PS 3523 .E85 R8 1905 ALCHAS lie mbaiyat wentieth entury and : - ong of the tars d3& Mb ■ If 'tf^S* Ha Class JSJl_La_ Book.JLl£_"Ri__ fopyrightN°_illJL_ COPYRJGHT DEPOSIT The Rubaiyat of the Twentieth Century and the Song of the Stars by CALCHAS Man's true plaGe in the Cosmos 1905 Published by J. Dewar & Co. 1729 Boston Avenue Bridgeport, Connecticut COPYRIGHT, 1905 By J. Dewar & Co. CONTENTS I'AGK Prologue, 5 i / The Rubaiyat of the 20th Century. - 19 The Song of the Stars, .... 83 Epilogue, 91 PROLOGUE BO O K at this historic World- picture : For centuries the keen edged scimitar of the Moslem had hewed to a dead level of Faith in Western Asia. "Exterminate the Heretics," was the watchword of the Faithful, who pillaged and massacred with an untiring zeal in the name of the One God and of Mohammed his Prophet. Then add to this increment of Lust and Rapine those other years of the first Crusade, in which Christian Europe had hurled itself in an equally relentless and bloody Fanaticism at the throats of its Mohammedan opponents, sparing, in its turn, neither age nor sex in the wholesale slaughter of its adver- saries. 5 Prologue This is the historic era. The Time, in Christian Chronology, within the ear- lier half of the 12th century, when, amid the clashing swords of Religious Fanati- cism, the still, small voice of Philosophic Thought and Questioning Doubt dared utterance. The priceless gem of Logi- cal Thought had never a more appro- priate setting, and Human Reason and Human Kindness had never, since the beginning of the recorded centuries, a sweeter Interpreter than He, who, amid these turbulent surroundings, thus sounded a note for Humanity — this Omar Khayyam of Naishipur. The Student of the contemporary His- tory of the period can readily see, that, for any warmth of coloring in the more vivid pictures of material enjoyment, presented by the Persian Poet, there are, at the least, extenuating circum- stances, and for any intended offense 6 Prologue against the Morality and Social Ethics of his time, the verdict, with the evi- dence all in, of nine out of ten, "good men and true," would be "Not Guilty." It is a far stretch in the progress of the Race, from the mystic superstitions of the Poet's environment to the ultra practical standpoint to which we have attained. Man}' a seemingly unbridge- able chasm lies between. And yet, his, is what we deem an essentially modern habit of thought; his, is a very vivisec- tion of ideas, which spares nothing, and defiantly braves everything which does not carry upon its face the impress of Truth. Hemmed in on every side by the fierce Moslem Fanaticism of that early era, he yet takes nothing for granted, and calmly probes the life, of which he is a part, down to the basic foundation of facts which he can tie up to. And, at the last, with our latter day, all-em- 7 Prologue bracing scientific knowledge, how near we come, many of us, to the conception of Life, deduced from the meagre data of his period, by this stout-hearted old Per- sian Philosopher. In the Life of the Times he is a Spec- tator — an Observer. His attitude can hardly be called strenuous, from any standpoint. To us, Moderns, even his much-voiced regard for Wine and the Sex seem in the light of his calm Philos- ophy, as somewhat exaggerated — some- thing to divert the minds of his Compeers from the bloody fanaticism rampant in the early Moslem propagandism, to the, at least more Human ideas, of mere phys- ical enjoyment. The Life of the Day was, doubtless, just a trifle too vehe- ment, to the mind of the Poet-Philoso- pher, and hence, the generous outpour- ing of the oil of Human-kindness and skeptical questioning on the turbid sea 8 Prologue of Religious Frenzy. It is the poetry of Fact and the normal Life condition, as against the implacable fury of the Zealot and the Religionaire. A radical intel- lectual revolt, it must have seemed at the day and time, against the pretensions of Islam, and the more than Arabian Nights Tales of the founder of that creed. It is the Religious element, however, of his surroundings which, undoubtedly, gives color and depth to the picture he presents for our contemplation. His Rubaiyat is, in a sense, the despairing intellectual outcome of his struggle to reduce the weird Religious imaginings of his time into harmony with the pro- saic facts of existence. That he was unsuccessful, his verses show ; but the Poet does not despair. He accepts the good things of Life, and over all main- tains that invincibly cheerful spirit, 9 Prologue which, in calm disillusion, faces the in- evitable happenings of Mortal Existence. Omar extends across the centuries the sturdy hand of a bon-comradie to all that shall follow after. As for us, we admire his equanimity, We are glad in the steady cheer of his spirit. Times have changed since then, and creeds, too, have changed, both in their interpretation, and the methods em- ployed in propagating them. The ques- tion, in Religious matters, is no longer, "What must I believe, under peril of decapitation?" but, "What can I be- lieve, in consonance with Fact and Reason?" We have come to know a good many things since the old Persian Philosopher laid down for his final rest in the rose garden of Naishipur. Many of the Problems of Life have been reduced, in these later days, to their lowest terms. 10 Prologue Every now and again some old-time fac- tor of mystery has been eliminated. Under Scientific Investigation it has been found to be a result of some here- tofore not understood, but none the less law regulated, activity of the universal Force Medium. The practically, instan- taneous nature of sight transmission to the human eye is now measurably un- derstood, with all of its accompanying phenomena, including color. We know definitely in what consists the vibratory transfer of heat, light, and power, more especially observed in the case of the enormous Solar output. The phen- omena leading to and accompanying the growth of plant and vegetable Life are readil}' found in the experimental data of our Specialists. The interchange of disintegration and building up of molecules, in the leaf of the plant, under the vibratory action of the Solar 11 Prologue heat ray, is more or less familiar to most of us. And then we have gotten down, in recent years, to some fairly intelligible conception of the fundamentals of the Physical Life, itself. A continuous met- abolic change within the tissues, seems a sine qua non, of its maintenance. What is the basis of metabolism ? Chemical combination. What actuates chemical combination? The electric potentials of the atom and molecule. But the electric potentials are simply a conden- sation of the Universal Medium about these material centers. So there we are. All roads of the ancient world led to Rome; so the Modern Investigator, in whatever path of physical or even psychical research, if he gets to the bottom of things, finds himself at the last, confronting this lim- itless Actuator of Life and Matter. 12 Prologue Indeed, it would be idle to enumerate. All phenomena are, in their finality, traceable to some law of action of the All-pervading Medium on Matter. All mysteries are resolved into one — that of the essential nature of the Force Me- dium, itself, and of the manner of its action upon the material molecule. An accompanying proposition, doubtless permanently unsolvable, is, as to the manner of the transfer of attractive force — whether in the simple form of the magnet or electro-magnet, or in those enormous potencies extending between cosmic bodies. Some have said, that with us, the day of Poetry has passed — that with the modern complete knowledge of the ma- chinery of Nature, and the accompany- ing narrowing of the field of the Un- known, that the imagination is necessa- rily restricted in its action. But yet, are 13 Prologue we not confronted, at every turn, by this greater mystery? Perhaps, even in the matter of Poetry, what we lose on the one hand, we may gain on the other, and, in the coming time, Poetry itself, be harnessed to the simple statement of facts, which, in themselves, have the elements of Poetry. May not the high water mark of the Poetry of the future be that which shall the nearest approximate to a realistic depiction of the workings of the unseen, the immaterial, the intangible, but all- pervading, and all-powerful Force Actu- ator of Matter and of Life? — The change- less, all-potent, everywhere-present ten- ant of that limitless Cosmos, whose boundaries are those of unending Space, and which the modern Physicist desig- nates as the Ether? The utmost which the writer has pro- posed, in the following pages, is to prof- 14 Prologue fer, from our present standpoint, the after-word of Science, in explanation of the seemingly, unsolvable Life-problems, which, in every direction, confronted the vision of the Philosopher-Poet of Persia in the mediaeval surroundings of his day. For this purpose, while retaining the metrical form of the original, he has found it necessary to sacrifice, to a not inconsiderable extent, the diaphanous texture of a poetic imagery to the some- what rigid requirements of ascertained fact and a logical deduction from estab- lished data. Truth, alone, is omnipo- tent ; her's, is the regal right of way. 15 The Rubaiyat of the Twentieth Century THE RUBAIYAT OF THE 20th CENTURY BY CALCHAS i For Me, the purpled skies that herald Morn — The gilded chariot wheels of coming Dawn — The hour of blissful calm and restful peace That broods the Silent World ere Day is born. ii Oh Saki ! When from all things I may pass As fading flower, or wisp of scattered grass, Be this the garnered purport of my years That Calm and Peace that naught can e'er harass ! 19 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century in Would'st Thou the scheme of things but backward turn — Life's garish Day bring back to bliss- ful Morn — Then might the Tree of Knowledge bloom unsought, Why, then, its golden fruit we might but spurn. IV "Ah ! But the hours of Morn are brief" we say, "And dawn is but a presage of the Day; No hand may backward roll the scroll of Fate Nor Roseate Dawn, itself, may longer stay. v "Mayhap, indeed, that Faith of Morn were best ; If happy so, why then, You were but blest; Per contra, You may have a fad for Truth, And choosing it may chance it on the rest." 20 The Rubaiydt of the 20th Century VI To such, the breaking Dawn a summons brings — The portaled gate of Day wide open flings; To those that sow, and those that joy- ful reap, Full short shall pass the hours on fleet- ing wings. VII This Message brief, it brings, in haste, to You— "From out past Embryo, lo comes the new ! The continental lift of Thought up- rears The wide horizons of a broader view." VIII To Basic Fact has delved the Later Day— The Laws of Force that in each Atom play- Could we but pass one single step beyond Then might we not Life's Scheme of Being weigh? 21 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century IX Could our Discernment, downward reaching, spell The Name that stands for grouping of the Cell, Then, might we not Life build up and maintain? And Life's whole Secret then, be our's, as well? x "Ah, but," You say, "all Knowledge is revealed ; The rest, from Man the Gods have kept concealed." Yea ! but the Revelation's here and now And He that seeks, its potencies shall wield ! XI And shall we fondly cling to what is old? Nay, but the Newer Thought its place shall hold ; The filmy garniture of Dreams shall pass, And tawdry gilt give way to Truth's pure gold. 22 The Rubdiydt of Ike 20th Century XII We know, indeed, the Actuating Cause ; Full well, we know its never changing Laws Which hold alike the Atom and the Star; Shall Knowledge, in its wider limit pause ? XIII The primal cell growth of the Mortal Clay That builds the Fabric, and the chemic play Of forming Molecule within — were these Explained — why then, of Life, we'd know the way. XIV "The Last Resolvement," ah, there lies the clew ; In it we read whence Life, itself, is due — The viewless Ether, actuating all — From out the Old, ever evolving New. 23 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century xv In balanced equipoise each Atom stands, Held in the all-pervading Ether's hands, Inspired by it, to Force and Life gives birth, Now here, now there it moves at its commands. # * * * * * XVI Ah ! Why deem Life as such a Priceless Thing When Fleeting Time its end so quick shall bring? Might it not rather seem a Random Toy Which, wrought from Matter, Force may careless fling? XVII In freakish fashion, thus into the World, By Nature's grim caprice, thus careless hurled, With oversense endowed, this fear- some Child Doth ask the reason Why, in vortex whirled. 24 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XVIII And from dark cliffs of Fate, encircling nigh, Comes ever back the shouted answer — Why? From narrowing circle grim the Echo came — The shouted Question was its own Reply. XIX One sang to Fate a song of Love Divine, That soothed all Human Hearts, and thrilled like wine, And, Lo, from beetling walls upreared came back A song that throbbed with Ecstacy Sub- lime ! xx The endless files of Life in gladsome throng, From rank to rank, its swelling notes prolong; But thankless Sticklers, are we, You and I, That ask some valid Reason for the song. 25 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XXI One thing is sure — When You shall question Fate The Answer will but be, that which You state. The Dreams that to the Dreamer have been told, As very Truth the Dreamer shall relate. XXII Can word of Seer, in fitting terms express Why Life demands that Atoms coalesce? The Human Atom most of all — why it Should find the joy of Life in sweet caress ? XXIII "Ah, but such transient joy goes soon," You say, "And Brooding Care comes in its wake, to stay;" E'en so, were it not best, the Flagon fill And drink to Life one gladsome Cup, to day? 26 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XXIV Oh days of toil and Hopes of Heavenly Bliss ! If Paradise were only such as this, That were enough, I trow — if all its years Were but the Joy prolonged, of Love's sweet kiss. xxv There is no better thing beneath the skies, Nor all the vaunted Wisdom of the Wise, Or Sages Learned, can point a blither way Than this, that with the fleeting mo- ment flies. XXVI Ah, how Time flies ! The footsteps of high noon Had but just passed, and then, so soon ! So soon ! The outward sloping shadows of the Night, That comes apace — and you pale rising Moon ! 27 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XXVII But Shadows are we, dancing on the floor — Bubbles, that break along an Endless Shore ; The Light goes out — the Waters fail — and then, Bubble and Shadow are No More — No More ! XXVIII Out from the Dark — and back to Dark- ness deep — For one brief day, the Phase of Life we keep ; All else is Shade ; and Life, itself, is but The Transient Waking of a Dreamless Sleep. XXIX Think of the multitudes since Time began — The numbers vast of Prehistoric Man ! What were one Atom of that mighty mass? What is the Gist of Life, and where the Plan? 28 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XXX One says, "That all of these are but a few, That, lost one day, the next appear anew ; As Actors pass upon the mimic stage, And straightway then, come back again to view." XXXI Ah, sure ! But could we in such Life take pride — If each were steeped in foul Oblivion's tide Till friends and name were all alike forgot ? Add Life to Life, what gain might be implied? "The Key is Faith," one said "Believe, and then The waning sight that fades to earthly ken Shall dawn on glories bright of Para- dise." But who those Splendors yet have seen? and when ! 29 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XXXIII " So You," he said, " tire not of Toilsome Way The Path shall upward lead to Endless Day, And Being Bright on wings of glory rise From out this Chrysalis of Mortal Clay. XXXIV " The infancy of Man such things re- peats From age to age; must we be fed on sweets Like children? Let's be content with facts," The Skeptic said, "nor sigh for dainty meats. xxxv "Sooth, who has asked? Why on your marrow bones? Why speak in suppliant wavering tones? Give ear to Nature's Law and learn it well ; Her's are no mystic rites ; no pomp of Thrones. 30 The Rubaiydt of the 20th Century XXXVI "This one thing doth she ask that you shall do — Giye earnest heed that one and one make two ; Add Fact to Fact; deduce by Logic Thought The Formula that states the Problem true. XXXVII " Important people are we, You and I, From our own standpoint. We're the reason why All things exist. Yet even as the grass We fade ; and just as impotently die. XXXVIII "To us, the Fading Flower a measure true Holds good of Life ; it failed, and then there grew From stock or seed, straightway an- other stalk, But gone for aye is that which once we knew." * * * * * * 31 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Ce7itury XXXIX Could we recoup the mould wherein are cast Fair Day and Night, when Day and Night are past, What sweet rehearsing of the Scenic Play Might come, in finished product, at the last. XL And then, with wise fore-knowledge, could but we, As, looking backward now, the Drama see, Forewarned had been tore-armed with magic spell ; How wise the Play ! How well our Part should be ! XLI Think but of that which yesterday the sun shone on ! Actors and Actresses they now are gone — How passing sweet, could we the Scene renew — The Characters redraw, as once were drawn ! 32 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XLII But since its Sun has sank to rise no more Were it not better far to shut the door Upon the Past and in the Present stay, Nor dream that it may have some glad encore? *rE SfC 3fC 3fC S|C SfC XLIII Can you conceive of Time the ceaseless flow, Which, ending or beginning may not know? Think of a stream witrj neither source nor mouth Whose all-embracing tide shall ever on- ward go ! XLIV "The mountains rear," you say, "to Heaven their wall ; The yawning valleys deep, between them fall." And yet, we know, from cosmic point of view, That but one simple curved line bounds them all. 33 Tlie Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XLV The whirring wheel, that marks the sec- ond's course — How can it guage those might realms of Force That in the Mainspring lie? Or move- ment slow Of it trace backward to its primal source? XLVI How strange, that from the mere insen- sate mold Should ceaseless spring such shapes as we behold ! Such Paragons, of structure marvel- lous, As those upon the Scroll of Life en- rolled ! XLVII Or that in substance so intangible Such mighty potencies of Force should dwell ! The bonds that bind us to the Solar Mass, And hold the great Star Universe as well! 34 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XLVIII When the Great Saki on the Heavenly floor Sapphire and Amethyst did wide out- pour, Star blazed on Star through all the circling dome, And deepest Darkness stayed the sight no more. XLIX Night's sable curtain then was upward rolled ; Backward flung its pall of darkness, fold on fold, When the great Star System's orient splendor Adown the Spaces broke in amethystine gold. L Dim fires that glowed, in firstlings of their birth As Morning rays that stream through mists of Earth, And thence in brightness wax from hour to hour, Till Noon's white light proclaims their fervid worth. 35 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century And then, the afternoon of fading light, That wanes, by slow degrees, to Cosmic Night Of planetary forms opaque, on which Life's Drama may attain some tragic height. LII The Dinosaur, could he his story tell, Might sound to human ears some sombre knell; Might tell of Cosmic Cyclone sweep- ing vast, As that which cast on Martinique its spell; LIII How split Earth's crust, from shore to shore, While downward deluging of waters pour Upon the central ball of liquid fire, And thence were outward cast with deaf- ening roar. 36 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LIV Dissociate gases — walls of blighting fire That upward to the topmost Heavens aspire ; Whose lurid sheet of Hell enwraps the Globe, And at whose touch, all Forms of Life expire. LV How often, think you, since Old Time began, Has been rehearsed such tragedy of Man? Race upward groping into sentient mould, Till sudden ending close its Life's brief span. LVI Evolvement slow, through Endless Time and Space And then the sudden, final, Coup-de- grace — Now here, now there, resounds the Knell of Fate- To Cosmic Ear the Requiem of a Race. 37 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LVII "That Tragic End," you say, "is but the curse Of Deity for Sin." Ah, no ; 'tis some- thing worse ! And, mark the sorry nature of the truth, 'Tis but an incidental play of Force ! LVIII — Unerring Law, that through Creation runs, Whose mighty Universe of Stars and Suns Their retinues of Planets each control, On which, perchance, some Mould of Life has sprung LIX From lowest root, and in their radiance bright Climbed slowly upward to the sentient height Of Reason; one fleeting moment basked therein — And then the Cosmic Finale, and the Night. 38 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LX Just for one little day, they preened their pride — " For us the World was made ; Creation wide The Gods have builded well for Man's abode," In such glad Faith they lived, and in it died. LXI "Since One has cared," they said, "Us to create, And planned our every want to satiate, By Faith, we know that he will guard and keep And raise Us to some future High Es- tate. LXII " For if a Life so brief bespeak such care, The Gods will sure, some Future Life prepare, And they who worthily shall labor here Shall reap a Life of Blissful Glory there." 39 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LXIII "Ah then," you say, "the Fools, per- chance, were wise. Where Ignorance is Bliss — why, then, the prize Of Life goes to the Fool. The goal of Life Is Joy; and he but wins, who joyful dies." LXIV And yet, is't fair, a frothing proverb's sound So should beguile, on Being's topmost round ? If that we dream should stand for that we have — Why then, the Beggar surely would be crowned. LXV Relapse to Fact ! Give Truth her right of way ! Who boasted yesterday — where now are they? The Shouting Seers, and they who followed on Alike, with mound of Earth, are crowned today. 40 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LXVl They asked the Whence and Whither of their Way — "Surely some Reason gives to Us our Day." 'Tis but the narrow view that deems it so ; All Life is but a happening of the Play. LXVII The Stage — the Universe ; the Actors — two — Matter and Force, whose interactions through All Space, mark the Eternities of Time. Lo, from the Old Evolvement cometh New ! LXVIII Then straight another voice took up the strain, That from Life's deepest root had rose again And from his standpoint gave a ver- sion true, That might the Miracle of Life explain. 41 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LXIX "In mixture due, of moisture heat and air Lo the Great Builder doth such Life prepare ! Foundations deep, beyond the ken of Man, Thence rising upward in a structure fair. LXX " Aye, if all mould of Life were wholly lost- Atoms dissociate, in Chaos tossed — Lo, from this primal stage of Noth- ingness Would the Great Builder start, nor count the cost. LXXI "Step onto step the mighty plan un- fold; Step add to step, as iEons vast un- rolled ! We pine for that we may not have, and yet, Would we half care, unending to be- hold? 42 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LXXII "One Potent Agent through Creation thrills ; No Space, minutest, but its presence fills; The Force we term electric — 'tis the same That wields the Universes as it wills. LXXIII " So you but tire of such vast Cosmic Play Then shall the Atom be to you a stay; See each to each in combination held By the same Power that rules the Heav- enly Way ! LXXIV " The Body's structure doth it permeate ; Each constituent atom actuate; And up from lowest realms, of mere brute sense That which we deem a Soul, doth thus create. 43 The Rubaiyat of the 20th Century LXXV "What else, think you, than this, could work the spell Whose primal fashioning enwrought the Cell, With power of reproduction of its Kind? On such Foundation, Lo, it buildeth well." LXXVI Yea, all Time's secrets are, but this re- vealed ; Its Entity, alone, to us concealed ; To Forms of Force and Life, how gives it birth? How, all their countless armies doth it wield? LXXVII Yon Sphere of blazing fire, whose radi- ance bright Endows this rolling Globe with Life and Light — What, think you, are the bonds whose tension holds Each bound to each, with such Titanic might? 44 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century LXXVIII Ask of the Atom — it doth feel the same — That forceful pull — you give to it a name And deem it thus explained; but who can give The very how and manner of the game? LXXIX Inscrutable ! Explain it if you can ; Just when, and where, and how, this Force began ! Its Essence what? Cognizance gives it not To sight or touch or any sense of Man. LXXX That which it does — that only can we see — The mighty Sum of all the things that be. Alike, the Atom and the Cosmic Mass Proclaim this vast potential Entity. 45 The Riibdiydt of the 20th" Century LXXXI Inspired by it, some Problems we have solved — The speed with which some distant star revolved — All Matter one with our familiar forms — Matter and Force, for aye, the same, in- volved. LXXXII "Ah, but," you say, "What's Matter, but a name? All Forms of it from out the Ether came ; Each into each, in last Resolvement given — Both, in the final outcome, are the same." LXXXIII If this be true, it follows then, of course, Matter, itself, is but compacted Force ; This is the Problem of the Later Day To trace the Law of Being to its source. 46 The Rubaiydt of the 20th Century LXXXIV Why then, if that be true, we can but say, Of Forms Material, " That for one Day- One Transient Day of Time, they do but stand, Then, back into the Unseen pass away. LXXXV "Why then, this Mighty World— this Rolling Ball, Yea ! all of Things that Be, are Spirits all ! In round of Change, they at the last, into Such Primal Form, intangible, shall fall." LXXXVI From Change to Change, — such is the Cosmic Scheme; And Things we deem that Are, they do but seem, In lapsing years of Endless Time they pass, Like as the baseless fabric of a Dream. 47 The Rubdiyat of the 20th Century LXXXVII " Ah, then ! " You say, " If it may true ap- pear That e'en in Matter Gross, such Change inhere, Why then, this matter-weighted, Hu- man Soul Shall surely rise, some day, to Higher Sphere. LXXXVIII "And they who jeered the erstwhile Form Divine, And but as Clay would all its scope de- fine — Lo now, the Flouted Clay, itself, doth change — Doth change, and with a Light Trans- figured shine ! " LXXXIX "You grasp at straws!" the Skeptic blandly spoke. "In thoughts of self your mind doth blindly grope; E'en as on ancient tombstone oft en- graved, Your reasoning powers have, ' died in joyful hope.' 48 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century xc "To Faith, it matters not that you may be But as one drop, dissolved in boundless sea — Nay, more — your very atoms scattered wide — Lost in the Realm of vast Immensity." xci If but you tire not of dull Logic's weight, Or proven Facts to recapitulate From whence deductions broad are made, Then these, will I, in turn, most briefly state. xcn By Science high there has been plainly shown The truth of Newton's Law, "All Force is one From Atom to the Star, and Distance Squared A measure true holds good from Mite to Sun." 49 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XCIII And others then, Experts in Chemic Lore, When tracing Actuation to the core, Have found the Force involved to be Electric, And to it all Atomic Force thus score. xciv And then the Wireless Message clearly proves The Medium of Space through which it moves To be Electric, and hence, the Ether vast One with Electric Force it plain be- hooves. xcv So these Concepts stand proved — then may not we Assume that it must demonstrably be That in the Ether lies the Potent Force Of all those Things Material that we see? 50 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century XCVI For if one Actuating Force alone, There be, from Atom to the Star, that zone Of Power must be Electric — since that it is Which in the Atom holds, as has been shown. xcvn And thus that old-time Problem of the Earth Solution finds, and Gravitation's worth, In terms of Force, the Ether wields ; 'tis this That rules the great Electric Universe. XCVIII Built up of Atoms ; into Atoms turned ; Man, one day born, the next day is eat by worms. Within the circle of his Life's brief span May he not yet, the Scheme of Being learn ? 51 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century xcix Think of the life of the Ephemeron ! How swift, to us, its years would seem go on ! Whose Birth, and Life and Death, — one fleeting day Should the full cycle of its Being con ! So like, mayhap, in Cosmic Time, may seem Those evanescent markings which we deem A measure fit, of Time ; that which we call Eternity, may be some transient gleam ci That, in recurring flashes, darts across The flood of Time Unending and is lost. Each Star Evolvement may but mark A passing hour unto the Cosmic Host. 52 Tlie Rubaiydt of the 20th Century en As one that journeys far by swiftest train, Where landscape flashes by and fields amain, With din of whirring wheels and noise of steam, So fast we rush, Life's farther shore to gain. cm Or like as bark, that on the billows whirled, For one brief day, its flaunting sails un- furled; Then straightway passed from sight, with westering Sun Adown the sloping border of the World. civ So brief the space betwixt us and the Gaol! So short the Day, ere Night doth on us roll! Could we the Rythm catch of Cosmic Time, Might we not grasp the meaning of the Whole? ****** 53 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century cv A Demon of Unrest once thralled me quite ; Enwrapped my Soul in gruesome, shad- owy light — What was the All of Space? Its limit where? Such question hurled I at the Cosmic Night. cvi About the border of the Rolling World I swept, on wings of Light, with pinions furled ; Slipped off the Robe of Clay, that weighted down, Then, as a sunbeam straight is onward hurled, cvn Outward I sped. All sense of Time was lost; One instant, had flashed by the outer post Of Planetary path, and then, the yawn- ing gulf Thrown out around each member of the Host. 54 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CVIII As One that dreams a dream, and wakes to hear Sweet Bells of Morn vibrate upon the ear, The daylight of another Sun had dawned — Had dawned and blazed, to sink, and disappear. cix And swift, there passed another, red, like wine; To right, and left, a Host, in serried line Swept by. The changing Constella- tions gleamed In combinations strange, that bore no sign. ex I caught the rythm vast, of Cosmic Time — Of slow Eternity's unending chime; The impact of the fleeting )'ears was lost, And Life, to me, was one immortal prime. 55 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXI Long ages of Old Earth had come and gone As still relentlessly, my course kept on. And now its multi-myriad hosts were passed, The great Star-system's outer verge was won — CXII Where trails its path of light the far- thest star. One seeming moment brief, did I debar The strident onward motion of my way; Then on my cosmic sight there gleamed afar, CXIII A glittering ring of opalescent light — Like diadem upon the brow of Night- Another Universe of radiant suns : Betwixt, there yawned abysmal depth 56 and height. 77/ e Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXIV As into these I plunged, the restful sense Of Cosmic Night fell on my Soul ; the tense Condition of the psychic nervedropped off, And all the gross concepts of Matter dense. cxv An Age — an iEon — were but points of Time ; The bells of vast Eternity, whose chime Unending is the music of the Spheres, Came sweet, as sound of an unceasing rhyme. cxvi I saw the birth, the ripening, and decay Of Stars and Suns ; I sensed the inter- play Of Force and Matter, and the outward whirl Of Systems vast, which gives to them their Day. 57 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXVII I marked the several stages of their course — Their slow absorption of Magnetic Force, As radiation brought that cooler state, From which such Potencies are not divorced. CXVIII As on our Earth, the thin and cooling shell E'en now, doth feel of Force such potent spell, So, at the last, 'twixt cosmic bodies cold, Magnetic bonds, with mighty strength impel. cxix And then — the final throes, in which Force hurled A Maelstrom Vast, of opaque Suns, which whirled In spirals inward, till a seething glow Of flaming Nebula was wide unfurled. 58 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century cxx Explosive, grinding impact, mass on mass ; Atoms dissociate, in Chaos cast ; Dissevered molecules — a spheric bulk- To this resolves the Universe at last. cxxi One phase was done of that unending course; Which flows from far, illimitable source ; One circling round, of number infinite, Of Matter wielded in the hands of Force. cxxn Such movement slow, can Mortal under- stand ? The opening and the shutting of a hand 'Twas like, from cosmic standpoint, but to view From Earth — no sight of Man might apprehend. 59 The Rubaiyat of the 20th Century CXXI1I Ten thousand time ten thousand had it been; Ten million times ten million, yet again ; No number vast could least approxi- mate A date, when Time's Eternal March began. cxxiv And Fancy's farthest stretch could see no end, Adown those long Eternities that blend In indistinguishable haze, in which The Future's mighty ^Eons, vast extend. cxxv To Mortal ear can one explain the way Of change to Time Unending? From the day That measure brief doth span, from sun to sun, To that, whose portals vast no bar shall stay? 60 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXXVI Can you to me the secret way disclose Of Force, which each Material Atom knows? The bonds, intangible to sense, that bind The Atom and the Cosmic Mass in throes cxxvn Of motion without end? The interplay Of Molecule, which forms, of Life, the stay? That phase of Evolution trace in full Which marks the outline of a Cosmic Day. CXXVIII Look at this miracle of Cosmic Force — Transmitted ceaselessly, from radiant source, A hundred million series intercross Of Ether waves, yet each distinctive holds. 61 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century cxxix Nothing is lost; no jar of Ether waves; No wastage of transmission, as it laves The far Eternities of Space — its sum The same — diffusion only, distance gave. cxxx "But Mortal Life," one said, "He stands aghast, Who views the mould wherein such Life is cast ; Its topmost height and flower is but a wreck, Which on rock and lee shore driveth fast." CXXXI "As for the Past — the least that's said were best ; Historic facts, in merest outline dressed, Were gruesome reading; he who dropped Oblivion's curtain on it — were thrice blessed." 62 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century cxxxn Go back to record dim of History — The ghoulish rites, anent the mystery That shrouded Life ; the Human Sac- rifice, Where altars smoked with blood — a Devil's orgie. CXXXIII Or note those times more recent in their date, When cruel persecution might await The Unbeliever and the Heretic, Whose feet might wander from the pre- scribed gate. CXXXIV Do you but mind the Thought of Yes- terday? The Ignorance, that even then held sway ? That made of Man, the buffet and the toy Of weirdly sportive Demons, in their play? 63 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century cxxxv Folks of this earlier day would time employ In argument — "Would God, indeed de- stroy With brimstone and with fire, those he had made?" To the Elect, a sort of sombre joy cxxxvi That he, himself, was saved, would ease the woe, And in a kind of grim perspective, show A background deep, of dark funereal hue, Which on high lights of bliss effect should throw. CXXXVII "Yea ! All of Men, in Hell shall seeth^ ing quake." So said, of old, the Seers. You say, " Mistake? Not all?" Why then, We'll say, "nine tenths ; " What minds? A fraction more or less we'll take. 64 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXXXVIII Most lucky thing it was, the scheme was naught ; For if such God had been, as Man had thought, 'Tis plain to see, He straight to Hell had sent They who for Him had held dishonor- ing thought. CXXXIX Vast Problems here, of Destiny per- plexed; All Time they filled— both This World, and the Next. Those of This World were hard enough to grasp — As for the Next, what might you then expect ! CXL Some wholly had their thoughts en- grossed in this — And some, in Worlds of Everlasting Bliss Took stock. Alike, were garnered in the sheaf, For He that reaped no single stalk did miss. 65 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXLI Some sought in pleasures deep, their sense to drown ; And others, for an Everlasting Crown. A long drawn note for Future Bliss sufficed For some; and other some preferred cash down. CXLII "I go where Honor calls," One said, forsooth, "Naught else the blood can sate of Fiery Youth." And yet, what higher Blazonry had Time Than simply this— A Servant of the Truth. cxliii The Dawn of Knowledge — this has brought the key To us of Life — the "Open Sesame" Of Fact, interpreted by Logic Thought, In light of which, ail things we plainly see. 66 Hie Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXLIV And )'et, we pine, betimes, for gleaming skies — Celestial Glories bright of Paradise; Alack ! and Alas ! for their banish- ment ! The Dream transcends the facts of the Wise. CXLV The Racial Thought, by Revelation newer, Bed rock of Truth has reached — founda- tions sure Are laid, whereon shall rise a structure grand, Whose outline clear no Mystery shall obscure. CXLVl But we miss the sweep of Angelic wings — Yea, something is gone from the Scheme of Things — That Gilded Dream of the radiant dawn, Which the glare of Noon to Oblivion flings. 67 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CXLVII And then One said, "What ! the Devil is dead? It's a rank mistake, that Science has made ! The Devil we surely can't do without, The failures up here of Justice, to aid. CXLVIII "Then, 'The Sweet Bye and Bye/ for which we sigh — You don't mean that's done for — knocked into pi? What else for the toils of Life would requite Like Unending Bliss in Mansions on High?" CXLIX "There must be a Boss, that answers for Fate." One said, "It's something preposterous to state, That this whole Universe hadn't a Maker! Itself, did anything ever create?" 68 The Rub&iy&t of the 20th Century CL "And what about Hell? Is that a mere fake? We've got to have that, just to keep things straight." He said: "And if there really is no Hell, It has certainly been a great mistake." CLI Then a Doctor, high in Microbic fame, Who, their shapes had studied, and knew by name, From his own Microscopical Stand- point The Problem of Life rose up to explain. CLII "The Eden, in which to Gods Man was kin, Means a Primal State where purely within The Body, there flowed the Life-giving blood. The Microbe stands for Original Sin ; 69 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLIII "Whose entrance brought ending to Joy everywhere, And made of this Earth a pestilent lair For myriad forms of Corruption most foul- One dark Ghehenna of Death and Despair." CLIV "But daylight breaks; soon the night will be past ; Science, clear-eyed, has her horoscope cast; Some rare anti-toxin the blood shall purge- Man's physical form will be saved, at the last." CLV A Physicist then spoke — " 'Tis but the weight Of Matter gross, that sets the final date To Life. A few, brief years, its load we bear, Then 'neath it sink ; this is the curse of Fate." 70 The Rubdiydt of the 20/h Century CLVl "A body, then of form etherial, Shall we create by cultures serial? Or trace some process new, of Force, that shall From weight absolve the dense mate- rial? CLVII "'Tis Force that first prepares the Mor- tal road, And gives to us the strength to bear the load; May it not, at the last, to him that seeks, Reveal the secret ways of Life's abode?" CLVIII The Savant's listening ear, this Message thrilled — "That Function true of Life had been instilled In Matter gross ; and by due process formed, Was Something to be made, just as one willed. 71 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLIX Life was Electric all ; and Vital Force Was Matter pregnant made, from such a source. Its potent spell with Being thus en- dowed The Primal Cell growth of the struct- ural course." CLX "'Twas thus," \ the Wireless Message plainly said, "That Life was first to Protoplasm wed, And thence by process of Evolvement slow, Had been, to Types of Higher Function led." CLXI The Psychist's ancient order blythe ex- pressed Their faith eternal, "that to be divest Of gross material clay, was cause for joy," And that, " by it," alone, the Soul was blest. 72 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXII "Could we with opened eyes the True Life sense, Our Ransomed Souls set free from Mat- ter dense, Then myriad hosts of gladsome Spirits bright For Mortal Life would more than recom- pense." CLXIII Which same a Materialist, hirsute and bland, Deemed a pure bluff, and would fain call the hand "Of the Beggarly Beggar that made it, Just to see," quoth he, "if he's got the sand." CLXIV The courteous Agnostic, calm and slow, Serenely smiling, viewed Time's fleeting show : On Dogmas of Belief, urbanely spoke This wisest word, " I really don't know. 73 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXV "The varied Creeds" he said "in this we blame, That with most zealous care they strive to gain Some place and power for Self, and thus would seek An answer for Life's Problem to obtain. CLXVI " For Us, the lofty Heights Impersonal ; To Us, All Truth its welcome tale shall tell, Unmarred by thought of Self. We take what comes. Whatever is, is right, and all is well." CLXVII Some claimed, "That Mind had a com- plete control Of Bodily Function, and governed the whole; And Death was but a cowardly habit, Superinduced by some weakness of Soul." 74 The Rubdiydt of tJie 20th Century CLXVIII And then, as voice that fell from some far spere, This Newer Gospel held the listening ear — "One Medium fills, of Space, the mighty realm, And all its Constellations doth uprear. CLXIX "Invisible, intangible to sense, Yet in, and by, and through it, Matter dense Is moved, like as a mere automaton, And all of Life derives its being thence. CLXX ''By it we keep in instant touch of sight With the Material World; what we term light Are but its quivering vibrations, with Whose ceaseless interplay, Space is be- dight." 75 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXXI Then straight one said — he of an elder school — "Say! If this Force, Omnipotent, doth rule, With outer limit none — a Cosmic Realm, In each direction, an unending gaol, CLXXII "If Force all Life doth build up and maintain — Create, and recreate, for aye the same, Then you will pardon me if I may state That what you deem a change, is but in name." CLXXIII "It's Law," I said, "in place of Despot's rod — Unerring Law of Force that holds the rod Of Empire, and that wields the Uni- verse." "But I," he said, "prefer to call it God. 76 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXXIV "For me the Faith of Morn— the Fairy Wand That gives to Life a zest — the Pilgrim Band That toils with Hope, and ever on- ward moves Toward the Shining Shore and Beulah Land." ****** CLXXV All Life is but a play ; some stake their game On gilded Nothingness, and reap the same ; The Bubble breaks; they grasp the empty air; And surely are not they, alone, to blame? CLXXV I Ah ! How Men strive for This World's wealth and power, Which, at its best, lasts but a fleeting hour ! And others, with a longer range, aspire To Crowns and Kingdoms of a Heavenly dower. 77 The Rubaiyat of the 20th Century CLXXVII Yea ! How they strive with strategem and wile, Through all the winding, devious, ways of Guile ! But in the reading of the Broader View Say, Brother, is it really worth the while? CLXXVIII You thought to bribe St. Peter at the gate, Such store of gathered ducats you will take ! What if the Gateman be not there at all? What if the Dreamer did but dream a fake ? CLXXIX Then wer't not better you had lived care free ? If such be Life, and only this Life be, Why, then, with every lowest Child of Earth You may but feel a bond of sympathy. The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXXX Live and let live, while yet there's place and room ; Fades soon the flower, how bright soe'er its bloom — The whole Earth did you want? Why, really, now, You may not take it with you to the Tomb. CLXXX 1 Yea ! If I deem as Gold some Metal Base, And hoard and store the same with eager haste, Myself, alone, ma}' I berate, when, at the last My Gold is Dross, my Diamonds are but Paste. CLXXXII "If Gold to Dross, and Hope to Ashes turn. What then," I asked, "may fires of Truth not burn? If remnant none, is left from hoarded store What Moral hence be drawn, that one may learn? " 79 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXXXIII Then, on my anxious ear, there broke a trill So full of Life and Joy that it might fill The Heavens high with soul-enrap- turing song, And all my sombre reasoning passed as nil ; — CLXXXIV "Heed not the Morrow ! But enjoy To- Day ! To live is Joy ; be happy while you may!" Never Philosophy was wiser heard Than from this feathered songster, in his lay. CLXXXV "But Hope," I said, "and Joy, so soon are spent ! What then," I asked, "for Mortals may be meant?" Then trilled the Bird a minor note that said — "Whatever cometh, let us be content." * # # * * * 80 The Rubdiydt of the 20th Century CLXXXVI Yea ! All things have an End. All doth but pass ! Full well we know We are but as the grass ! And so, when You have drained the Cup of Life, Your thanks express, and downward turn the glass. 81 THE SONG OF THE STARS "To him that believeth," Faith fervently cried, "There are Mansions of Bliss, just over the tide ; There's a City Supernal, of a splendor so bright That mortal eye may not cope with the sight; He that believeth — the Truth he will know. Its walls are of jasper, and its streets are of gold; Its gates are of pearl, and its glories unfold Unto him that believeth — ever thus be it so ! " 83 The Song of the Stars "Aye, fair is the Life Immortal ! In the radiant City of Light ! Whoso that passeth its portal Shall be robed in its garments of white. Time shall not age nor tempests alarm Through all the unending years." Thus, in its synchronous chorus, Sang the Song of the Spheres. Then a voice rose up in lugubrious swell, With a sound like a dirge, and a tone like a knell; It echoed along the dark Portals of Night And the Legions of Faith shrank back in affright; — ' Swift falleth the pall of enveloping Doom ; Morn breaketh not on the Night of the Tomb. 84 The Song of the Stars Those are but Words— idle Words, that are beating the air — A phantasm of Hope, that forerunneth Despair — They are but Dreams — passing Dreams, that waking, are gone — An Echo prolonged of Man's Infantile Song — An Exhalant Vapor, that goes with the breath — A Flickering Gleam on the frontlet of Death." "All Life is wearisome labor Day after day of trouble and moil ; Sweet is the Night that evermore brings Rest from its purposeless toil." Down through the Limitless Spaces, Where is naught that stays or debars, In soothing refrain, thus to Mortals Came the cheery Song of the Stars. 85 The Song of the Stars When the Visions of Gladness had palled on the sight, And the Wailings of Sadness had waned in their might, The calm tones of Wisdom rose sweet on the ear, Like a Pean, far-sounding, but lowly and clear ; — " 'Neath the Banner of Knowledge — in the Knighthood of Truth — Life's stream floweth ever, in unending Youth. The Acolyte, meekly that waits at my shrine, Is bedight with the panoply of Service Divine ; I reward not with riches, or mansion, or throne ; A love for the Truth is my Guerdon alone." Ceased was the voice ; then, o'er the hush of the calm Broke the joyous Star Chorus, with Symphonic Psalm. — 86 The Song of the Stars " He that shall wait upon Wisdom — Who the Light of her Face shall be- hold— Shall be glad, with the Joy of the Morn- in & As it paints all the sky with its gold. Her's is the full note harmonic, With no jarring discord to mar ; Only with her is Happiness found, To, the bound of the uttermost star." A Pilgrim Savant, tired and worn, had reached, at last, the gaol Whose topmost height all Truth reveals, in full perspective whole. "In broadest view, the Past," he said, "seems but an empty name, Evolvement from Evolvement falleth, evermore the same ; The Universes come and go, responsive to the call Of that unseen but potent Force that ever wields them all ; S7 The Song of the Stars And ever on the changing tide, in shift- ing view, remote or near From out the vast Unknowable, Life's evanescent forms appear. All Space the viewless Ether fills, with no smallest break or flaw And every Atom actuates, by definite, unchanging Law. In ultra-microscopic form — below the range where sight finds place It lays the deep foundations, whose top- stone is the Human Race. The Spectrum reads the flashing ray, from dim, remotest star And finds the same integral elements in motion everywhere. Their swift vibrations mark the throb- bing of the Universal Soul; Matter and the Force that wields it, are, each, a unitary whole. To him that grasps the Cosmic Problem, in its full concept I trow The Past, the Present and the Future, are one eternal — Now." 88 The Song of the Stars Then a mighty, chorusing shout Went up from the hurtling Spheres, As, in widening circles outward, It broke on the lapsing years : — "Lo, the riddles are solved of Space and of Time ! Man has compassed the gaol of the Omniscient Ken ! He is one with us in his knowledge sub- lime ! Even as Gods are the Sons of Men?" 89 EPILOGUE !"7 T IS hardly necessary to state ««« that tke Author of this Modern mm , , J Rubaiyat has no Creed to main- tain — No Dogma to be carefully guard- ed. The Revelation of Demonstrable Fact and Logical Deduction therefrom, is, to him, the only Revelation requiring credence. You, as a Professed Christian, say, "That such Revelation comes from the Infinite Father, himself, and that all knowledge comes from God." Well, be it so ! Then this is the one infallible communication which the Race is receiv- ing from Him. Other Revelations, on which human creeds and beliefs are founded, ancient and modern, are con- stantly changing, to adapt themselves 91 Epilogue to the formulated record of this new and veracious Chronicler of the Truth. Other, so-called Revelations from the Infinite, clash in their beliefs, and are contradictory, the one to the other. Each of the isolated nations of antiquity appear to have been supplied with its own home-made assortment of Gods and Goddesses, which, in their conception, fairly represented the civilization, or want of civilization, of their several peoples. Then, take the World of to-day. Relig- ious dogma is one thing to the Moham- medan, another to the Buddhist, or the follower of Confucius, and another, as delivered to the ancient Hindu, not to speak of the innumerable hostile and warring beliefs of the variegated creeds of Christianity itself. "Man's inhumanity to Man," may, doubtless, be accredited, in no small degree, to the theological conception of 92 Epilogue a Supreme Being, who, though Omnipo- tent, yet allowed suffering, want and death, in every variety of excruciating agony, to be inflicted upon the Beings he had created. The logical inference necessarily followed that such things were inevitable, and even necessary, and hence we find the most atrocious cruel- ties of man to man, on the pages of recorded history, of nation upon nation perpetrated in the name of their Gods. To the rival national Deities, as inter- preted by their several priesthoods, the outsiders were but Heathen, to be sum- marily blotted out and exterminated. This was the pattern held up for so long to the Race. To the Higher Law of the old time Religionaire humanity was a dangerous sentiment, and one to be indulged in only under prescribed conditions. Even to our Puritan fore- fathers, most worthy men as they were, 93 Epilogue in many respects, the Deity, whom they abjectly worshiped, had foreordained the vast majority of the race to an end- less torture in the flames of Hell; a matter to which they piously referred, as "the will of God." To the Simon- pure brand of the Elect, the persecution of Non-conformists; the torturing and burning of witches and those, suppos- edly, "possessed of the Devil," were not merely allowable, but stern matters of duty, to be neglected under peril of an eternal personal damnation. Verily, the words of Christianity's founder, — "I come not to bring Peace, but a Sword,'' have been more than justified, even up to comparatively recent dates in the World's history. The Revelations of Science, to the Race, on the contrary, when once demon- strably established, are world-wide in their acceptance, and everywhere the 94 Epilogue same. Like the sunshine and the rain, it comes with a benign benediction of healing and sustenance to Humanity. No bloody war was ever waged to estab- lish her dogmas. It comes, too, through the only men- tal faculty worthy of credence — that of the intellect, and of logical demonstra- tion. Superstition and Mysticism are discredited witnesses in the court of highest human appeal. They are noto- riously unworthy of belief, whether as to the miracles of the present day, or those of hundreds or thousands of years aback. Myth and tradition are the merest cob- web gossamer in the clear light of pres- ent everyday Science. But then — how it jars on the self-con- sciousness, the amour propre, of the indi- vidual Human that the sum total of a Life Evolvement, whether that of a sin- gle planet, or that of the mighty realm 95 Epilogue of the Sidereal Universe in its entirety, from a cosmic point of view, is an abso- lute zero. A simple O, with neither affix nor prefix to give it value, in the final reckoning of a star system evolve- ment will exactly express the product and the remainder. Nothing, apparent- ly, is carried over. The slate is wiped clean. It is even doubtful, from the later standpoint, whether the erstwhile matter of the Star System, itself, can be safely reckoned on. The sands of Time carry, on their ever changing surface, no permanent record which the all-devour- ing waves of Oblivion may not obliterate. The net result of all the enormous interactions of Force and Matter, shown in a sidereal evolution, from the human standpoint, is, presumably, absolutely nothing. Matter, which, in the course of such evolvement, may have attained to very complicated conditions of mole- 96 Epilogue cular grouping, reverts back again to the dissociate atom, or, at the farthest, has more or less transposition into the universal medium, the Ether. No Life continuity is traceable, or seemingly, possible, from one evolvement to an- other. Hitherto, Science has, in fact, utterly failed to demonstrate the exist- ence of any form of individual Life en- tity, dissociated from the material physi- cal existence. The brilliant Oriental and Mediaeval imagination, which in the lack of exact knowledge, peopled the realms of space with, "an innumerable company of An- gels," and a host of departed spirits ; with Gods and Goddesses ; and our own Earth with Fauns and Satyrs; Nymphs and Dryads, of varied form and habitat; that mapped out a Nether World, or Hades, with its own peculiar set of occu- pants, is recognized by the Science of 97 Epilogue to-day at its actual valuation — a waking dream of the morning of the Race — beautiful, in many of its conceptions, but — only a dream. "Lest we forget," it may bear repe- tition that the net result of each of the periodic interactions of Matter and Force, shown in the Star System, from what seems at present, as the final scien- tific point of view, is an exact zero — neither plus nor minus, in either direc- tion. If the later estimate of Matter proves ultimately correct, the propor- tions of the two factors Matter and Force — the sole tenants of a limitless Space — may vary, through resolvement of the one into the other, but, the sum of the two must be regarded as a con- stant and unchangeable quantity. How wasteful it all seems from the human, economic standpoint ! The ac- cumulated culture and material posses- 98 Epilogue sions of a Race, and the Race, itself, wiped out at one fell swoop, or by a gradual failure of conditions which ren- der such Life possible. A, seemingly, interminable aeon of Life evolvement from the primal cellgrowth to the fin- ished Human product — and then, at the last, this chef-d'oeuvre of the ages, and all of his priceless accumulations thrown away — discarded as a worthless bauble ! Oh, the sorry nature of the process ! The wasteful prodigality of it all ! And then think of the endless diapason of Human Sorrow ever throbbing an ac- companiment ! to the remorseless march of a planetary evolvement ! A perfected physique ! and all - probing knowledge and mental acumen of the individual, as of the Race, acquired, but to be ruth- lessly scattered ! ****** 99 L Epilogue The transition from Subjective Philos- ophy to a Logical Deduction from ascer- tained data, as the fundamental basis of Human Knowledge, marks the begin- ning of a new era in the advancement of the Race. Henceforth, its founda- tions were sure, and, step by step, has been builded upon it the magnificent structure of Modern Science. The practical demonstration of the theory of Life Evolution in the latter half of the 19th century, marked a great advance by the Race, in the direction of acquired knowledge. A summit had been attained, from which, above the low-lying mists of Ignorance and Super- stition, the eye might sweep the broad horizon of Truth. Henceforth, to the dweller on the heights, the Supernatural was a factor eliminated from the entire domain of Human Thought. With the advent of 100 Epilogue this basic truth the Miraculous had stepped down and out, or, at the most, remained, as in many cases, a dearly cherished relic of the Dream-land of the Past. Nevertheless, it brought, and is bringing, in its trail, like all new things, more or less of havoc and disaster. All new ideas are iconoclasts. They remorselessly smash the Idols, venerated mayhap, by generation after generation of Human Kind. They never stop to inquire whether it is within themselves to satisfactorily supply the place of the old. Ruthlessly, they shatter and, when the ground is cleared, we must, perforce, accept that which remains. Yet, no sane man — no rightly balanced intellect — asks for aught else than Truth. The inherent, hereditary ingredient of Superstition works in an ever narrowing field as the race rises in the scale of in- telligence. The Revelations that come 101 Epilogue through the medium of acquired fact and logical deduction are the only ones be- fore which Science humbly bows ; or rather, we may say, on which she proudly stands. Newton with his Law of Gravi- tation ; La Place with his Mecanique Celestial ; Darwin with his Origin of Species ; Clerk-Maxwell with his Elec- tro-Magnetic Theory of Light, each marked off the result of a long day's march, in the toilsome upward path of Humanity toward the higher table-land of Truth. These, and a host of other tireless workers, many of them not less widely known, supply the data from which come the broad generalizations of to-day. And — at the last — how simple it all is ! This orderly, unceasing order of events ! And yet, sorry are we to say it, — how almost infinitely little becomes Man, as relating to the whole ! 102 Epilogue The fervid, old-time Theologue who placed the whole created Universe in one scale of the balance and found it overweighted by the Soul of the Hum- blest Human placed in the other, has, perforce, to take a back seat. His vivid peroration, in the light of Modern Science, was a work of the imagination, pure and simple. Life, in its entirety of planetary evolvement, is a transient happening, of no Cosmic moment — sim- ply an incidental actuation of the uni- versal Force Medium, the Ether, neces- sarily occurring, under certain conditions of aggregations of material particles. And then, the Force Medium, itself, which holds the planets and the innum- erable members of the Star System in their orderly movement and grouping, is that same which actuates the chemical and molecular grouping of atoms ; the same which runs our street cars ; our tel- 103 Epilogue egraphs and telephones. We term it Electricity and measure its potentials in volts of tensional strength and amperes of quantity. By its manipulation of the material particles within the bodily frame it is the Maintainer and reproducing Evolver of all the varied and varying forms of Life Organisms. Now let us grasp some of the indi- cated cosmic potentialities of this Uni- versal Force Medium. From seemingly limitless distances of Space, in every direction, the light of the countless radi- ating members of the great Star System is transmitted to us by a similar vibra- tory action of the Ether, showing that it everywhere pervades the Universe, with an everywhere manifest similarity of Force actuation. Interpreted by the spectrum, the distant cosmic bodies, from which such radiations emanate, are shown to be of precisely the same ele- 104 Epilogue ments with which we are familiar. Un- der suitable conditions, we can hardly otherwise than infer that the surfaces of the innumerable planetary bodies accom- panying these radiant, life-giving Suns are, likewise, the abode of countless types and species of Life forms, moving upward in the slow steps of physical and mental development, even as here. Much ingenuity has been exercised by learned minds, familiar with the effects of environment upon type, in the varied species of our own planet, in conjecturing the diversity of phases which life forms might assume under the widely differing conditions existing on cosmic bodies. What form of Life will exist on the great planet Jupitei when it shall have become sufficiently cool for an orderly life development? A surface attraction of some six or seven times that of the Earth, such as will presumably obtain 105 Epilogue when its mass shall have attained the normal density associated with a cooled opaque exterior, would, necessarily, bar the ordinary forms of Life familiar here. In fact, a race of pigmies excessively dwarfed as to size, would seem as abso- lutely called for, although in the water a larger physical development might pre- vail. The many times greater atmos- pheric pressure would also require a special adaptation of the organisms. Altogether, the widely differing factors of the environment would hardly seem encouraging for a Life development such as would seem a desirable one, from a mundane point of view. The burden of gravitation would be an almost crush- ing one, on the bodily frame, unless, in- deed, through the agency of Natural Selection with its correlated Survival of the Fittest, a bodily form of excessive strength and lightness might result. 106 Epilogue On the other hand, a cosmic mass like our own Moon or one of the numerous family of the asteroids, provided they were able to maintain upon their surface the, seemingly, necessary concomitants of air and water for the period of time re- quired to bring out any considerable life evolvement, would appear to offer excep- tionally favorable life conditions. The same degree of physical strength, in the body, accompanied by a reduction of gravitative weight to one quarter or an eighth part of the load we now carry would seem to mean a life of tireless energy — a surplus of stored strength, with a minimum of toil and labor. In such an easy-going existence, with all the untaxed faculties free to cope with the requirements of the environment, a full solution of the varied problems of Life and Matter would seem easy of attainment. 107 Epilogue How, then, about Life continuity, as related to the immaterial persistence of a planetary evolvement,initshighertype? One simple fact would seem to stand, as an insurmountable barrier to a philo- sophic belief in this direction. As stated previously, the Human Race — legend and superstition to the contrary, notwith- standing — has never, in a scientifically demonstrable manner, come into contact with an entity other than those of the physical life forms of our planet. An immaterial entity is a thing, so far, un- known to Science. With our present understanding of the evolutionary process and the sameness of Matter and Force action throughout the Universe we can fairty postulate about each of the radiating centers of the Star System an accompanying plane- tary retinue in a more or less opaque condition of exterior surface. For the 108 Epilogue same reason we may likewise assume, upon these, life forms in varied and dif- fering stages of evolvement. Could we bridge, in our conceptions, che narrow bit of space that intervenes between ourselves and our neighboring planet Mars, with which we have a con- stant vibratory, ether intercommunica- tion of only five or six minutes in its transmission, possibly we might meet even there, with cosmic Life conditions which in their foreshadowing of a tragic denouement to the perfected flower of a planetary evolvement should stir the broadest sympathies of the Earth- dweller. A great Race, mayhap, with hundreds of thousands of years of re- corded history; one, perchance, that from the far off morning of Historic Time has mastered the secret of an indi- vidual physical Life Continuity and that has held in its own hand for centuries 109 Epilogue almost innumerable a practical control of the numerical output and perpetuity of the physical organism, itself, and yet finds itself face to face with the near failure of air and water upon the plane- tary surface. We can rest assured those superior intellects would, under such conditions put up a splendid fight for existence, in ways hardly comprehensi- ble to our duller conceptions. The natu- ral process, upon a planetary surface, of a dissociation of its waters into oxides and hydrocarbons, by contact with the heated interior mass, would perhaps, be reversed by an artificial dissociation of the original products, or the unlimited potencies of the Universal Force Me- dium drawn upon, in some, at present, to us, unexplainable manner, for pur- poses of sustenance and warmth. The now arid and airless surface of the Moon has, doubtless, had some form 110 Epilogue of a Life History extending through that very prolonged period of the Earth's existence, in which our present oceans formed a vast, vaporous envelope of the planet, itself, with a more or less con- tinuous precipitation and explosion into steam upon the heated surface. Whether the Moon-voyaging, rummag- ing Antiquarian of a coming time would be able to find relics of a former intelli- gent raceis a problem necessarily depend- ing on the nature of the lighter material originally thrown off from the nebulous Earth mass, as well as to the duration of the period in which Life conditions, as we know them, were possible. Then take Life in its broader cosmic significance, as related to the evolutions of Matter. Go back a thousand million of our years, or, mayhap, ten thousand million, till we reach that long ago epoch of a prior evolution of the material Star 111 Epilogue System. Make it a million or a million of million of such inconceivable periods of Time. Undoubtedly, Life, all along that mighty stretch of immeasurable years, was everywhere a concomitant of material evolvement. Where are the Denizens of that hoary antiquity of the Past ? Some, doubtless, there were, even as now, whose intel- lects were enshrouded, ostrich-like, in the all-enveloping sand of a subjective hypothesis and in the childish imagery of Faith saw, ever and anon, the won- derful mirage of a Golden City and pearly gates, beyond, what, to their vision was but a river to be crossed. Time's Lost Children were these. But where are the unshackled of intellect, the clear-sighted, who marched down- ward and outward into an ocean they knew to be shoreless ? Where are the courageous, the strong-hearted, who with 112 Epilogue a calm serenity contemplated the blank wall of Fate up against which their course was inevitably leading, but re- pined them not? Alike of the one and the other the spaces are ominously silent. Alike, as to him that died yesterday, and to those of the hoary antiquity of a past Star System evolvement, comes no answer- ing note. Ye brave, courageous Souls, who on Evolvement's topmost height have seen all Truth with clear-eyed vision, and with calm self-effacement have gazed undauntedly, and with unblanched face upon the black wall of Night and Silence that loomed across your pathway, even now, as we grasp the full meaning of a planetary Life Evolvement, we feel a straining bond of sympathy reaching backward into the hoary antiquity of the Time -that -knows -no -Beginning. The 113 Epilogue Song of Life we sing to-day ; the dirge of Fate we chant ; how often has it echoed down the limitless aisles of the past eternities in all the variations of beatific hope; of calm enjoyment, and a yet calmer despair ! The mutations of birth, life, and final extinction of the individual entity, repro- duced in the race, in its entirety; the passionate cry of the Lost Children of Time for an unending Eternity of joy and love; the wail of foreboding sad- ness, and the proud serenity of Knowl- edge, that calmly bows to the all-potent Wand of Fate, elicit no response. The spaces, to-day, as yesterday, are silent. No scroll holds the records of the mighty races, which Time and Force, in their ceaseless rounds, have evolved, in the hoary past of millions of millions of Star System evoivements. They have passed, even as the mighty life races 114 Epilogue peopling the unending realms of Space to-day are passing. But the new is coming. The process is to be repeated ; repeated without end. The yet unborn, oncoming generations of Star System Evolvements, even as those that have gone, are endless in their continuity of extension. Oh, Great Souls of the Past, to whose clear-eyed vision all the secret things of Matter and of Life were but as an open book, we apologize to You ! Our Race is but of Yesterday. The slime of the Protoplasmic Ooze is yet upon our gar- ments. Only a little way aback, and we were worshiping Dumb Idols of wood and stone — the work of our own hands. A little time agone, and we were offer- ing up our fellows on sacrificial altars, in a servile, cringing fear of the Un- known. Hardly, even now, have we ceased striving to propitiate an imag- 115 Epilogue inary, vindictive Diety by a cruel perse- cution of our Brothers. We are yet saturated with Superstition, and are as Slaves, not yet emancipated from its abject, grovelling bondage. CALCHAS. 116 APR 3 1903