The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
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a perfect respect and obedience to_the swollen heads .

" the making of_these various sorts of operative must_be a very curious and interesting process . I_am very_much in_the dark about_it, but quite recently I_came upon a number of young Selenites confined in jars from_which only the fore-limbs protruded, who were being compressed to_become machine-minders of a special sort . the extended ' hand' in_this highly developed system of technical education is stimulated by irritants and nourished by injection, while the rest of_the body is starved .Phi-oo, unless I misunderstood him, explained that in_the earlier stages these queer little creatures are apt to display signs of suffering in their various cramped situations, but they easily become indurated to_their lot; and he_took me on to where a number of flexible- minded messengers were being drawn out and broken in . it_is quite unreasonable, I_know, but such glimpses of_the educational methods of_these beings affect me disagreeably . I_hope, however, that_may pass off, and I may_be_able to_see more of_this aspect of_their wonderful social order . that wretched- looking hand- tentacle sticking out of_its jar seemed to_have a sort of limp appeal for lost possibilities; it haunts me still, although, of_course_it_is really in_the end a far more humane proceeding than our earthly method of leaving children to grow into human beings, and then making machines of_them .

" quite recently, too - i_think it_was on_the eleventh or twelfth visit I_made to_this apparatus - I had a curious light upon_the lives of_these operatives . i_was being guided through a short cut hither, instead of going down the spiral, and by_the quays to_the central sea . from_the devious windings of a long, dark gallery, we emerged into a vast, low cavern, pervaded by an earthy smell, and as things go in_this darkness, rather brightly lit . the light came from a tumultuous growth of livid fungoid shapes - some indeed singularly like our terrestrial mushrooms, but standing as high or higher than a man .

"'Mooneys eat these ? ' said I to Phi-oo .

"' yes, food .'

"' goodness me ! ' I cried; ' what's that ? '

" my eye had just caught the figure of an exceptionally big and ungainly selenite lying motionless among_the stems, face downward . we stopped .

"' dead ? ' I asked .( for as_yet I_have_seen no dead the moon, and I_have grown curious .)

"' no ! ' exclaimed Phi-oo .' him - worker - no work to_do . get little drink then - make sleep - till we him want . what good him wake, eh ? no want him walking about .'

"' there's another ! ' cried I .

" and indeed all that huge extent of mushroom ground was, I_found, peppered with_these prostrate figures sleeping under an opiate until the moon had need of_them . there were scores of_them of all sorts, and we were able to_turn over some_of_them, and examine them more precisely than I had_been able to previously . they breathed noisily at my doing_so, but did_not wake . one, I remember very distinctly: he left a strong impression, i_think, because some trick the light and of_his attitude was strongly suggestive a drawn- up human figure . his fore-limbs were long, delicate tentacles - he_was some kind of refined manipulator - and_the pose of_his slumber suggested a submissive suffering . no_doubt it_was a mistake for to interpret his expression in_that way, but I_did . and as Phi-oo rolled him over into_the darkness among_the livid fleshiness again I_felt a distinctly unpleasant sensation, although as he rolled the insect in him was confessed .

" it simply illustrates the unthinking way in_which one acquires habits of feeling . to drug the worker one does_not want and toss him aside is surely far better than to expel him from_his factory to wander starving in_the streets . in every complicated social community there_is necessarily a certain intermittency of employment for all specialised labour, and in_this_way the trouble of an ' unemployed' problem is altogether anticipated . and yet, so unreasonable are even scientifically trained minds, I still do_not like the memory of_those prostrate forms amidst those quiet, luminous arcades of fleshy growth, and I avoid that short cut in_spite of_the inconveniences of_the longer, more noisy, and more crowded alternative .

" my alternative route takes me round by a huge, shadowy cavern, very crowded and clamorous, and here it_is I_see peering out_of_the hexagonal openings of a sort of honeycomb wall, or parading a large open space behind, 01 selecting the toys and amulets made to_please them by_the dainty-tentacled jewellers who work in kennels below, the mothers of_the moon world - the queen bees, as it were, of_the hive . they_are noble- looking beings, fantastically and sometimes quite beautifully adorned, with a proud carriage, and, save for their mouths, almost microscopic heads .

" of_the condition of_the moon sexes, marrying and giving in marriage, and of birth and so forth among_the Selenites, I_have as_yet been able to learn very little . with_the steady progress of Phi-oo in English, however, my ignorance will no_doubt as steadily disappear . I_am of opinion that, as with_the ants and bees, there_is a large majority of_the members in_this community of_the neuter sex . of_course on earth in_our cities there_are now many who never live that life of parentage which_is the natural life of man . here, as with_the ants, this thing has become a normal condition of_the race, and_the whole of_such eplacement as is necessary falls upon_this special and by no means numerous class of matrons, the mothers of_the moon- world, large and stately beings beautifully fitted to bear the larval selenite . unless I misunderstand an explanation of Phi-oo's, they_are absolutely incapable of cherishing the young they bring into_the moon; periods of foolish indulgence alternate with moods of aggressive violence, and as_soon_as_possible the little creatures, who_are quite soft and flabby and pale coloured, are transferred to_the charge of celibate females, women 'workers' as it were, who in some cases possess brains of almost masculine dimensions ."

just at_this point, unhappily, this message broke off . fragmentary and tantalising as_the matter constituting this chapter is, it does nevertheless give a vague, broad impression of an altogether strange and wonderful world - a world with_which our own may_have to reckon we_know not how speedily . this intermittent trickle of messages, this whispering of a record needle in_the stillness of_the mountain slopes, is_the first warning of_such a change in human conditions as mankind has scarcely imagined heretofore . in_that satellite of ours there_are new elements, new appliances, traditions, an overwhelming avalanche of new ideas, a strange race with_whom we_must inevitably struggle for mastery - gold as common as iron or wood .. .

chapter 25

the grand lunar

the penultimate message describes, with occasionally elaborate detail, the encounter between Cavor and_the grand lunar, who is_the ruler or master of_the moon .Cavor seems to_have sent most of it without interference, but to_have_been interrupted in_the concluding portion . the second came after an interval of a week .

the first message begins: " at last I_am able to resume this" it then becomes illegible for a space, and after a time resumed in mid- sentence .

the missing words of_the following sentence are probably " the crowd ." there follows quite clearly: " grew ever denser as_we drew near the palace of_the grand lunar - if I_may call a series of excavations a palace . everywhere faces stared at me - blank, chitinous gapes and masks, eyes peering over tremendous olfactory developments, eyes beneath monstrous forehead plates; and undergrowth of smaller creatures dodged and yelped, and helmet faces poised on sinuous, long- jointed necks appeared craning over shoulders and beneath armpits .Keeping a welcome space about me marched a cordon of stolid, scuttle- headed guards, who had joined us on_our leaving the boat in_which we had come along the channels of_the central sea . the quick- eyed artist with_the little brain joined us also, and a thick bunch of lean porter-insects swayed and struggled under the multitude of conveniences that were considered essential to my state . i_was carried in a litter during the final stage of_our journey . this litter was_made of some very ductile metal that looked dark to_me, meshed and woven, and with bars of paler metal, and about me as I advanced there grouped itself a long and complicated procession .

" in front, after_the manner of heralds, marched four trumpet- faced creatures making adevastating bray; and then came squat, resolute-moving ushers before and behind, and on either hand a galaxy of learned heads, a sort of animated encyclopedia, who were, Phi-oo explained, to stand about_the grand lunar for purposes of reference .( not a thing in lunar science, not a point of view or method of thinking, that_these wonderful beings did_not carry in their heads ! ) followed guards and porters, and then Phi-oo's shivering brain borne also on a litter . then came Tsi- puff in a slightly less important litter; then myself on a litter of greater elegance than any_other, and surrounded by my food and drink attendants . more trumpeters came next, splitting the ear with vehement outcries, and then several big brains, special correspondents one might well call them, or historiographers, charged with_the task of observing and remembering every detail of_this epoch-making interview .a company of attendants, bearing and dragging banners and masses of scented fungus and curious symbols, vanished in_the darkness behind . the way was lined by ushers and officers in caparisons that gleamed like steel, and beyond their line, so_far as my eyes could pierce the gloom, the heads of_that enormous crowd extended .

" i_will own that I_am still by no means indurated . to_the peculiar effect of_the selenite appearance, and to_find myself, as it were, adrift on_this broad sea of excited entomology was by no means agreeable . just for a space I had something very like what i_should imagine people mean when_they speak of_the 'horrors .' it had come to_me before in_these lunar caverns, when on occasion I_have found myself weaponless and with an undefended back, amidst a crowd of_these Selenites, but never quite so vividly . it_is, of_course, as absolutely irrational afeeling as one could well have, and I_hope gradually to subdue it . but just for a moment, as I swept forward into_the welter of_the vast crowd, it_was only by gripping my litter tightly and summoning all my will- power that I succeeded in avoiding an outcry or some such manifestation . it lasted perhaps three I minutes; then I had myself in hand again .

" we ascended the spiral of a vertical way for some_time, and then passed through a series of huge halls dome-roofed and elaborately decorated . the approach to_the grand lunar was certainly contrived to_give one a vivid impression of_his greatness . each cavern one entered seemed greater and more boldly arched than its predecessor . this effect of progressive size was enhanced by a thin haze of faintly phosphorescent blue incense that thickened as one advanced, and robbed even the nearer figures of clearness .I seemed to advance continually to something larger, dimmer, and less material .

" I_must confess that all this multitude made me feel extremely shabby and unworthy . i_was unshaven and unkempt; I had brought no razor; I had a coarse beard over my mouth . on earth I_have always been inclined to despise any attention to my person beyond a proper care for cleanliness; but under the exceptional circumstances in_which I_found myself, representing, as I_did, my planet and my kind, and depending very largely upon_the attractiveness of_my appearance for a proper reception, I_could_have given much for something a little more artistic and dignified than_the husks I wore .I had_been so serene in_the belief that_the moon was uninhabited as_to overlook such precautions altogether . as it_was i_was dressed in a flannel jacket, knickerbockers, and golfing stockings, stained with every sort of dirt the moon offered, slippers ( of_which the left heel was wanting), and a blanket, through a hole in_which I thrust my head .( these clothes, indeed, I still wear .) sharp bristles are anything but an improvement to my cast of features, and there_was an unmended tear at_the knee of_my knickerbockers that showed conspicuously as I squatted in my litter; my right stocking, too persisted in getting about_my ankle . I_am fully alive to_the injustice my appearance did humanity, and if by any expedient I_could_have improvised something a little out_of_the way and imposing i_would_have done so . but I_could hit upon nothing . I_did what I_could with my blanket - folding it somewhat after_the fashion of a toga, and for_the rest I sat as upright as_the swaying of_my litter permitted .

" imagine the largest hall you_have ever been in, imperfectly lit with blue light and obscured by a gray- blue fog, surging with metallic or livid- gray creatures of_such a mad diversity as I_have hinted . imagine this hall to end in an open archway beyond which_is a still larger hall, and beyond this yet another and still larger one, and so on . at_the end of_the vista, dimly seen, a flight of steps, like the steps of Ara Coeli at Rome, ascend out of sight . higher and higher these steps appear to_go as one draws nearer their base . but at last I_came under a huge archway and beheld the summit of_these steps, and upon it the grand lunar exalted on_his throne .

" he_was seated in what_was relatively a blaze of incandescent blue . this, and_the darkness about him gave him an effect of floating in a blue- black void . he_seemed a small, self- luminous cloud at first, brooding on_his sombre throne; his brain case must_have measured many yards in diameter . for some reason that I_cannot fathom a number of blue search-lights radiated from behind the throne on_which he sat, and immediately encircling him was a halo . about him, and

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