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Question!
Whyonearthpeoplewhohavesomethingtosaywhichisworthhearingshouldnottaketheslighttroubletolearnhowtomakeitheardisoneofthestrangemysteriesofmodernlife.Theirmethodsareasreasonableastotrytopoursomepreciousstufffromthespringtothereservoirthroughanon-conductingpipe,whichcouldbytheleasteffortbeopened.ProfessorMurraymadeseveralprofoundremarkstohiswhitetieandtothewater-carafeuponthetable,withahumorous,twinklingasidetothesilvercandlestickuponhisright.Thenhesatdown,andMr.Waldron,thefamouspopularlecturer,roseamidageneralmurmurofapplause.Hewasastern,gauntman,withaharshvoice,andanaggressivemanner,buthehadthemeritofknowinghowtoassimilatetheideasofothermen,andtopassthemoninawaywhichwasintelligibleandeveninterestingtothelaypublic,withahappyknackofbeingfunnyaboutthemostunlikelyobjects,sothattheprecessionoftheEquinoxortheformationofavertebratebecameahighlyhumorousprocessastreatedbyhim.
Itwasabird’s-eyeviewofcreation,asinterpretedbyscience,which,inlanguagealwaysclearandsometimespicturesque,heunfoldedbeforeus.Hetoldusoftheglobe,ahugemassofflaminggas,flaringthroughtheheavens.Thenhepicturedthesolidification,thecooling,thewrinklingwhichformedthemountains,thesteamwhichturnedtowater,theslowpreparationofthestageuponwhichwastobeplayedtheinexplicabledramaoflife.Ontheoriginoflifeitselfhewasdiscreetlyvague.Thatthegermsofitcouldhardlyhavesurvivedtheoriginalroastingwas,hedeclared,fairlycertain.Thereforeithadcomelater.Haditbuiltitselfoutofthecooling,inorganicelementsoftheglobe?Verylikely.Hadthegermsofitarrivedfromoutsideuponameteor?Itwashardlyconceivable.Onthewhole,thewisestmanwastheleastdogmaticuponthepoint.
