the unseen world and other essays-第14章

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ithholding　judgment　where　evidence　is　not　forthcoming。　If　talking　about　remote　and　difficult　subjects　suffice　to　make　one　scientific；　then　is　M。　Figuier　scientific　to　a　quite　terrible　degree。　He　writes　about　the　starry　heavens　as　if　he　had　been　present　at　the　hour　of　creation；　or　had　at　least　accompanied　the　Arabian　prophet　on　his　famous　night…journey。　Nor　is　his　knowledge　of　physiology　and　other　abstruse　sciences　at　all　less　remarkable。　But　these　things　will　cease　to　surprise　us　when　we　learn　the　sources；　hitherto　suspected　only　in　mythology；　from　which　favoured　mortals　can　obtain　a　knowledge　of　what　is　going　on　outside　of　our　planet。

＇13＇　The　To…morrow　of　Death；　or；　The　Future　Life　according　to　Science。　By　Louis　Figuier。　Translated　from　the　French　by　S。　R。　Crocker。　Boston：　Roberts　Brothers。　1872。


The　four　inner　planets　being　nearly　alike　in　size　（？）　and　in　length　of　day；　M。　Figuier　infers；　by　strictly　scientific　methods；　that　whatever　is　true　of　one　of　them；　as　our　earth；　will　be　true　of　the　others　（p。　34）。　Hence；　they　are　all　inhabited　by　human　beings。　It　is　true　that　human　beings　must　find　Venus　rather　warm；　and　are　not　unlikely　to　be　seriously　incommoded　by　the　tropical　climate　of　Mercury。　But　we　must　remember　that　〃the　men　of　Venus　and　Mercury　are　made　by　nature　to　resist　heat；　as　those　of　Jupiter　and　Saturn　are　made　to　endure　cold；　and　those　of　the　Earth　and　Mars　to　live　in　a　mean　temperature：　OTHERWISE　THEY　COULD　NOT　EXIST〃　（p。　72）。　In　view　of　this　charming　specimen　of　a　truly　scientific　inference；　it　is　almost　too　bad　to　call　attention　to　the　fact　that　M。　Figuier　is　quite　behind　the　age　in　his　statement　of　facts。　So　far　from　Jupiter　and　Saturn　being　cold；　observation　plainly　indicates　that　they　are　prodigiously　hot；　if　not　even　incandescent　and　partly　self…luminous；　the　explanation　being　that；　by　reason　of　their　huge　bulk；　they　still　retain　much　of　the　primitive　heat　which　smaller　planets　have　more　quickly　radiated　away。　As　for　M。　Figuier's　statement；　that　polar　snows　have　been　witnessed　on　these　planets；　it　is　simply　untrue；　no　such　thing　has　ever　been　seen　there。　Mars；　on　the　other　hand；　has　been　observed　to　resemble　in　many　important　respects　its　near　neighbour；　the　Earth；　whence　our　author　declares　that　if　an　aeronaut　were　to　shoot　clear　of　terrestrial　gravitation　and　land　upon　Mars；　he　would　unquestionably　suppose　himself　to　be　still　upon　the　earth。　For　aerolites；　it　seems；　are　somehow　fired　down　upon　our　planet　both　from　Mars　and　from　Venus；　and　aerolites　sometimes　contain　vegetable　matter　（？）。　Therefore；　Mars　has　a　vegetation；　and　very　likely　its　red　colour　is　caused　by　its　luxuriant　autumnal　foliage！　（p。　47。）　To　return　to　Jupiter：　this　planet；　indeed；　has　inconveniently　short　days。　〃In　his　'Picture　of　the　Heavens；'　the　German　astronomer；　Littrow　（these　Germans　think　of　nothing　but　gormandizing）；　asks　how　the　people　of　Jupiter　order　their　meals　in　the　short　interval　of　five　hours。〃　Nevertheless；　says　our　author；　the　great　planet　is　compensated　for　this　inconvenience　by　its　equable　and　delicious　climate。

In　view；　however；　of　our　author's　more　striking　and　original　disclosures；　one　would　suppose　that　all　this　discussion　of　the　physical　conditions　of　existence　on　the　various　planets　might　have　been　passed　over　without　detriment　to　the　argument。　After　these　efforts　at　proving　（for　M。　Figuier　presumably　regards　this　rigmarole　as　proof）　that　all　the　members　of　our　solar　system　are　habitable；　the　interplanetary　ether　is　forthwith　peopled　thickly　with　〃souls；〃　without　any　resort　to　argument。　This；　we　suppose；　is　one　of　those　scientific　truths　which　as　M。　Figuier　tells　us；　precede　and　underlie　demonstration。　Upon　this　impregnable　basis　is　reared　the　scientific　theory　of　a　future　life。　When　we　die　our　soul　passes　into　some　other　terrestrial　body；　unless　we　have　been　very　good；　in　which　case　we　at　once　soar　aloft　and　join　the　noble　fraternity　of　the　ether…folk。　Bad　men　and　young　children；　on　dying；　must　undergo　renewed　probation　here　below；　but　ultimately　all　pass　away　into　the　interplanetary　ether。　The　dweller　in　ether　is　chiefly　distinguished　from　the　mundane　mortal　by　his　acute　senses　and　his　ability　to　subsist　without　food。　He　can　see　as　if　through　a　telescope　and　microscope　combined。　His　intelligence　is　so　great　that　in　comparison　an　Aristotle　would　seem　idiotic。　It　should　not　be　forgotten；　too；　that　he　possesses　eighty…five　per　cent　of　soul　to　fifteen　per　cent　of　body；　whereas　in　terrestrial　man　the　two　elements　are　mixed　in　equal　proportions。　There　is　no　sex　among　the　ether…folk；　their　numbers　being　kept　up　by　the　influx　of　souls　from　the　various　planets。　〃Alimentation；　that　necessity　which　tyrannizes　over　men　and　animals；　is　not　imposed　upon　the　inhabitants　of　ether。　Their　bodies　must　be　repaired　and　sustained　by　the　simple　respiration　of　the　fluid　in　which　they　are　immersed；　that　is；　of　ether。〃　Most　likely；　continues　our　scientific　author；　the　physiological　functions　of　the　ether…folk　are　confined　to　respiration；　and　that　it　is　possible　to　breathe　〃without　numerous　organs　is　proved　by　the　fact　that　in　all　of　a　whole　class　of　animalsthe　batrachiansthe　mere　bare　skin　constitutes　the　whole　machinery　of　respiration〃　（p。　95）。　Allowing　for　the　unfortunate　slip　of　the　pen　by　which　〃batrachians〃　are　substituted　for　〃fresh…water　polyps；〃　how　can　we　fail　to　admire　the　severity　of　the　scientific　method　employed　in　reaching　these　interesting　conclusions？

But　the　King　of　Serendib　must　die；　nor　will　the　relentless　scythe　of　Time　spare　our　Etherians；　with　all　their　exalted　attributes。　They　will　die　repeatedly；　and　after　having　through　sundry　periods　of　probation　attained　spiritual　perfection；　they　will　all　pour　into　the　sun。　Since　it　is　the　sun　which　originates　life　and　feeling　and　thought　upon　the　surface　of　our　earth；　〃why　may　we　not　declare　that　the　rays　transmitted　by　the　sun　to　the　earth　and　the　other　planets　are　nothing　more　nor　less　than　the　emanations　of　these　souls？〃　And　now　we　may　begin　to　form　an　adequate　conception；　of　the　rigorously　scientific　character　of　our　author's　method。　There　have　been　many　hypotheses　by　which　to　account　for　the　supply　of　solar　radiance。　One　of　the　most　ingenious　and　probable　of　these　hypotheses　is　that　of　Helmholtz；　according　to　which　the　solar　radiance　is　due　to　the　arrested　motion　of　the　sun's　constituent　particles　toward　their　common　centre　of　gravity。　But　this　is　too　fanciful　to　satisfy　M。　Figuier。　The　speculations　of　Helmholtz　〃have　the　disadvantage　of　resting　on　the　idea　of　the　sun's　nebulosity；an　hypothesis　which　would　need　to　be　more　closely　examined　before　serving　as　a　basis　for　so　important　a　deduction。〃　Accordingly；　M。　Figuier　propounds　an　explanation　which　possesses　the　signal　advantage　that　there　is　nothing　hypothetical　in　it。　〃In　our　opinion；　the　solar　radiation　is　sustained　by　the　continual　influx　of　souls　into　the　sun。〃　This；　as　the　reader　will　perceive；　is　the　well…known　theory　of　Mayer；　that　the　solar　heat　is　due　to　a　perennial　bombardment　of　the　sun　by　meteors；　save　that；　in　place　of　gross　materialistic　meteors；　M。　Figuier　puts　ethereal　souls。　The　ether…folk　are　daily　raining　into　the　solar　orb　in　untold　millions；　and　to　the　unceasing　concussion　is　due　the　radiation　which　maintains　life　in　the　planets；　and　thus　the　circle　is　complete。

In　spite　of　their　exalted　position；　the　ether…folk　do　not　disdain　to　mingle　with　the　affairs　of　terrestrial　mortals。　They　give　us　counsel　in　dreams；　and　it　is　from　this　source；　we　presume；　that　our　author　has　derived　his　rigid　notions　as　to　scientific　method。　In　evidence　of　this　dream…theory　we　have　the　usual　array　of　cases；　〃a　celebrated　journalist；　M。　R；〃　〃M。　L；　a　lawyer；〃　etc。；　etc。；　as　in　most　books　of　this　kind。

M。　Figuier　is　not　a　Darwinian：　the　derivation　of　our　bodies　from　the　bodies　of　apes　is　a　conception　too　grossly　materialistic　for　him。　Our　souls；　however；　he　is　quite　willing　to　derive　from　the　souls　of　lower　animals。　Obviously　we　have　pre…existed；　how　are　we　to　account　for　Mozart's　precocity　save　by　supposing　his　pre…existence？　He　brought　with　him　the　musical　skill　acquired　in　a　previous　life。　In　general；　the　souls　of　musical　children　come　from　nightingales；　while　the　souls　of　great　architects　have　passed　into　them