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The Epilogue
Oneneedstoseethedrawingsoftheseappearancesinordertoappreciatefullytheirremarkableresemblanceincharacter.
Atanyrate,whetherweexpectanotherinvasionornot,ourviewsofthehumanfuturemustbegreatlymodifiedbytheseevents. WehavelearnednowthatwecannotregardthisplanetasbeingfencedinandasecureabidingplaceforMan; wecanneveranticipatetheunseengoodorevilthatmaycomeuponussuddenlyoutofspace. ItmaybethatinthelargerdesignoftheuniversethisinvasionfromMarsisnotwithoutitsultimatebenefitformen; ithasrobbedusofthatsereneconfidenceinthefuturewhichisthemostfruitfulsourceofdecadence,thegiftstohumanscienceithasbroughtareenormous,andithasdonemuchtopromotetheconceptionofthecommonwealofmankind. ItmaybethatacrosstheimmensityofspacetheMartianshavewatchedthefateofthesepioneersoftheirsandlearnedtheirlesson,andthatontheplanetVenustheyhavefoundasecurersettlement. Bethatasitmay,formanyyearsyettherewillcertainlybenorelaxationoftheeagerscrutinyoftheMartiandisk,andthosefierydartsofthesky,theshootingstars,willbringwiththemastheyfallanunavoidableapprehensiontoallthesonsofmen.
Thebroadeningofmen’sviewsthathasresultedcanscarcelybeexaggerated. Beforethecylinderfelltherewasageneralpersuasionthatthroughallthedeepofspacenolifeexistedbeyondthepettysurfaceofourminutesphere. Nowweseefurther. IftheMartianscanreachVenus,thereisnoreasontosupposethatthethingisimpossibleformen, andwhentheslowcoolingofthesunmakesthisearthuninhabitable,asatlastitmustdo,itmaybethatthethreadoflifethathasbegunherewillhavestreamedoutandcaughtoursisterplanetwithinitstoils.
