A Singular Planet.
I visited the other seventy worlds that revolve around Sirius. Among
them is one of note, called Zik, which is forty-two hundred millions of
miles from its sun, and is slightly smaller than our world. It is
inhabited by a race of pigmies which I will call Zikites. Wonderful
indeed is the intelligence of these creatures, although their form is
out of symmetry according to our standards. I will therefore avoid a
description of their physical features, lest it might mar the picture of
their accomplishments.
The air of Zik is heavy and the sky is opal in its effects. The chemists
have thus far found in nature ninety elementary substances, and it is
partly due to this large variety that the Zikites have surpassed their
fellow men in thousands of worlds.
As you study the past events of this unusual planet, you are reminded
of our own history. On Zik there are heathen tribes and all grades of
conflicting civilized nations.
War has reddened this distant world for several thousand years, and as
yet there is no peace. Notwithstanding all this unceasing upheaval, the
tide of human progress has steadily risen. It does appear that the
highest light of intellect is generated like electric light through
sharp friction.
The Zikites have had their Men of War, vessels of mighty strength and
death-dealing in their action. But all such defense has been abandoned
over five hundred years ago, and it came about in a natural manner. One
of the many illustrious inventors perfected the submarine boat and the
flying-machine at about the same time. Their flying-machine might
appropriately be called in our language, the Flying Devil, for such it
is if you consider its destroying power. One of these ominous looking
machines is capable of destroying a whole navy as fast as it can move
high in the air from one vessel to another.
It can also tear to pieces an enemy's camp that lies in the open field.
All this is accomplished by dropping shells composed partly of some
elements not found in our world. These shells are made in such a way
that they explode as soon as they touch any substance, and the
concussion is much more terrible than is caused by our most powerful
explosives. Because no ship could hold together under such destructive
shells, the nations abandoned their navies and devoted their energy to
devising a safe camp for soldiers and to building these air-vessels with
additional improvements.
It was found that the only way to protect a camp was to cover it with a
water proof shed, so constructed that nine or ten inches of water would
remain on the roof. Then a wide shallow trench was dug around the shed
and kept filled with water. These shells will not explode if they fall
in that depth of water, but will explode in water of greater depth. You
can see at a glance how difficult it is to manage an army under these
circumstances. The only redeeming feature is that the enemy also is
compelled to resort to the same protection. An international law
forbids the destruction of homes in times of war.
[Illustration: The Battle of the "Flying Devils."]
Wars are of short duration. Usually the decisive conflict is fought in
the air, and is the most terrible of them all. Imagine two of these
Flying Devils approaching one another far above the surface of Zik. Each
vessel is set in action long before it is in range of the other in the
hope of firing the first effective shot. Each party of the conflict
knows that the air vessel first struck will be at an end forever, for it
will be blown to pieces and every life on board will be shattered into
shapeless masses, while the wreckage falls amidst the burning of the
combustibles. What a horrible ending of a short battle!
The wisest of the Zikites have proposed many plans to settle
international differences but, like us, they have failed to suggest any
plan that has proved to be practicable.
The largest nation of Zik has advanced far ahead of us on the labor
question, but this was not reached until the contest between capital and
labor had left its blood-marks through many centuries.
A brief description of the manner in which the industrial problem was
solved will not be out of place. I will waste no words n showing the
many points of difference between our customs and those of Zik.
After hundreds of years of painful struggling, the many laborers of this
largest nation completed a solid organization and thereby gained control
of the whole government. Then, in their zeal to legislate in favor of
the laboring classes, the ruling element stepped to the other extreme by
passing many unreasonable laws. Things passed along in this unsettled
condition until a certain few of the labor leaders, having become
wealthy themselves, yielded to a heavy bribe and amended the laws so as
to favor the wealthy minority. The magnates of capital shrewdly took
advantage of this traitorship and, in the following campaign, won the
national election.
The wealthy, now having the reins of power in their own hands, took the
initiative and called for a consultation between the heads of the
government and the chief leaders of labor.
This proved to be a wise political move and, as a result, a new system
of laws relating to all trades and occupations was enacted. The
following conditions still prevail:
1. A day's work consists of one-fourth less hours.
2. A minimum scale of wages is adopted for each trade. This scale is
based upon the price of certain staple articles, and within a certain
limit it rises or falls with the price of these necessities.
3. All regular citizens must be supplied with work if they desire it. If
they cannot get employment from some firm or corporation, the government
officials represented locally must supply it or its equivalent in money.
The government controls enough of the business to employ two-thirds of
the male population. This enables the government to take so great a
responsibility and bear it with satisfactory results.
4. Any man through negligence failing to support his family is put to
the government penitentiary service, and his family is thereafter
supported from the public treasury.
5. A widow or orphan is cared for by regular authorities. The by-laws
of this fifth article regulate the work of women.
6. No credit is allowed except on a government credit-slip signed by the
local representative of the state. If the bill is not paid by the one
making the debt, the amount of which is always stipulated, the
government will pay it and proceed to collect it in one of three ways.
The last resort is according to article four.
There are several other sections governing private ownership of
property, land and business. These new laws have had a very good effect.
The number of persons getting immensely wealthy gradually decreased, and
the average wealth of the laborers increased. The government has the
power at any time to form a trust or combination of any line of business
by paying liberally to those already engaged in it. This assists the
government in carrying its heavy financial burdens, and every family is
assured of support if the soil produces enough to feed the people.
And now if I knew how to describe elements that have no resemblance to
anything in our world, I would proceed to tell a story of interest to
chemists. These Zikites have formed gases and solids unknown to us, and
naturally they are capable of performing experiments more wonderful than
anything ever known in our world. When I saw their wizard-like
performances I thought that the marvelous feats of the Orient were being
performed on a scale more mysterious and magnificent.
To see a man play with red hot irons and dance in a seething furnace,
makes one believe that his eyes are deceiving him.
I saw a man draw the birds from heaven and dormant reptiles from the
soil, but ask me not to tell how. A few of these Zikites have discovered
some wonderful secrets of nature and will not disclose them except to
certain ones of their own lineage. One of these secrets is the art of
embalming the dead so perfectly that human features are retained forever
unless destroyed by fire or human effort. The embalming fluid contains
some of the elements not found in our world, but this is not the total
secret. The body must lie in an air-tight receptacle into which a
secret gas is pumped. The dead body, lying in this receptacle for two
hours, absorbs certain parts of the gas which enters the pores and
touches those parts of the dead body not reached by the injected fluid.
By this process no part of the body is subject to putrefaction and the
muscles all retain their rigidity, so that one hundred years after
burial the features are full, although discolored.
Not many of the common people are thus embalmed. But the bodies of
prominent men and women are thus treated at government expense and
unborn generations can look upon the full contour of their faces.
Another secret held by these experts is the art of maintaining youthful
vigor in old age. This is a very expensive method and the government
prohibits any one securing this treatment who has not won special honor
in one or another particular channel. One of the highest distinctions
bestowed upon any citizen of Zik is to grant him the "Angel's Honor,"
which entitles him to receive the Vigor Treatment during the balance of
his natural life. This one thing, more than any other, is the secret of
Zik having so long a list of illustrious characters. It is the ambition
of each boy or girl to make progress and some day win the "Angel's
Honor."
The religious life of these Zikites is unusually intense. Their language
is much more cumbersome than ours. They have a small book which contains
a list of great truths whose authors claim to have been influenced by
the All-Powerful, or the same as our God. This book has had a remarkable
history, and has moulded the life and character of millions. Every
person is left to his own notions in religion, and we see here the same
picture that confronts us on our own planet, the very good and the very
bad in the same house and neighborhood. They build but few churches, but
here and there a home of a believer is the center of a worshiping
company. On special occasions the worshipers rent or secure large public
buildings and have an enthusiastic time.
At many places their Bible speaks of a place where the departed go after
death, beyond the Zik life. These worshipers are linked to their God by
the same kind of love-chords that bind Christians to their Master in
our world.
You cannot imagine my interest and my joy as I learned that the Zikites
are looking forward to a period of time corresponding to our Millennium.
Their religious literature is full of references to this coming golden
age, and many poetical compositions point to it with rapturous melody of
language.