it　is　allowed　by　jurisprudists　that　it　is　idle　to　talk　of　rights　where　there　are　not　corresponding　powers　to　enforce　144them；　and　above　ground；　for　some　reason　or　other；　man；　in　his　physical　force；　in　the　use　of　weapons　offensive　and　defensive；　when　it　come　to　positive　personal　contest；　can；　as　a　rule　of　general　application；　master　women。　　But　among　this　people　there　can　be　no　doubt　about　the　rights　of　women；　because；　as　I　have　before　said；　the　Gy；　physically　speaking；　is　bigger　and　stronger　than　the　An；　and　her　will　being　also　more　resolute　than　his；　and　will　being　essential　to　the　direction　of　the　vril　force；　she　can　bring　to　bear　upon　him；　more　potently　than　he　on　herself；　the　mystical　agency　which　art　can　extract　from　the　occult　properties　of　nature。　　Therefore　all　that　our　female　philosophers　above　ground　contend　for　as　to　rights　of　women；　is　conceded　as　a　matter　of　course　in　this　happy　commonwealth。　　Besides　such　physical　powers；　the　Gy…ei　have　（at　least　in　youth）　a　keen　desire　for　accomplishments　and　learning　which　exceeds　that　of　the　male；　and　thus　they　are　the　scholars；　the　professors…　the　learned　portion；　in　short；　of　the　community。

Of　course；　in　this　state　of　society　the　female　establishes；　as　I　have　shown；　her　most　valued　privilege；　that　of　choosing　and　courting　her　wedding　partner。　　Without　that　privilege　she　would　despise　all　the　others。　　Now；　above　ground；　we　should　not　unreasonably　apprehend　that　a　female；　thus　potent　and　thus　privileged；　when　she　had　fairly　hunted　us　down　and　married　us；　would　be　very　imperious　and　tyrannical。　　Not　so　with　the　Gy…ei：　once　married；　the　wings　once　suspended；　and　more　amiable；　complacent；　docile　mates；　more　sympathetic；　more　sinking　their　loftier　capacities　into　the　study　of　their　husbands'　comparatively　frivolous　tastes　and　whims；　no　poet　could　conceive　in　his　visions　of　conjugal　bliss。　　Lastly；　among　the　more　important　characteristics　of　the　Vril…ya；　as　distinguished　from　our　mankind…　lastly；　and　most　important　on　the　bearings　of　their　life　and　the　peace　of　their　commonwealths；　is　their　universal　agreement　in　the　existence　of　a　merciful　beneficent　Diety；　and　of　a　future　world　to　the　duration　of　which　a　century　145or　two　are　moments　too　brief　to　waste　upon　thoughts　of　fame　and　power　and　avarice；　while　with　that　agreement　is　combined　another…　viz。；　since　they　can　know　nothing　as　to　the　nature　of　that　Diety　beyond　the　fact　of　His　supreme　goodness；　nor　of　that　future　world　beyond　the　fact　of　its　felicitous　existence；　so　their　reason　forbids　all　angry　disputes　on　insoluble　questions。　　Thus　they　secure　for　that　state　in　the　bowels　of　the　earth　what　no　community　ever　secured　under　the　light　of　the　stars…　all　the　blessings　and　consolations　of　a　religion　without　any　of　the　evils　and　calamities　which　are　engendered　by　strife　between　one　religion　and　another。

It　would　be；　then；　utterly　impossible　to　deny　that　the　state　of　existence　among　the　Vril…ya　is　thus；　as　a　whole；　immeasurably　more　felicitous　than　that　of　super…terrestrial　races；　and；　realising　the　dreams　of　our　most　sanguine　philanthropists；　almost　approaches　to　a　poet's　conception　of　some　angelical　order。　　And　yet；　if　you　would　take　a　thousand　of　the　best　and　most　philosophical　of　human　beings　you　could　find　in　London；　Paris；　Berlin；　New　York；　or　even　Boston；　and　place　them　as　citizens　in　the　beatified　community；　my　belief　is；　that　in　less　than　a　year　they　would　either　die　of　ennui；　or　attempt　some　revolution　by　which　they　would　militate　against　the　good　of　the　community；　and　be　burnt　into　cinders　at　the　request　of　the　Tur。

Certainly　I　have　no　desire　to　insinuate；　through　the　medium　of　this　narrative；　any　ignorant　disparagement　of　the　race　to　which　I　belong。　　I　have；　on　the　contrary；　endeavoured　to　make　it　clear　that　the　principles　which　regulate　the　social　system　of　the　Vril…ya　forbid　them　to　produce　those　individual　examples　of　human　greatness　which　adorn　the　annals　of　the　upper　world。　　Where　there　are　no　wars　there　can　be　no　Hannibal；　no　Washington；　no　Jackson；　no　Sheridan；…　where　states　are　so　happy　that　they　fear　no　danger　and　desire　no　change；　they　cannot　give　birth　to　a　Demosthenes；　a　Webster；　a　Sumner；　a　Wendell　Holmes；　or　a　Butler；　and　where　a　society　attains　to　a　moral　standard；　146in　which　there　are　no　crimes　and　no　sorrows　from　which　tragedy　can　extract　its　aliment　of　pity　and　sorrow；　no　salient　vices　or　follies　on　which　comedy　can　lavish　its　mirthful　satire；　it　has　lost　the　chance　of　producing　a　Shakespeare；　or　a　Moliere；　or　a　Mrs。　　Beecher…Stowe。　　But　if　I　have　no　desire　to　disparage　my　fellow…men　above　ground　in　showing　how　much　the　motives　that　impel　the　energies　and　ambition　of　individuals　in　a　society　of　contest　and　struggle…　become　dormant　or　annulled　in　a　society　which　aims　at　securing　for　the　aggregate　the　calm　and　innocent　felicity　which　we　presume　to　be　the　lot　of　beatified　immortals；　neither；　on　the　other　hand；　have　I　the　wish　to　represent　the　commonwealths　of　the　Vril…ya　as　an　ideal　form　of　political　society；　to　the　attainment　of　which　our　own　efforts　of　reform　should　be　directed。　　On　the　contrary；　it　is　because　we　have　so　combined；　throughout　the　series　of　ages；　the　elements　which　compose　human　character；　that　it　would　be　utterly　impossible　for　us　to　adopt　the　modes　of　life；　or　to　reconcile　our　passions　to　the　modes　of　thought　among　the　Vril…ya；…　that　I　arrived　at　the　conviction　that　this　people…　though　originally　not　only　of　our　human　race；　but；　as　seems　to　me　clear　by　the　roots　of　their　language；　descended　from　the　same　ancestors　as　the　Great　Aryan　family；　from　which　in　varied　streams　has　flowed　the　dominant　civilisation　of　the　world；　and　having；　according　to　their　myths　and　their　history；　passed　through　phases　of　society　familiar　to　ourselves；…　had　yet　now　developed　into　a　distinct　species　with　which　it　was　impossible　that　any　community　in　the　upper　world　could　amalgamate：　and　that　if　they　ever　emerged　from　these　nether　recesses　into　the　light　of　day；　they　would；　according　to　their　own　traditional　persuasions　of　their　ultimate　destiny；　destroy　and　replace　our　existent　varieties　of　man。

It　may；　indeed；　be　said；　since　more　than　one　Gy　could　be　found　to　conceive　a　partiality　for　so　ordinary　a　type　of　our　super…terrestrial　race　as　myself；　that　even　if　the　Vril…ya　did　147appear　above　ground；　we　might　be　saved　from　extermination　by　intermixture　of　race。　　But　this　is　too　sanguine　a　belief。　　Instances　of　such　'mesalliance'　would　be　as　rare　as　those　of　intermarriage　between　the　Anglo…Saxon　emigrants　and　the　Red　Indians。　　Nor　would　time　be　allowed　for　the　operation　of　familiar　intercourse。　　The　Vril…ya；　on　emerging；　induced　by　the　charm　of　a　sunlit　heaven　to　form　their　settlements　above　ground；　would　commence　at　once　the　work　of　destruction；　seize　upon　the　territories　already　cultivated；　and　clear　off；　without　scruple；　all　the　inhabitants　who　resisted　that　invasion。　　And　considering　their　contempt　for　the　institutions　of　Koom…Posh　or　Popular　Government；　and　the　pugnacious　valour　of　my　beloved　countrymen；　I　believe　that　if　the　Vril…ya　first　appeared　in　free　America…　as；　being　the　choicest　portion　of　the　habitable　earth；　they　would　doubtless　be　induced　to　do…　and　said；　〃This　quarter　of　the　globe　we　take；　Citizens　of　a　Koom…Posh；　make　way　for　the　development　of　species　in　the　Vril…ya；〃　my　brave　compatriots　would　show　fight；　and　not　a　soul　of　them　would　be　left　in　this　life；　to　rally　round　the　Stars　and　Stripes；　at　the　end　of　a　week。

I　now　saw　but　little　of　Zee；　save　at　meals；　when　the　family　assembled；　and　she　was　then　reserved　and　silent。　　My　apprehensions　of　danger　from　an　affection　I　had　so　little　encouraged　or　deserved；　therefore；　now　faded　away；　but　my　dejection　continued　to　increase。　　I　pined　for　escape　to　the　upper　world；　but　I　racked　my　brains　in　vain　for　any　means　to　effect　it。　　I　was　never　permitted　to　wander　forth　alone；　so　that　I　could　not　even　visit　the　spot　on　which　I　had　alighted；　and　see　if　it　were　possible　to　reascend　to　the　mine。　　Nor　even　in　the　Silent　Hours；　when　the　household　was　locked　in　sleep；　could　I　have　let　myself　down　from　the　lofty　floor　in　which　my　apartment　was　placed。　　I　knew　not　how　to　command　the　automata　who　stood　mockingly　at　my　beck　beside　the　wall；　nor　could　I　ascertain　the　springs　by　which　were　set　in　movement　the　platforms　that　supplied　the　place　of　stairs。　　The　knowledge　how　148to　avail　myself　of　these　contrivances　had　been　purposely　withheld　from　me。　　Oh；　that　I　could　but　have　learned　the　use　of　wings；　so　freely　here　at　the　service　of　every　infant；　then　I　might　have　escaped　from　the　casement；　regained　the　rocks；　and　buoyed　myself　aloft　through　the　chasm　of　which　the　perpendicular　sides　forbade　place　for　human　footing！


Chapter　XXVII。


One　day；　as　I　sat　alone　and　brooding　in　my　chamber；　Taee　flew　in　at　the　open　window　and　alighted　on　the　couch　beside　me。　　I　was　always　pleased