the coming race-第16章

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to　the　purest　elimination　of　our　species　by　the　severity　of　the　struggles　our　forefathers　underwent；　and　that；　when　our　education　shall　become　finally　completed；　we　are　destined　to　return　to　the　upper　world；　and　supplant　all　the　inferior　races　now　existing　therein。〃

Aph…Lin　and　Zee　often　conversed　with　me　in　private　upon　the　political　and　social　conditions　of　that　upper　world；　in　which　Zee　so　philosophically　assumed　that　the　inhabitants　were　to　be　exterminated　one　day　or　other　by　the　advent　of　the　Vril…ya。　　They　found　in　my　accounts；…　in　which　I　continued　to　do　all　I　could　（without　launching　into　falsehoods　so　positive　that　they　would　have　been　easily　detected　by　the　shrewdness　of　my　listeners）　to　present　our　powers　and　ourselves　in　the　most　flattering　point　of　view；…　perpetual　subjects　of　comparison　67between　our　most　civilised　populations　and　the　meaner　subterranean　races　which　they　considered　hopelessly　plunged　in　barbarism；　and　doomed　to　gradual　if　certain　extinction。　　But　they　both　agreed　in　desiring　to　conceal　from　their　community　all　premature　opening　into　the　regions　lighted　by　the　sun；　both　were　humane；　and　shrunk　from　the　thought　of　annihilating　so　many　millions　of　creatures；　and　the　pictures　I　drew　of　our　life；　highly　coloured　as　they　were；　saddened　them。　　In　vain　I　boasted　of　our　great　men…　poets；　philosophers；　orators；　generals…　and　defied　the　Vril…ya　to　produce　their　equals。　　〃Alas；〃　said　Zee；　〃this　predominance　of　the　few　over　the　many　is　the　surest　and　most　fatal　sign　of　a　race　incorrigibly　savage。　　See　you　not　that　the　primary　condition　of　mortal　happiness　consists　in　the　extinction　of　that　strife　and　competition　between　individuals；　which；　no　matter　what　forms　of　government　they　adopt；　render　the　many　subordinate　to　the　few；　destroy　real　liberty　to　the　individual；　whatever　may　be　the　nominal　liberty　of　the　state；　and　annul　that　calm　of　existence；　without　which；　felicity；　mental　or　bodily；　cannot　be　attained？　Our　notion　is；　that　the　more　we　can　assimilate　life　to　the　existence　which　our　noblest　ideas　can　conceive　to　be　that　of　spirits　on　the　other　side　of　the　grave；　why；　the　more　we　approximate　to　a　divine　happiness　here；　and　the　more　easily　we　glide　into　the　conditions　of　being　hereafter。　　For；　surely；　all　we　can　imagine　of　the　life　of　gods；　or　of　blessed　immortals；　supposes　the　absence　of　self…made　cares　and　contentious　passions；　such　as　avarice　and　ambition。　　It　seems　to　us　that　it　must　be　a　life　of　serene　tranquility；　not　indeed　without　active　occupations　to　the　intellectual　or　spiritual　powers；　but　occupations；　of　whatsoever　nature　they　be；　congenial　to　the　idiosyncrasies　of　each；　not　forced　and　repugnant…　a　life　gladdened　by　the　untrammelled　interchange　of　gentle　affections；　in　which　the　moral　atmosphere　utterly　kills　hate　and　vengeance；　and　strife　and　rivalry。　　Such　is　the　political　state　to　which　68all　the　tribes　and　families　of　the　Vril…ya　seek　to　attain；　and　towards　that　goal　all　our　theories　of　government　are　shaped。　　You　see　how　utterly　opposed　is　such　a　progress　to　that　of　the　uncivilised　nations　from　which　you　come；　and　which　aim　at　a　systematic　perpetuity　of　troubles；　and　cares；　and　warring　passions　aggravated　more　and　more　as　their　progress　storms　its　way　onward。　　The　most　powerful　of　all　the　races　in　our　world；　beyond　the　pale　of　the　Vril…ya；　esteems　itself　the　best　governed　of　all　political　societies；　and　to　have　reached　in　that　respect　the　extreme　end　at　which　political　wisdom　can　arrive；　so　that　the　other　nations　should　tend　more　or　less　to　copy　it。　　It　has　established；　on　its　broadest　base；　the　Koom…Posh…　viz。；　the　government　of　the　ignorant　upon　the　principle　of　being　the　most　numerous。　　It　has　placed　the　supreme　bliss　in　the　vying　with　each　other　in　all　things；　so　that　the　evil　passions　are　never　in　repose…　vying　for　power；　for　wealth；　for　eminence　of　some　kind；　and　in　this　rivalry　it　is　horrible　to　hear　the　vituperation；　the　slanders；　and　calumnies　which　even　the　best　and　mildest　among　them　heap　on　each　other　without　remorse　or　shame。〃

〃Some　years　ago；〃　said　Aph…Lin；　〃I　visited　this　people；　and　their　misery　and　degradation　were　the　more　appalling　because　they　were　always　boasting　of　their　felicity　and　grandeur　as　compared　with　the　rest　of　their　species。　　And　there　is　no　hope　that　this　people；　which　evidently　resembles　your　own；　can　improve；　because　all　their　notions　tend　to　further　deterioration。　　They　desire　to　enlarge　their　dominion　more　and　more；　in　direct　antagonism　to　the　truth　that；　beyond　a　very　limited　range；　it　is　impossible　to　secure　to　a　community　the　happiness　which　belongs　to　a　well…ordered　family；　and　the　more　they　mature　a　system　by　which　a　few　individuals　are　heated　and　　swollen　to　a　size　above　the　standard　slenderness　of　the　millions；　　the　more　they　chuckle　and　exact；　and　cry　out；　'See　by　what　great　　exceptions　to　the　common　littleness　of　our　race　we　prove　the　　magnificent　results　of　our　system！'〃　69　〃In　fact；〃　resumed　Zee；　〃if　the　wisdom　of　human　life　be　to　　approximate　to　the　serene　equality　of　immortals；　there　can　be　no　　more　direct　flying　off　into　the　opposite　direction　than　a　system　　which　aims　at　carrying　to　the　utmost　the　inequalities　and　　turbulences　of　mortals。　　Nor　do　I　see　how；　by　any　forms　of　　religious　belief；　mortals；　so　acting；　could　fit　themselves　even　to　　appreciate　the　joys　of　immortals　to　which　they　still　expect　to　be　　transferred　by　the　mere　act　of　dying。　　On　the　contrary；　minds　　accustomed　to　place　happiness　in　things　so　much　the　reverse　of　　godlike；　would　find　the　happiness　of　gods　exceedingly　dull；　and　　would　long　to　get　back　to　a　world　in　which　they　could　quarrel　with　　each　other。〃　


Chapter　XVI。


I　have　spoken　so　much　of　the　Vril　Staff　that　my　reader　may　expect　me　to　describe　it。　　This　I　cannot　do　accurately；　for　I　was　never　allowed　to　handle　it　for　fear　of　some　terrible　accident　occasioned　by　my　ignorance　of　its　use；　and　I　have　no　doubt　that　it　requires　much　skill　and　practice　in　the　exercise　of　its　various　powers。　　It　is　hollow；　and　has　in　the　handle　several　stops；　keys；　or　springs　by　which　its　force　can　be　altered；　modified；　or　directed…　so　that　by　one　process　it　destroys；　by　another　it　heals…　by　one　it　can　rend　the　rock；　by　another　disperse　the　vapour…　by　one　it　affects　bodies；　by　another　it　can　exercise　a　certain　influence　over　minds。　　It　is　usually　carried　in　the　convenient　size　of　a　walking…staff；　but　it　has　slides　by　which　it　can　be　lengthened　or　shortened　at　will。　　When　used　for　special　purposes；　the　upper　part　rests　in　the　hollow　of　the　palm　with　the　fore　and　middle　fingers　protruded。　　I　was　assured；　however；　that　its　power　was　not　equal　in　all；　but　proportioned　to　the　amount　of　certain　vril　70properties　in　the　wearer　in　affinity；　or　'rapport'　with　the　purposes　to　be　effected。　　Some　were　more　potent　to　destroy；　others　to　heal；　&c。；　much　also　depended　on　the　calm　and　steadiness　of　volition　in　the　manipulator。　　They　assert　that　the　full　exercise　of　vril　power　can　only　be　acquired　by　the　constitutional　temperament…　i。e。；　by　hereditarily　transmitted　organisation…　and　that　a　female　infant　of　four　years　old　belonging　to　the　Vril…ya　races　can　accomplish　feats　which　a　life　spent　in　its　practice　would　not　enable　the　strongest　and　most　skilled　mechanician；　born　out　of　the　pale　of　the　Vril…ya　to　achieve。　　All　these　wands　are　not　equally　complicated；　those　intrusted　to　children　are　much　simpler　than　those　borne　by　sages　of　either　sex；　and　constructed　with　a　view　to　the　special　object　on　which　the　children　are　employed；　which　as　I　have　before　said；　is　among　the　youngest　children　the　most　destructive。　　In　the　wands　of　wives　and　mothers　the　correlative　destroying　force　is　usually　abstracted；　the　healing　power　fully　charged。　　I　wish　I　could　say　more　in　detail　of　this　singular　conductor　of　the　vril　fluid；　but　its　machinery　is　as　exquisite　as　its　effects　are　marvellous。

I　should　say；　however；　that　this　people　have　invented　certain　tubes　by　which　the　vril　fluid　can　be　conducted　towards　the　object　it　is　meant　to　destroy；　throughout　a　distance　almost　indefinite；　at　least　I　put　it　modestly　when　I　say　from　500　to　600　miles。　　And　their　mathematical　science　as　applied　to　such　purpose　is　so　nicely　accurate；　that　on　the　report　of　some　observer　in　an　air