OUR RECEPTION IN CALNOGOR.
The royal city of Calnogor never contained such splendor, such
importance of historic event, nor such a multitude of people, as on
the occasion of the triple event of our marriage, our coronation, and
the reception of the distinguished strangers from beyond the Polar
Gulf. How shall the glory of that day be described? What occult power
must animate the pen that must be at once the stylus of a poet, the
brush of a painter, and the wand of a magician, to do justice to the
splendid theme?
The entire army, composed of half a million wayleals, had come from
Calnogor to Kioram to escort the aerial ship containing myself, Lyone,
and the distinguished strangers, together with our retinue and the
sailors from America and Great Britain. On either side of the ship the
army was massed in two equal hosts, waving a million of wings. Either
army was led by a phalanx of flying bockhockids, led by Yermoul and
Grasnagallipas. A body-guard of wayleals bore fifty gigantic golden
sceptres, being the ensigns of sovereignty over the fifty provinces of
the kingdom.
All the way to Calnogor, five hundred miles distant, the army
performed the most incredible evolutions to the measured thunders of
music. Its legions massed themselves in ever-whirling globes,
undulating all along the line of flight like monstrous serpents.
Again, mighty cones of wayleals would stream from our yacht on both
sides, upward and backward, like a blaze of comet splendor.
Then, suddenly, globes of wayleals would surround us, globe within
globe flying alternately in different directions; and we seemed to
move on the centre of another earth.
To describe the endless flight and counter-flight, the concentration
and radiation of the wayleals in grand review, would be impossible.
Captain Adams and Sir John Forbes were astounded at the extraordinary
evolutions possible to winged men in a world where there is
practically no gravity. The army moved in Daedalian march; it was at
times sinuous with labyrinthic movement to the sound of drums and the
roar of bugles. The wayleals formed arches and crowns, conchoidal
convolutions, zones and wheels, hemispheres and globes, cones and
pyramids. The yacht was clothed with sublime torsions, peristaltic
splendors, and immense radiations of living bodies. It was the
grandest movement of men ever seen on earth.
We were again completely surrounded by a single globe of wayleals, in
the centre of which moved the yacht with fearful speed. The globe
moved as fast as we, and the living shell obliterated both earth and
sun from, sight. Then, with a roar of artillery, the globe exploded,
and lo! before us the infinite golden dome of the Bormidophia, the
marble city of Calnogor, and dense multitudes of excited people!
The city was decorated with the conquering flag of Lyone and with
flowers; and the inscriptions on the triumphal arches were: "Long live
Lexington and Lyone, King and Queen of Atvatabar!"
The entire army, augmented by the allegiance of the defeated king's
troops, headed by the supreme general Hushnoly, received us at the
entrance to the city.
Pending the reconstruction of the government, law and order were being
administered by Hushnoly, assisted by a military council consisting of
all the victorious leaders.
The festivities incidental to our entry into Calnogor and the public
rejoicings over the reincarnation of Lyone lasted several days. I took
occasion at a reception at the royal palace to confer suitable honors
and rewards on my victorious generals. I created the supreme general
Hushnoly a noble of the first rank under the title of Goiloor, or Duke
of Calnogor, and confirmed his authority as commander-in-chief of the
army, and Zooly-Soase was also created Goiloose of Calnogor. General
Gerolio was created Boiroon of Swerga, an inland city, and appointed
vice-commander to Hushnoly. General Rackiron was made Goiloor of
Swondab, and his appointment as general of the royal artillery was
confirmed. General Ladalmir was made Goiloor of Kioram and commandant
of the fortress. General Yermoul, who retired from the army, was made
Goiloor of Gnaphisthasia. The grand sorcerer Charka was made Goiloor,
and the grand sorceress Goiloose of Egyplosis, while Grasnagallipas
was created Boiroon of Invention and General of the Royal Bockhockids.
General Starbottle was made Goiloor of Savasse, a province of the
kingdom, and Prime Minister of the government. General Goldrock, who
was now fully recovered from his wounded leg, was made Royal Treasurer
and Goiloor of Blindis, a distant city. Dr. Merryferry was made
Minister of Foreign Affairs; General Nototherboc, Minister of Naval
Affairs; General Pra, Chief of Police; and General Flathootly,
Minister of War.
I assumed the title of "His Majesty Lexington, King of Atvatabar," and
Lyone that of "Her Majesty Lyone, Queen of Atvatabar," of equal
authority and dignity to myself.
I issued a decree confirming all titles and dignities for the life of
the recipient only. As a man cannot transfer his character or
abilities to his children, more especially the virtues that made him
famous, so neither could he transfer his titles or dignities to
posterity; and a man who had no other claims to greatness than the
plumes he had borrowed from his father, should be despised for
strutting in artificial glory.
The Borodemy was maintained, and no restriction of popular or
constitutional liberty already enjoyed by the people was permitted.
All titles given to men who were simply fortunate enough to receive a
majority of votes, making them representatives of the people in the
Borodemy, were abolished, and men only were honored by virtue of great
services accomplished. All members of the Borodemy were paid liberal
salaries, on the principle that a prince had no more right to an
appropriation from the public purse than a legislator. All public
measures adopted by the Borodemy were subject to the veto of the Royal
Council, composed of the king, queen, and actual members of the
government.
I need not say that the victory of Lyone over death and the fact of
our army having conquered in battle gave us unlimited power. I was the
supreme lord of Atvatabar; but, nevertheless, in the hour of triumph I
determined to use my power for the good of the people. The sensation
caused by the return of Lyone to life had stirred all Atvatabar with
feelings of the profoundest awe and loyalty. Vast crowds of people
came as pilgrims to see their queen and offer congratulations.
Had the old creed, with its worship of Lyone and Harikar, not fallen
with the success of our arms, Lyone would undoubtedly have been
worshipped anew as goddess more devotedly than ever; but the
revolution being founded on antagonism of the old faith to social
welfare and the laws of nature, a new creed must necessarily take its
place.
The new creed of one body and one soul was based on order, truth,
justice, benevolence and temperance. This I styled the Remeliora, or
better thing to that which had gone before. The new creed gave the
soul mastery of its feelings, and love was measured by a regular
throb. Souls becoming stronger and more masculine were the better able
to bear the pulsations of joy and despair. They could sustain their
emotions with a cordial enthusiasm, and passion, no longer a frantic
flame, became a soft and abiding fire.
I appointed the grand sorcerer Pontiff of Remeliorism, giving him
authority to formulate a code of ethics that all could adhere to. With
such a code as a solid foundation, I hoped in time to establish a
purer faith than that possessing only the human soul for its deity.
Not many days after our coming to Calnogor, and while still engaged in
settling the government of the kingdom, we received a visit from
Hushnoly and Zooly-Soase. It was with feelings of pain that we heard
the object of the supreme general's visit.
With a voice softened with emotion Hushnoly told his story. In
carrying out the reforms at Egyplosis made necessary by the success of
the army of the late goddess, a great difficulty presented itself. It
was found that, notwithstanding the fact that all of the priests and
priestesses had fought for Lyone and the new faith, as against the old
order of things, nearly one-half of the twin-souls were still at heart
as great devotees of Harikar and hopeless love as ever, while the
remaining half had renounced the practices of Egyplosis in common with
their queen. It was found impossible to change the faith of the entire
priesthood in a moment, so to speak, and many still believed that the
old faith possessed fruits of self-sacrifice, culture, spirit-power,
and the ideal life, such as the new state of things would utterly
destroy. Hushnoly and the high priestess were in sympathy with the
adherents of the ancient faith, and they too believed in sacrificing
marital rights for the sake of the ideal existence.
The revelation of such a spiritual revolt in Egyplosis, headed, too,
by the man and woman who had sacrificed so much for the cause of Lyone
and myself, revealed human nature in a new light, while it astounded
us. I had foolishly supposed the supremacy of the sword could carry
dominion into spiritual things, and that Egyplosis was wholly
converted to the new faith, to Remeliorism.
The situation was extremely painful.
"Supreme general and high priestess," I said, "both her majesty Lyone
and myself are greatly indebted to your courage and support in the
late struggle; a support heroically given us in spite of your own
secret faith. Is there no way by which you might be reconciled, both
of you, to the new order of things?"
"We fear not, your majesty," said Hushnoly.
"Will riches, will honors not tempt you?"
"Your majesty, we cannot be tempted," replied he.
"You are doubtless aware," I continued, "that it would be impossible
for the government to recognize, much less give support to, a system
of faith for the destruction of which the war was carried on. Much as
we love you, much as we love the priests and priestesses, we cannot
give allegiance to the old faith, We cannot, we dare not countenance
your creed. It will be therefore impossible for yourselves or your
people to remain at Egyplosis, which will be the chief shrine of the
new faith hereafter."
"We have already anticipated all this," said Hushnoly, "and do not
propose even to remain in Atvatabar."
"And where do you go to?" said Lyone, in astonishment.
"Well, your majesty," replied he, "we have determined to take
possession of the sphere Hilar, one of the untenanted spheres above
us, and there create an ideal world. Thus we will relieve your majesty
of all embarrassment and remove any obstacle in the way of religious
or political reform."
I was bewildered by the reply of Hushnoly, as I had never before heard
of any one desiring to dwell on the wandering sphere Hilar, and begged
an explanation.
"Hilar, as your majesty is probably aware," said Hushnoly, "is a
sphere twenty-five miles in diameter that floats in space at a
distance of fifty miles from the surface of Atvatabar. It revolves on
its own axis at the rate of a mile an hour, making a complete
revolution in seventy-five hours. It also revolves around Swang once
during a hundred aerial revolutions, or in one hundred of its days. It
has tropic, temperate, and frigid zones, with perpetual ice capping
its poles. It contains one ocean of irregular outline and has one
continent. The areas of land and water are about equal. There are two
mountain ranges, turning from a given centre of upheaval and
determining the configuration of the land. There are one hundred
islands in the sea and a dozen rivers on the land. In fact, it seems
to be a facsimile in climate, geologic, and physiographical conditions
to the outer world you have come from; and on such a sphere we propose
to build a new throne for Harikar, and seat thereon another goddess
like the virtuous and glorious Lyone."
"Ah," said Lyone, "I know who that other goddess will be--she will be
the fair Zooly-Soase."
The high priestess blushed in her robe of crimson silk, making her
golden beauty superb and precious. As for Hushnoly, it was evident the
destiny of his counterpart soul was already fully anticipated. Her
ascension to the throne of a goddess would virtually make him ruler of
Hilar.
"We desire, your majesty," said he, "to resign our titles and offices
of high priest and priestess of Egyplosis and supreme general and
general of the amazons of the royal army of Atvatabar. Our only
request is that we be allowed to depart to Hilar, together with such
of the priests and priestesses of Harikar as are willing to follow us
thither. Also, that all new converts to Harikar desirous of emigrating
to our spiritual kingdom will be secured freedom of departure from
Atvatabar for all time hereafter."
I willingly granted Hushnoly and Zooly-Soase their request, and added:
"You both shall be promptly and liberally rewarded for the great
services rendered your king and queen in time of war, as well as
recompensed for past services to the country in Egyplosis and for loss
of estate in Atvatabar."
I promised to issue a royal decree embodying all of the aforesaid
liberties and bounties in favor of Hushnoly and his fair consort and
their followers. The late high priest and high priestess, with
grateful, cordial adieus, departed from the audience-chamber.
I thereupon appointed General Rackiron the commander-in-chief of the
army in place of Hushnoly, with General Gerolio the vice-commander.