"Let the mighty works of God stimulate all to industry."
My task at first seemed never-ending; but good is ever fruitful, and
each conquest aided every subsequent effort.
I was greatly assisted in my progress by the knowledge of powers in
nature of wondrous value, but permanently effective for good only;
secrets to be entrusted to those alone whose goodness, discipline, and
self-knowledge enable them to stand firmly against the varied attacks of
temptation, and rise above the motives by which men are ordinarily
ruled, the chosen High Priests of the Science who would never use for
evil purposes the secrets imparted.
Similar powers have been exercised for good in different ages of your
planet, but the mighty trust having become known to weak minds was sadly
abused, the charm was thus broken and the secret lost; for, when the
knowledge of man exceeds certain limits, his power, like that of good
angels, can exist only while linked with noble aspirations.
The false prophets who used the dying embers of occult science for vile
purposes have been properly looked upon with horror as delegates of
evil; for the death-struggle of the expiring secret had wrought great
mischief on the earth.
The power which had been entrusted to me was exercised for the good of
my planet, and aided me in consummating my plans without bloodshed;
those who were deaf to words yielded to influences whose depths could
not be fathomed by ordinary vision.
In the system I founded, every one--his natural powers disciplined to
that end--is occupied in the pursuit adapted to his genius and
inclination, ascertained by ever vigilant and scrutinising observation,
and tests ofttimes repeated during his early and later career.
These tests are applied in a variety of forms, and by different
examiners, at different times; and there are so many checks and
counterchecks, that the boy is effectually protected against the now
scarcely possible ignorance or favouritism of "the knowledge testers,"
and even against himself.
Every one having the occupation most congenial to him, all worked
cheerfully in their pursuits; and I was soon aided by a never-ending
phalanx of great men. The progress of science was marvellous, for as
soon as the impeding obstacles were removed, and we allowed her to be
wooed by the lovers of her predilection, Nature seemed to lend herself
eagerly to the advances of her votaries.
The precept exhorting all to industry stood at the head of this portion
of my laws, but the lesson was no longer needed.
I was indeed ofttimes obliged to exhort to recreations and amusements,
and to turn many--particularly men of genius--from the too incessant
pursuit of their labours of love.
I set an example in my own person, for I was a frequent attendant at the
public games and diversions.
One discovery was pregnant with another; invention followed invention
almost in geometrical progression; the secrets of nature were disclosed;
and power, being wielded only by men intent on good, disease and crime
were soon reduced to almost imperceptible proportions. Wisdom and joy
ruled where before folly and misery prevailed, and towards the end of my
reign the happiness of Montalluyah was more like the joys of a celestial
star than of a planet inhabited by mortal beings.
When the causes of affliction themselves could not be removed, they were
often made to contribute to my world's well-being.
The myriads of insects that formerly ravaged our fields are now
intercepted in their work of destruction,[1] their properties having
been discovered and applied to purposes redundant with good.
[Footnote 1: See p. 76.]
The hippopotami, who in earlier ages were looked upon as the incarnate
enemy of mankind, formerly overran the country, trampling down
vegetation, and attacking man and beast. These creatures are now
dominated, and their breed is encouraged, for they have become the most
valuable of our wild beasts, the hide, fat, and nearly every part of the
carcase being applied to very many purposes of the highest utility to my
people.[1]
[Footnote 1: See p. 279.]
The advent of "the fever wind," which formerly blew disease amongst the
people, now conduces to the healthfulness of those it would otherwise
lay low.
The lightning, formerly destructive, impelled--as was told in our
legendary lore--by the anger of the Fire God, is rendered innocuous, and
collected for use.[2]
[Footnote 2: See Electricity, p. 54.]
The sun's scorching force is compelled to minister to our delights, to
assist in our arts and manufactures, to supply a power which cannot
otherwise be obtained, and even to protect us from the sometimes too
dangerous influence of his own rays.
The sunlight is powerful in our world beyond anything in your Indian or
African climates; even the shades are not black, but of a reddish hue.
The sun, going down, leaves a red light, so that, except when at night
this is completely shut out from the houses, there is ordinarily no
darkness in your sense of the word.
At certain times, however, Montalluyah, both by day and night, is
overspread with thick darkness. Formerly, during this visitation, no man
could see his neighbour; fear seized the people. They believed it to be
the reign of bad spirits, and so it seemed; few dared venture from their
houses even to obtain food, and numbers died from terror and exhaustion.
Light is now made to displace darkness, and joyfulness to take the place
of mourning.
My scientific men discovered a means by which the causes that produced
the darkness are now used to remedy its inconveniences.
The City is made gloriously radiant. Forms of trees, birds, vases of
flowers and fruit, fountains, and other designs of many tints and great
beauty are transparent with light, rendered more beautiful by
combination with a peculiar electricity emitted by the earth--an
electricity which, be it observed, is the cause of the darkness.
The very birds by their warbling seem to greet the change, and the trees
and flowers emit a more delicious perfume.
There is music and rejoicing everywhere in the City. Many of the
electrical amusements provided appear grander from the contrast with the
darkness they are made to displace--a contrast scarcely greater than
that depicted by our "Nature Delineators" when, in allegory, they paint
the present contrasted with past times; the later years of my reign
contrasted with the beginning.