New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-05-29
MAN IN THE MOON.

1t WAS the last day of the late great
frost, and unmindful of MY SO odd
years, l undertook to skate 20 miles or
SO along the frozen Lea When I re-
turned nome, | was tired-so tired that
scarcely was | seated in my armchair
when found myself nodding, and IN
doubtedly should have fallen asleep
had not an exceedingly strange circum-
stance happened
To be brief, then, was lifted from
my chair in my home in north London,
whirled through space for a couple of
hours and then deposited gently but
firm y OH the moon.
Scarcely had l recovered my breath
when an aged man Of venerable aspect,
whom l at once recognized as the man
III tho moon, approached me and in
qulred my business. explained that I
was an involuntary trespasser on his
hospitality, and then, thinking as I was
there might as we'll learn something
about the history Of our satellite and its
acknowledgements there were any
i proceeded az respectfully as might
10 70 question the old fellow.
Eyes; you are right, he exclaimed
III answer to my query as he placed the
load Of fagOts he was carrying on
projecting mass of granite and rested
MS back against the cone Of an extinct
volcano. II have seen lot of changes
IN my time. How old am I? Well, I
don t know exactly, but it is some mil
lions of years ago since my first birth
day.
why, bless my heart, when I was
lad, this old dried up moon was as bright
and fresh as your earth is now.
Seas sparkled in the sunlight, brooks
cleaned and flashed through the valleys
and forests clothed with verdure the
mountains now dead and silent Aye,
these were glorious times. The birds
sang in the woods from early dawn to
nlghtfall the fishes leaped and FLASHED
and leaped and FLASHED again in every
eddy and pool Of our prehistoric rivers.
Great mammals, some uncouth and
some beautiful, but mostly the latter,
ronIned at will amid the glades of our
Mighty forests. Then, after million
years or SO, man came. -
Mau:' | repeated incredulOusly,
Yes, man, - he reiterated rather
testify. 'Man, Of course, Do you think
''Our earth alone has been the homo of
'uAn. | tell you he lived and hourisbed
..rrn while the earth was yet fOrmless
and void, vast white hot mass Of semi
tluiI granite. AT first no was weak for
I;'rl OF knowledge, and fOught-Often
uuSuCcessfully- with the wild beasts of
tho forests for food and drink and raj
nent. Then as he grew older he grew
wiser and carved for himself weapons
Of flint and wood, just as the earth man
did a million Or two years afterward.
Our lunar men were very clever, too
very clever. Not so large or so strong
as terrestrial man, perhaps, but quicker
80 learn. Why, it did not take US more
than 200, 600 years to perfect our civil
cation.
And what happened then?' was my
next query.
"Ah, there you have asked question
hard to answer quoth the old man
sadly. 'All l know is that one year
there came blight over all things. 1t
was not exactly a plague. 1t was rather
want of vitality in the atmosphere
that reacted with terrible effect on all
animate nature Man, being the most
nightly organized Of all things living,
was the first to feel its baneful effects,
and he dwindled and pinned and finally
persisted, and the places that had been
won't to know him knew him no more
forever.
'Ihen as the sunny atmosphere grew
more and more attonuated the NAM
mails first and afterward every form of
animal lifo grew cold and dead The
lowest forms OF plant life fingered for
few thousand years longer, until the
last drop of water had evapOrated into
space IN fact, and then they, too, van
lshed and tho moon was left as you see
It today, dead world, without heat,
atmosphere Or moisture. y
~ sad fate surely, but you must
have become resigned" said soothing
~, Tor the old man was signing heavily
and gazing tixedly into space as though
he saw again the lost visions of lone
Il7ers ho had been describing
mo, I am not resigned," and he
shook his head slowly from side to side.
Both myself and my sister look for
ward to better times to come"
our sister," / exclaimed wonder
lngly. II was not aware''-
That had sister," he interrupted.
On, yes, I have, but forgot! Of course
you have never seen her. She lives on