Of the Universal Language—Of the Universal Empire and first measures
of the World-Parliament—Of the great progress of the Hesperians in
all Physical Science; and of their fruitless craving after the
Unknown God.
It has been already mentioned that the land surface of Hesperos consists
of an immense polar continent, bordered with a very considerable number
of islands, which vary greatly both in magnitude and configuration. The
island populations naturally lived for a long period in complete
separation from each other, and the hesperographical peculiarities of
the continent, such as extensive chains of impassable mountains,
produced a similar effect on the mainland. Hence, just as on earth,
different nationalities came into existence; and also, as on earth, each
of these different nationalities had its own special language. But, as
time went on, ships were invented, and communication between the islands
and the continent became frequent. Commerce soon assumed extensive
proportions; for in Hesperos, as in the earth, different regions abound
in different products. Engineering operations also had been organized on
a large scale, and these required much transportation of minerals and
other materials of construction.
In the sixth millenary period, counting from the rational creation, a
most important improvement was originated by the Hesperians; an
improvement which brought still more notable changes in its wake. This
was the adoption of one universal language for the globe, in room of the
many which had sprung up in the different states. By this time they had
fully realized their positions as permanent denizens of the planet, and
the advantages of a universal medium of communication were too obvious
to need discussion. For this reason all the independent governments
united in an international convention, and appointed a large committee
of the most eminent philologists to consider the whole question.
Pursuant to the report of this committee, a universal language was
adopted; and the whole Hesperian world set to work, resolutely, at its
study. In a very short time the polyglot system came to an end, and the
language still spoken over the whole planet was an established fact.
The adoption of this universal language prepared the way for the union
of all the separate states into one vast empire. Thanks to the reckless
use of the two methods of evanescence, the original population of one
hundred millions had, in the lapse of ages, dwindled down to little more
than eighty millions, and eighty millions were not considered to be too
large a number for a single administration. It is true they were
scattered over an exceedingly wide area; but, even at the time I speak
of, an admirable system of communication had been organized. The
sciences of mechanics and chemistry had made astonishing progress, and
natural forces had been discovered and utilised for the purpose of
locomotion. Of these, however, a fuller account will be given further
on.
Here it will suffice to mention that, in the year 5784, the whole
northern hemisphere was finally united under one central administration,
chosen by the suffrage of the whole Hesperian population, male and
female alike. For it should be noticed that, as a consequence of the
female sex being exempt from the cares of maternity, they take a much
larger share in the pursuits of the other sex than would be at all
desirable, or even possible, with us.
Two highly important measures were at once agreed to by the
world-parliament—first, the limitation of tenure of land to the cyclical
period of life, which had been already adopted by most nationalities,
was made a universal law; and, secondly, very stringent penalties were
annexed to the crime of procuring the evanescence of any one. Whether it
was effected directly or indirectly no difference was made in the
penalty, which was evanescence of the perpetrator by the
ten-million-unit process applied by a cat-o’-nine tails.
Some years later another resolution was passed to the effect that it is
inexpedient that any city should be allowed to exceed the limit of one
hundred thousand inhabitants. This was issued rather as a recommendation
than as a binding statute; but its expediency was so plain that it was
almost universally adopted. The legislature were induced to pass it, in
consequence of the congestion of the population at Lasondre, which had
been unanimously selected as the metropolis and seat of government. The
natural advantages of its situation, at the head of a vast indentation
of the continent by a bay of the central ocean, its magnificent scenery
and delightful climate, rendered it so desirable a residence, that, at
the time when this resolution was passed, the population had already
reached the incredible number of two millions; it was still on the
increase, and the resulting inconveniences were so manifold and severe,
that it was further resolved to emigrate the superabundant citizens
gradually, by the help of the cyclical law.
It must not be supposed that, during all the ages which had elapsed
before the establishment of the world-parliament, speculation had not
been rife among the Hesperians as to the nature and significance of the
sudden and mysterious wakening into life which they had all
simultaneously experienced. Quite the reverse was the fact. From the
very earliest period, even from the time when small groups of them had
invented the first rude forms of speech, the questions how they had been
formed, how summoned into life, whence had they come, and whither were
they going, had been started, discussed, solved, the solutions rejected,
abandoned for a time as hopeless, again resumed, and as zealously as
ever re-discussed, with the same results as before. All were agreed that
Something had made them, and had made them for some purpose. But that
the Something either could not or would not speak to them, or hold any
sort of communication with them was a patent fact, and this caused
unutterable sorrow to the Hesperian mind.
In the earlier ages all persons were so much engrossed with the cares
unavoidable for the supply of the necessaries of life; and, besides,
were so deeply interested in investigating the physical laws of the
world in which they were placed, that this increasing source of grief
and anxiety did not produce as much effect upon them as it did in later
times. But even then there was hardly a small town to be found which had
not, among its public buildings, some sort of a temple, with the
inscription ‘To the Unknown God,’ whom they ignorantly worshipped and
longed after, but in vain.
And, not only were they in this state of darkness respecting their Maker
in consequence of the absence of any form of a direct revelation, but,
being absolutely cut off from all knowledge of the remainder of the
universe, by the physical structure of their atmosphere, they were also
debarred from reaching Him through the medium of His works. The
cloud-screen which shelters them from the fierce solar rays is
impenetrable to vision, and thus, so far as any knowledge of the sun,
and planets, and stars is concerned, they might as well have been a race
of blind men. How it was that the canopy over their heads passed
regularly in the course of about twenty-three hours and a-half through
the two phases of brightness and darkness, was to them an inexplicable
phenomenon. All sorts of conjectures, hypotheses, theories, were
hazarded, but none were accepted. The phenomenon was not even universal.
At one place, near the centre of the continent, and for a considerable
distance around it, the alternation of light and darkness followed quite
a different law. For, instead of the change taking place at intervals of
a few hours, light shone steadily for more than a hundred and twenty
days, and was followed by nearly as long a period of darkness. It was an
inscrutable puzzle. Some said that on one or two occasions a round and
shining body had been dimly seen for a few moments through the mist, and
that this might possibly have something to do with the illumination. But
the fact was discredited, and the alleged appearance ascribed either to
an optical illusion or deliberate mendacity. The observers, accordingly,
being invariably treated with either contempt or personal violence, the
theory disappeared.
Meanwhile great progress continued to be made in all departments of
physical science. The various branches of mathematics were extensively
and successfully studied, and the Hesperians became most expert
geometers. The art of ship-building was soon carried to a high pitch of
excellence, and various methods of propelling the vessels through the
water were devised by the mechanical engineers. Some such artificial
propulsion was almost indispensable, as the prevailing calms rendered
the use of sails unavailable. One of the earliest motive powers
extensively employed was the expansive force of the vapour of water,
raised at a high temperature; and for many hundred years these curious
ships were in actual use. I have seen several of them which are still
kept in a vast marine museum at Lasondre. The vapour-engines propelled
the ships either by means of great wheels furnished with boards which
turned in the water, or by the action of one or more screws at the
stern, which worked much as the tail of a fish does in shoving the
animal along. But the use of the vapour of water as a motor was found to
involve a terrible waste of power, and it has been long since abandoned.
The progress of chemical science led to the discovery of an
inexhaustible supply of force, which combines all the advantages of
small cost, extreme portability, resistless strength, immunity from
risk, and universal applicability. All this was obtained by the steady
work and indomitable perseverance of three chemists who, contrary to
usage, devoted themselves to this one branch of science for several
consecutive cyclical periods of their career. Not being skilled in
chemical learning, I was unable to comprehend the nature of their
discovery; but I was told that it consisted in the application of
certain laws of combination among various gases, each of which is easy
to manufacture and store up.