Part 24 (1/2)
”Does it minister to any other sense than the hearing?”
”It does not, although I have seen a vague promise somewhere of an invention by which we could see an image of the person we were speaking to.”
”If that is all, I shall be able to give you a pleasant surprise,”
pursued Thorwald. ”Just sit in those chairs, and do nothing but keep your eyes open and listen.”
We saw him arrange a series of long panels, in which were elegant mirrors, and then, as he gently pulled an ivory k.n.o.b, there fell upon our ears, very faintly, like distant echoes, strains of the most delicious music. Gradually the tones became louder and more defined, and Zenith, with a quick smile and glance, directed our attention to the opposite side of the room. There our wondering eyes beheld the orchestra with whose notes we were then enchanted. There must have been a hundred players or more, and we seemed to be looking upon them from a distance which would bring the whole group within the bounds of the room. It was not a picture thrown on a screen, but was as if the musicians were actually present. Every motion made with their instruments was in exact accord with the accompanying note, and, wherever this orchestra might have its local habitation, it was certainly playing before our little audience that morning.
As the selection ended the scene faded away under the manipulation of Thorwald, and in a moment the room was filled with a harmony of voices such as I had never heard on the earth. And now the great chorus appeared, crowding this time three sides of the apartment and rising, tier on tier, to the ceiling. We could see the glad faces of the singers and knew how they must be enjoying their work. Brilliant solo parts burst out from one side and the other, and again from the middle throng, but it was impossible to tell from what individual singers these notes came.
When this scene, too, had pa.s.sed and the music, all too soon, had ceased, Thorwald made haste to answer the inquiry he saw in our faces by saying:
”These concerts are now being given in two cities, both of them several thousand miles east of here, so far that it is now afternoon there. If we desire music after dinner this evening we can make connection with some city west of us, and by going farther west we can invoke sweet sounds to soothe us to sleep. Being connected with all the musical centers, you can see how, by trying either one direction or the other, we can have something worth hearing at any hour of the day or night, with the players and singers themselves employed, of course, only in the daytime. We have daily programmes of every concert sent us by telephone.
They are received here, you see, and printed automatically on these sheets.”
Zenith had watched us with eager interest during this marvelous exhibition. It was a novel experience, for they had never before had the opportunity of showing this perfected invention to those entirely ignorant of it, and they both enjoyed seeing the pleasure which must have beamed from our faces. I wanted to say something, but could think of nothing fit for the occasion, and was relieved to hear the doctor speak:
”My good friends,” said he, ”do not try to show us anything beyond this or we shall lose our mental balance. I believe in fairyland now, for I have just come from there. I never paid much attention to music on the earth, and did not feel any shame for it either, but I am now sure it will be to my everlasting disgrace if I neglect it another day.”
This speech pleased Zenith exceedingly, and her emotion made her voice and manner more charming than ever as she said:
”If you stay with us, Doctor, you shall have plenty of good music, and you will soon become not only a music lover but a music maker, for every Martian is proficient in this art.”
”Do you think,” asked the doctor, ”that there is the faintest hope that the earthly music will ever reach the high standard of that we have just heard?”
”Thorwald has told me something of your history,” Zenith replied, ”and I share his strong faith in your happy destiny. It seems to me that your race is equal to any achievement you have witnessed here, and even greater things, but it will take much time. Such changes are very slow.
As for us, we hope we are still making advancement in music. We have few higher employments, and hardly one in which we are more entirely engrossed. It was given to us at an early stage of our development, and all through our troubled course music has been one of the chief influences for good. It has helped to keep hope alive during the darkest periods of our history, and has always been a mighty incentive toward a higher spiritual state. As your race advances I am sure you will realize more and more the beauty and value of this art, heaven-born and exhaustless.”
We all smiled at Zenith's happy a.s.surance that the earth was on the upward path, and Thorwald said:
”You see hope is contagious. But as we have been through all your present troubles and have triumphed over them, it is perhaps easier for us to believe in you than for you to believe in yourselves.
”And now, should you like to see how the telephone works in every-day matters?”
On our replying in the affirmative, Thorwald turned a switch, waited a moment, turned it again, and then there appeared before our eyes a familiar object, nothing less than the s.h.i.+p in which we had made our recent voyage. A number of the men, whom we recognized, were walking about the deck, and one stood apart, near the side of the vessel, conversing with Thorwald, the words of both being audible to us. When they were through, the scene faded away and Thorwald said:
”As soon as the s.h.i.+p reached its dock connection was made with the general system of wires, and the instrument, which is stationed near the place where the man was standing, was ready for use.
”So, whenever we desire to talk to our friends, we summon them to our presence. You see it is not necessary to speak directly into the transmitter. We can sit comfortably in our chairs and converse as easily as when our friends are actually present.”
”Let me ask you, Thorwald,” said the doctor, ”how all the electricity you use is generated? The immense quant.i.ty you employ must necessitate a great deal of power to produce it. Is there a huge plant in every city driven by steam?”
”No,” answered Thorwald. ”We make no use of steam in these days. All the power we need is obtained from natural waterfalls and rapids. This power, which nature has placed ready made at our hand, is so abundant that it can never be exhausted.”
”These waterfalls must fortunately be well distributed,” remarked the doctor.
”Not more so, I presume, than on the earth,” Thorwald made answer.
”Every stream that runs in its bed has in it a power proportioned to the volume of water and the swiftness of its current. Think of the amount of water wasted every day in this way--no, not wasted, but unused. We do not need, however, to utilize ordinary streams, as there are enough great falls where power is transformed into electricity to be sent over wires to any distance required. In every city or district large storage facilities are provided from which power can be obtained for all possible purposes. Our beds of coal and wells of oil were long since exhausted, but while rain falls and water runs this power can never fail us.