by James Cowan
POSTSCRIPT.
Every book should have a purpose. Notwithstanding the popular characterof much that is contained in these pages, the purpose of this volume isa serious one.
I acquired the belief in the habitability of other worlds when quiteyoung, and it long ago grew into a settled conviction.
Firmly held by this idea, what is called the astronomical difficulty intheology gave me great concern. When I considered the vast extent of theuniverse, and saw, with but little imagination, millions on millions ofhabitable worlds, I felt the force of the old objection, How could ourtiny earth have been chosen for such peculiar and high honor as we readof in the gospel story?
Thomas Chalmers, in the preface to his astronomical discourses,states the difficulty in these words: "This argument involves in it anassertion and an inference. The assertion is, that Christianity is areligion which professes to be designed for the single benefit of ourworld; and the inference is, that God cannot be the author of thisreligion, for he would not lavish on so insignificant a field suchpeculiar and such distinguishing attentions as are ascribed to him inthe Old and New Testaments."
And then Dr. Chalmers proceeds in his able manner to overthrow bothassertion and inference. He shows that it is only presumption for theinfidel to claim that Christianity is designed solely for this world,and asks how he is able to tell us, "that if you go to other planets,the person and religion of Jesus are there unknown to them." "Foranything he [the infidel] can tell," the writer continues, "theredemption proclaimed to us is not one solitary instance, or not thewhole of that redemption which is by the Son of God;... the moralpestilence, which walks abroad over the face of our world, may havespread its desolation over all the planets of all the systems which thetelescope has made known to us.... The eternal Son, of whom it is saidthat by him the worlds were created, may have had the government of manysinful worlds laid upon his shoulders."
In this and in all the rest of his argument Dr. Chalmers, whileintimating that the redemption may include other worlds, retains thebelief that the actual occurrences related in the gospel took place onlyon this globe. Others may have heard the story, or, as he beautifullysays: "The wonder-working God, who has strewed the field of immensitywith so many worlds, and spread the shelter of his omnipotence overthem, may have sent a message of love to each, and reassured thehearts of its despairing people by some overpowering manifestation oftenderness.... Angels from paradise may have sped to every planet theirdelegated way, and sung from each azure canopy a joyful annunciation,and said, 'Peace be to this residence and good will to all its families,and glory to Him in the highest, who from the eminence of his throne hasissued an act of grace so magnificent as to carry the tidings of lifeand of acceptance to the unnumbered orbs of a sinful creation.'"
But, as Dr. Chalmers truthfully says, it is not the infidel alone thatraises this question. It is asked by many sincere believers, generallyin communion with their own minds, and has disturbed, if not hindered,their faith. These brilliant discourses left me still perplexed on themain point, and I was forced to ask myself again if it was at all likelythat one world could be made so unlike all others as to become the onlyscene of such a wonderful event as the death of the Son of God. And evenif this could be made to seem probable, what an infinitesimal chancethere would be that our earth would be the one chosen for thisexhibition, out of the unnumbered worlds that fill the immensity ofspace.
As a feeble hint toward a possible solution of this difficulty, thisvolume is offered. The argument may not be acceptable to a singlereader. I do not say that I believe it myself; but the thought hashelped to satisfy my mind and may be of assistance to some other soul.I will merely say that, of course, I do not believe the analogy betweenany two worlds is so close as I have made it, for the purposes of thestory, between Mars and the earth.
In my effort to relieve the book of dullness, I have exaggerated some ofthe situations, as in the treatment of the woman question for example,but the intelligent reader will easily discover whether there beanything of value remaining after the extravagance has been brushedaway.
Alvan Clark & Sons, the celebrated makers of telescopic lenses, in viewof their recent successes in casting larger object-glasses than was oncethought possible, now assert that they can place no limit to the sizethese glasses may reach in the future. It is only a question of time,skill, patience, and money.
Is it, then, presumptuous to believe that the day will dawn when thisworld will know whether Venus or Mars is inhabited? And if either orboth of them shall be found to be peopled, among the many questions ofengrossing interest to be studied it seems clear to me that the mostimportant will be the moral and spiritual condition of the inhabitants.
THE AUTHOR.