The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-11


hIo for such globes to be the abodes Of life
..sor,bline life on this earth. 1t may in
doed he certainly admitted that except our
earth there is in all probability no other
hodv in space on which a human being
could live for five minutes.
LET us think. for instance, Of Mars or
Venus,
We nav concede that each Of these
,ann,s has, an atmosphere. But 1t is highly
unavoidable that the atmosphere OF Mars
ar Venus would be suitable for human res
n,ration, it might have no oxygen, or 1t
might have too much oxygen, and we
must also remember the possibility OF its
being charged with gases directly poisonous
TO the human system.
And even il on another planet the at
mosphcrc were rightly constituted, the
Eravitation of its mass might be incom-
retIbe with the life Of beings endowed
with frames like ours. On a globe much
heavier than the earth the gravitation
would be 80 great that a man would be
crushed to helpless mass on the planets
surface, while on a globe much hghter
than the earth the circulation OF the blood
world be seriously disturbed by the reduce
ton of its effective weight.
Even if the atmosphere and the gravita-
ticn were ad justed satisfactorily for human
existence there would still remain the
question Of heat and cold. Our bodies are
adauted for but a comparatively narrow
range in the scale Of possible tempera-
lures.
In very extreme cases man can live in a
climate 100 degrees above zero and 80 de-
grecs below zero. This range OF $50 de-
0rees NAV seem wide from some points OF
view, no doubt. But it is very narrow In
Wow of the range of possible temperatures.
The temperatures of the bodies in space
range from some hundreds of degrees
below zero up to any number Of thousands
O. degrees above, 80 that even II IN an
other globe gravitation was right ana at
mosphere right 1t is most likely that tne
temperature would be wrong.
These various considerations justify our
statement that it is in the highest degree
improbable that any other globe could be
found in the wide realms of space which
would be suited for human residence.
am, however, now going to imagine and
briefly give some account of another world
in which life flourishes under conditions
that at first seem impossible. You may,
perhaps, regard the world shall describe
as being in dreamland. But we shall see
about this presently.
A name has been assigned to this Won
derful world, and that name is Benthia.
And now l shall try to give you some
elimpses Of its nature which have studied
in the works of those who have paid special
attention to Benthia.
Let me confess that have never been
there myself 1t Is, however, the dire mis-
fortune, of man to have to visit Benthia
occasiohdlly. - ~
A ship sometimes goes there and some
times carries large party on board. But
sad to say from that voyage no passenger
has ever returned.
Benthia is a country where there are
plenty OF inhabitants and plenty OF lie,
even though their lives be utterly different
from those of men and women. 1T IS
large country, larger than Great Britain,
larger, much larger, than Europe. Benthia
is indeed larger than all the continents OF
our earth put together.
1t is very densely populated, and 1t 10
noteworthy that Benthia seems to he popu-
lated all over, and is in this respect also
widely contrasted with the world we know
/ need hardly remind you that vast tracts
on our earth are totally useless 30 far as
population is concerned.
Here a wide desert Of Sahara makes
l,OoO.OO square miles into useless waste,
while territory which might otherwise
sustain kingdom is submerged beneath
Lake Superior. But in the mighty gray
plains of Benthia there appear to be no
such useless tracts. In the teeming life
Of that country there ia no such thing as
desert while the verv conception OF a
lake would lie totallr outside the ihc cina-
ton of its inhabitsnts.
Let us set forth some Of the characteristics
of this mysterious Benthia, 1t is assurediy
strange world from our point of view,
1t knows no changes of tho sAaaoGs, 20
changes from day to night In Benthia
no glorious sun sheds noontide warmth
and a s!lvery moon to mitigate the gloom
of midnight is also wanting.
Nor is the absence OF sun and moon COM
pensated for by any other external source
of light. Benthia is the abode Of utter
darkness, save only for such poor and
Intellectual CLEANS as the inhabitants can
contrive to make for themselves.
Many of the humber denizens Of these
immense spaces have, it would seem, to
dispense with light altogether. The larger
and the more highly organized inhabitants
constantly carry with them certain curious
arrangements resembling lanterns, which
diffuse light sufficient to guide them in
cropping through the darkness.
The more elaborate OF these creatures
are fitted with rows OF such lanterns on
each side, and as they wend their way
through the darkness they may be likened
to steamers at sea Of which nothing Ii
visible on a dark night but the lights which
stream from every port.
In place where light is 80 extremely
scarce as it is in Benthia the question OF
eyes is one Of special difficulty.
Some Of the inhabitants OF Benthia try
to penetrate the darkness by the aid OF large
and wonderful eyes most highly organized.
eyes which. il we may use an illustration
from the world about US, are specially
adapted, like the eyes Of the cat or the owl,
Tor use in the hours Of darkness.
Certain Benthites have eyes at the end Of
long stalks so that the orbs can be brought
close to the object to be viewed, others
again, in view Of the difficulties Of tho great
eye question under such conditions, have
decided to renounoe eyes altogether.