Brief.
One of the medium sized worlds that revolve around Alcyone sustains the
shortest lived human beings of our universe. It is seldom that any of
the creatures reach more than four years of age according to our
standards of time. They are nearly as large as we and relatively much
lighter in weight. All the periods of physical growth are
correspondingly decreased. Children walk four or five weeks after birth,
and are capable of receiving regular instruction at the age of five
months.
Strange as it may seem, this sphere, which for convenience we will call
Brief, revolves very slowly on its axis, so that our world makes fifteen
times as many revolutions as this planet.
It requires but little arithmetic to figure out that the people of Brief
do not see the sun rise very often. When it does appear in the morning
sky, all the public signals blow and the people appear in one or
another of their places of worship. This beautiful custom has been in
practice for over three thousand years. The worship is not sun worship,
but a genuine service of thanksgiving to Him who ruleth over the sun and
supplies it with fuel to burn. It appears that on all worlds everything
is regulated in accordance with the length of human life. On this world,
of Brief all vegetables mature in periods so short that one marvels when
he hears it. Think of cereals reaching maturity in seven or eight of our
days, or during one day of Brief. Early in the morning certain crops are
planted and are harvested at night. Two or more days are required for
maturing other crops. Actually the people of Brief raise their crops
with less labor than is required amongst us.
If you were permitted to look upon the public and private life of this
incredible world, your first sensation would be dizziness, not to
mention the weirdness of all sights that would confront you at every
turn. People would seem to be in a mad rush, and it would appear that
all business is done with insane rapidity.
Furrows of care and trouble begin to deepen on the faces of these
Briefites as they approach an age of what we would call three years, and
if by lease of strength they pass on toward an age of four years, it is
but an evidence of their exceptional vitality. It seems to be true that
the experiences of a long life of sixty or eighty years is crowded into
a narrow compass of four years by a miracle of spheres not comprehended
by finite minds.
No doubt a detailed description of this whirling and dashing life would
be of interest to us slow, deliberate creatures. But I can give only a
passing glimpse.
JOURNALISM.
Things happen in such quick succession that the news is hustled out at
all hours of the day and night; not on sheets of paper, but through
automatic news-receivers, machines somewhat akin to our telegraph
instruments.
The state supplies each home with an automatic news-receiver. Thus a
record is kept in each home of all messages received so that they can
be read at leisure. To speak in a manner more easily understood, I will
say that the news is telegraphed to each home as soon as possible after
the events transpire. But compared to our customs, the news is very
scarce. There being no competition, no time or space is required for
sensational trash. Thus, if nothing of importance occurs, nothing need
be transmitted. The official news-censors decide as to the relative
importance of occurrences. There need not be a certain amount of news
telegraphed each hour. The government verifies, as much as possible, all
reports before they are transmitted. There are indeed some advantages in
the government being in constant touch with each home under its care.
The advertising department pays nearly all expenses of this whole system
of journalism. Announcements for private gain are paid at a regular
rate. It costs more to advertise at certain periods than at other times,
all regulated by the customs of the people.
Under these regulations everybody receives the news, and only the
essential news, except advertisements which must come in batches at
certain intervals. Of course, people take their choice as to reading
advertisements.
[Illustration: Sunrise Signal in Brief.]
THEIR FOOTWEAR.
The soles of the feet of these Briefites are composed of a substance
most nearly resembling hoof material. They never think of covering the
feet under any change of climate. If one of the Briefites were to step
upon the shores of our rugged Earth and see the cotton or wool and
leather that lies around our feet, it would appear to him as the most
ridiculous thing imaginable, and no doubt his shapely feet of ivory cast
would be of more than passing interest to us.
THEIR RAIMENT.
Their raiment is altogether after new models. Neither the men, women,
nor children seem to seek this means for self-beautifying. They seem to
think that beauty of character has a radiance more to be desired than
the flash of opals or the luster of silks. Their garments partake of the
loose flowing order. For instance, a strong fabric of chosen shade is
fastened at the neck, hip, knee and ankle, and lies carelessly over the
parts between. The females never graduated to the corset degree, and
while they do not cut a scientific figure, yet they surely develop a
more ruddy waist after the model intended by the Designor of the body.
TRANSPORTATION.
The methods of traveling are so contrary to our conceptions and
practices that I almost forbear to attempt any description. Yet I was
entertained and instructed as I witnessed the moving of humanity along a
street of a busy city. Have you ever noticed how quarters of beef are
carried from a car to an elevator or refrigerator on steel rods
connected with wheels running in a groove or on a specially prepared
track? In a city of Brief, overhead tracks after such an order run along
all business streets and certain residence streets. Spare me a detailed
description of this peculiar traveling system. Suffice it to say that a
person, in lightning rapidity of motion, rushes from a store, springs
upon a passing seat and is hurled away by the power of an overhead
cable system. When an exchange of seats is necessary, it is all done so
easily and so quickly that you would wonder why we tolerate trolley
cars.
In traveling from city to city, a system is in use that I will call the
Toboggan Slide System, although the cars run on wheels. The car is
raised in a shaft about one hundred feet and then by gravity it dashes
two or more miles according to the lay of the land traversed. Then
another rise more or less than one hundred feet is experienced, and then
another wild dash. I have no words of praise for this system, although
the Briefites can cover considerable territory in an hour. They look
upon this gravity system as a wonderful achievement, for it has not been
in operation for more than three hundred years.
The power of steam has never been utilized. No genius of all this active
world of Brief ever conceived the idea that almost unlimited power lies
wrapped up in thin vapory water. But they have discovered what we would
call gaseous oil, and have learned to put it to work, so that it is the
main force employed in hoisting and all other purposes where power is
required.
Nothing like a traveling locomotive has ever been made, although I
learned that a bright wizard was experimenting and that he prophesied
great changes when his gas-propelled vehicle was perfected.
Think of how much value an ordinary citizen of our world would be to
these Briefites, if he could step upon their world and communicate with
them concerning the magic wonders of steam and the manner of
constructing stationary and movable engines, to say nothing of the
hidden wonders of electricity. Quadrupeds that take the place of our
horses are used for drayage, although nothing except the two-wheeled
class of vehicles was ever used until some eighty-seven years ago.
PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.
These interesting people excel us in their style and manner of
home-building, fencing and making public highways. We are heathenish in
our progress along the line of road making especially. In all my vast
journey among the worlds I found only a few, comparatively, whereon the
roads were inferior to ours.
In the world of Brief the state prescribes the manner of public highways
and each citizen must contribute his share to their creation and
maintenance.
These Briefites excel us in more than a score of ways. They are much
purer in morals, more refined in manner, more harmonious in government,
and unusually bright in mathematics. Very intricate and elaborate
problems are solved by these people of a few years. They are inferior to
us in a hundred ways. In the broad fields of manufacture and invention
they lag a long distance in the rear. This is principally due to their
lack of time.
RELIGIOUS LIFE.
The religious life of the people of Brief is, on an average, of a higher
type than is found in our world. Their belief in immortality has run
parallel with their existence as a people, and their devotion to their
Creator is marked with unusual fervor.
Their Redeemer is worshiped quite separately from God, and with
distinctive adorations. The name of their Redeemer, phonetically
rendered, is Kerm-Cher. The most faithful translation of this word into
our language would be God-affluence.
Kerm-Cher, or God-breath, appeared upon Brief full grown, and pronounced
his benediction on the race, declaring his origin, and the purpose of
his coming. Similar to Christ, he confirmed his identity by unanswerable
miracles.
Many, however, disbelieved in Kerm-Cher, and held to the old axiomatic
truths. Thus creeds were prevalent and they remain until now, only there
is much less variety than is found amongst us.
Kerm-Cher set up a new reign, and accepted a temporal throne for a
season. He finally announced that his ambassadorship would soon cease
and that his followers would lose the throne of civil power, that they
would be tested for a season in the valley of humiliation and by the
fires of terrible persecution, and that they who would endure unto the
end would be glorified.
These religious features are remarkably similar to the system under
which the Christian religion of our globe is fostered.