Part 1
The Eve of the War
Noonewouldhavebelievedinthelastyearsofthenineteenthcentury thatthisworldwasbeingwatchedkeenlyandcloselybyintelligences greaterthanman’sandyetasmortalashisown; thatasmenbusiedthemselvesabouttheirvariousconcernstheywerescrutinisedandstudied, perhapsalmostasnarrowlyasamanwithamicroscopemightscrutinisethetransientcreatures thatswarmandmultiplyinadropofwater. Withinfinitecomplacencymenwenttoandfrooverthisglobe abouttheirlittleaffairs,sereneintheirassuranceoftheirempireovermatter. Itispossiblethattheinfusoriaunderthemicroscopedothesame. Noonegaveathoughttotheolderworldsofspaceassourcesofhumandanger, orthoughtofthemonlytodismisstheideaoflifeuponthemasimpossibleorimprobable. Itiscurioustorecallsomeofthementalhabitsofthosedeparteddays. AtmostterrestrialmenfanciedtheremightbeothermenuponMars, perhapsinferiortothemselvesandreadytowelcomeamissionaryenterprise. Yetacrossthegulfofspace,mindsthataretoourmindsasoursaretothoseofthebeaststhatperish,intellectsvastandcoolandunsympathetic,regardedthisearthwithenviouseyes, andslowlyandsurelydrewtheirplansagainstus. Andearlyinthetwentiethcenturycamethegreatdisillusionment.
TheplanetMars,Iscarcelyneedremindthereader, revolvesaboutthesunatameandistanceof140,000,000miles, andthelightandheatitreceivesfromthesunisbarelyhalfofthatreceivedbythisworld. Itmustbe,ifthenebularhypothesishasanytruth,olderthanourworld; andlongbeforethisearthceasedtobemolten,lifeuponitssurfacemusthavebegunitscourse. Thefactthatitisscarcelyoneseventhofthevolumeoftheearth musthaveaccelerateditscoolingtothetemperature atwhichlifecouldbegin. Ithasairandwaterandallthatisnecessaryforthesupportofanimatedexistence.
