Війна світів
The Eve of the War
Yetsovainisman,andsoblindedbyhisvanity, thatnowriter,uptotheveryendofthenineteenthcentury, expressedanyideathatintelligentlifemighthavedevelopedtherefar, orindeedatall,beyonditsearthlylevel. NorwasitgenerallyunderstoodthatsinceMarsisolderthanourearth, withscarcelyaquarterofthesuperficialarea andremoterfromthesun, itnecessarilyfollowsthatitisnotonlymoredistantfromtime’sbeginning butneareritsend.
Thesecularcoolingthatmustsomedayovertakeourplanet hasalreadygonefarindeedwithourneighbour. Itsphysicalconditionisstilllargelyamystery, butweknownowthateveninitsequatorialregionthemiddaytemperaturebarelyapproaches thatofourcoldestwinter. Itsairismuchmoreattenuatedthanours, itsoceanshaveshrunkuntiltheycoverbutathirdofitssurface, andasitsslowseasonschangehugesnowcapsgatherandmeltabouteitherpole andperiodicallyinundateitstemperatezones. Thatlaststageofexhaustion,whichtousisstillincrediblyremote,hasbecomeapresent-dayproblemfortheinhabitantsofMars. Theimmediatepressureofnecessityhasbrightenedtheirintellects, enlargedtheirpowers,andhardenedtheirhearts. Andlookingacrossspacewithinstruments,andintelligences suchaswehavescarcelydreamedof, theysee,atitsnearestdistanceonly35,000,000ofmilessunwardofthem, amorningstarofhope, ourownwarmerplanet,greenwithvegetation andgreywithwater, withacloudyatmosphereeloquentoffertility, withglimpsesthroughitsdriftingcloudwispsofbroadstretchesofpopulouscountry andnarrow,navycrowdedseas.
Andwemen,thecreatureswhoinhabitthisearth, mustbetothematleastasalienandlowlyasarethemonkeysandlemurstous. Theintellectualsideofmanalreadyadmitsthatlifeisanincessantstruggleforexistence, anditwouldseemthatthistooisthebeliefofthemindsuponMars.
