Война миров
What We Saw From the Ruined House
Inman,inallthehigherterrestrialanimals,suchamethodofincreasehasdisappeared;butevenonthisearthitwascertainlytheprimitivemethod. Amongtheloweranimals,upeventothosefirstcousinsofthevertebratedanimals,theTunicates,thetwoprocessesoccursidebyside,butfinallythesexualmethodsupersededitscompetitoraltogether. OnMars,however,justthereversehasapparentlybeenthecase.
Itisworthyofremarkthatacertainspeculativewriterofquasi-scientificrepute,writinglongbeforetheMartianinvasion,didforecastformanafinalstructurenotunliketheactualMartiancondition. Hisprophecy,Iremember,appearedinNovemberorDecember,1893,inalong-defunctpublication,thePallMallBudget, andIrecallacaricatureofitinapre-MartianperiodicalcalledPunch. Hepointedout—writinginafoolish,facetioustone—thattheperfectionofmechanicalappliancesmustultimatelysupersedelimbs;theperfectionofchemicaldevices,digestion; thatsuchorgansashair,externalnose,teeth,ears,andchinwerenolongeressentialpartsofthehumanbeing,andthatthetendencyofnaturalselectionwouldlieinthedirectionoftheirsteadydiminutionthroughthecomingages. Thebrainaloneremainedacardinalnecessity. Onlyoneotherpartofthebodyhadastrongcaseforsurvival,andthatwasthehand,"teacherandagentofthebrain." Whiletherestofthebodydwindled,thehandswouldgrowlarger.
Thereismanyatruewordwritteninjest,andhereintheMartianswehavebeyonddisputetheactualaccomplishmentofsuchasuppressionoftheanimalsideoftheorganismbytheintelligence. TomeitisquitecrediblethattheMartiansmaybedescendedfrombeingsnotunlikeourselves,byagradualdevelopmentofbrainandhands(thelattergivingrisetothetwobunchesofdelicatetentaclesatlast)attheexpenseoftherestofthebody.
