CHAPTER VIII.

ARRIVAL IN ALTRURIA--A COLOSSAL COMMUNAL HOME--DISTRICT 1, RANGE 1--UNDER THE PACIFIC OCEAN--BATTELL AT THE TELEPHONE--STARTLING APPARITION IN A MIRROR--ENROLLED IN SCHOOL--STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE--PHONOGRAPHIC ENUNCIATOR--A COMMUNAL AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT--THE FIRST REVOLT AGAINST LANDLORDISM--FREEDOM THE RULE--A NEW WORLD--STRIKINGLY SIMILAR TO AMERICA.

WHILE MacNair was speaking our airship had alighted upon the top of one of the monster houses. We found that a portion of the roof constituted the boat yard for the airships which were kept for the use of the community. In the center of this roof and elevated far above it, was a circular structure which was slowly revolving, and we could see that it was occupied by people who seemed to be enjoying a siesta. MacNair informed us that this was the reclining room where the members of the community retired to rest and enjoy the scenery in every direction, as well as a place for conferences in its many private apartments.

From this roof, elevators connected at various points with the floors below. This was by far the largest residence building I had ever seen. It consisted of one main building, twelve stories in height and 600 feet in length by 200 wide. On either side were three wings, of the same height, 200 feet long by 100 feet in width. The building was constructed of semi-transparent material which admitted a mellowed light. At the points occupied by the elevator cages were awnings of the same material as that which constituted the roof. We took our seats in one of these elevators, MacNair touched a button and the cage descended, leaving its covering as part of the main roof.

We landed in an extensive dining hall where a magnificent repast had been provided for us. The tables were loaded with the finest soups, bread, vegetables, honey, fruits and nuts in the greatest variety. MacNair informed us that any person had the right to eat at any communal home or public dining hall in the world provided that he had performed his share of productive labor in any part of the world.

No matter where the labor is applied, the product is added to the world's supply and it does not signify where its equivalent is consumed. The evidences of useful service rendered to society, which are issued by the proper authorities in every part of the world, entitle the holder to food, shelter and raiment in any other part of the world. These evidences of labor performed, procure the right of way upon any public conveyance on land or water, or through the air.

To us, this had indeed been a most eventful day.

We had been discovered in our forlorn condition early in the morning and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon we had embarked for a voyage of 1000 miles through the air, during which time we had been permitted to enjoy a bird's eye view of the mighty oceans and vast continents of the world. By the time we were through with our suppers it was 11 p.m., and MacNair's announcement that we would now be conducted to our rooms, was indeed most welcome. He explained that they were in the visitor's department which we would occupy until our own apartments were ready.

I was introduced into a magnificent bed chamber but was so sleepy that I scarcely noticed its contents. It was late next morning when I awoke, and when I went out into the hall, I found it full of people passing to and fro, and wondered how it was that I could sleep so soundly. But the mystery was soon explained. I met MacNair in the dining hall and in his usual cheerful manner he asked:

"Well, Jack, how did you rest?"

"All right," I said, "but I seem to have lost my ability to waken up. I am usually aroused by the least noise, but all the passing to and fro in the hall had no effect on me."

"Of course not," said he. "We wanted you to sleep all you could, and so cut off the sounds from your rooms. These walls are all upholstered so that no sound can enter when the sound conductors are disconnected.

"Now," he continued, "just make yourself at home and look around for a day or two. Go wherever your inclinations seem to direct, and make good use of your eyes. Remember that transportation is free. I am now going to register your arrival. Your other comrades have gone to Lake Byblis. Polaris will take care of them and the Ice King."

I took him at his word, and roamed at will over the grounds and through the public offices, Library, Museum, Lecture Room, Music Hall, etc. I found that the heads of the departments and many others understood some English, and all treated me with the utmost courtesy.

The second morning Iola informed us that Battell wanted to communicate with us and conducted us to the telephone room. On entering I was surprised to see Battell standing before me, and he greeted me in his usual cordial manner:

"Well, good morning, Jack. How do you like this enchanted land?"

"I am delighted to meet you," I replied, and extended my hand. Imagine my surprise when it touched the smooth surface of a mirror, and Battell broke into a hearty laugh, saying:

"I would indeed like to shake, but we are not yet able to reach 150 miles."

I was astonished. Indeed I was so taken aback by the unexpected and life-like apparition, that for once I was completely dumbfounded. Iola, seeing my confusion came to my rescue, saying:

"I ought to have prepared you for this by some explanation of our system of inter-communication, but I thought that the use of our electro-magnetic optical instruments, by which we are enabled to see through opaque substances had prepared you for this. The reflection of Captain Battell on the mirror, is only another method of applying the same principle. The rays from him, converted into rays of light, are reflected upon the mirror, on the same principle that the rays from the eastern hemisphere are reflected on the retina of the eye."

"I ought to have anticipated such an application of this wonderful discovery," I replied, "but it was nevertheless so unexpected, that I was entirely unprepared for it."

"Well Jack," came from the phonograph, "you are not alone in your astonishment. I would have been quite as much surprised to see you, had I not been apprised of what I might expect. I called you up in order to let you know that we have JUST ARRIVED at Lake Byblis. The Ice King is coming. The hospital boat is here. Pat and Mike are well. Lief and Eric have gone on to the hospital and the other three sailors are dead. We are all well pleased with the possible exception of Mike, who thinks we are bewitched. Pat got well so soon that Mike thinks he must be crazy. But what shall be done with your baggage when it arrives?"

After consulting with Captain Ganoe, who was present, I replied:

"Send our trunks to Headquarters, District No. 1, Range 1, Continent of Altruria."

"Well, well, Jack," responded Battell, "I am glad you know where you are. I am not so sure about myself. We are treated royally. This is a lovely lake with the most magnificent surroundings I ever beheld. I take it, that this is a great pleasure resort, for a people who seem to have nothing to do but to enjoy themselves. We are taking lessons in the language, and find it very easy. I have taken the liberty to authorize the Department of Education to translate our library, and they were so anxious about it, that they went out on airships to meet the Ice King, and commence the work."

"That is right," said Captain Ganoe, who now came forward and took up the conversation. "Tell them the Ice King, and all we have so far as I am concerned, is at their service."

"They have no use for the ship," responded Battell, "but would highly appreciate it, as a specimen of American ship building. They will place Pat and Mike in charge as soon as the ship comes in. Polaris informs me that the whole world will give us a reception at Lake Byblis when some great council meets here. By that time she thinks we will have become masters of the language and learned in all the wisdom of the Altrurians."

We frequently conferred with Battell, and he kept us advised in regard to everything of interest relating to the Ice King, and other matters in which we felt especially interested. Acting upon MacNair's suggestion, I gave my entire time to the study of our immediate surroundings. I found that this magnificent home contained over 2000 people, men, women, and children, and still there was no crowding. The main building contained all the offices and store rooms, public halls, school rooms, library, museum, dining hall, kitchen and laundry. Powerful storage batteries furnished electricity for heating and lighting, and motor power for manufacturing, which formed a part of the educational system in every home. The wings were given up entirely to apartments, so that the members of this immense family could be just as secluded and exclusive as they desired. Each one had a private apartment furnished to his or her taste.

Each room was numbered and connected by telephone with the library, storerooms and business offices, and could be placed in communication with the occupants of any other apartment, or with the District Exchange which could place them in communication with any part of the world. If a book was wanted from the library or any article from the storeroom, it was ordered by telephone, and delivered at once, by pneumatic tube. Every apartment could be connected by phonograph with the lecture room or music hall, and the occupant could listen to the lecture or music, without leaving his or her room. There was also a universal distribution of news by the same means to any person who desired such service.

In each of these communal homes was a publishing department, and all the facilities for manufacturing furniture, clothing and almost any utensil needed, equal to the supply of the community, if it was found to be necessary. While the district was devoted mostly to agriculture, in its educational system, every member was trained in the mechanic arts and general business methods.

This training began with the children and continued for life as occasion might require. People never imagined that they would become too old to learn. They were taught that the most important service they could render to themselves and to society was to educate themselves, physically, mentally and morally, and that for this kind of service society could well afford to give them access to all that was required for their sustenance and comfort.

Hence all facilities for improvement, books, papers, scientific instruments and instruction were not only free, but the use of them was regarded as a valuable service to society. The pupil attended school, got his or her evidence of labor performed, which entitled the holder to food, shelter, clothing, etc., the same as the teacher,--as both were alike serving society. The pupils, in training themselves for lives of usefulness, were regarded as benefiting the community as well as themselves, and hence the community was in duty bound to provide them with all the essentials for their highest development of body and mind, in harmony with the demands of an advanced or advancing civilization.

These lessons concerning this inner world civilization, derived from conversations with MacNair, Iola and others who could converse in English, and confirmed by our own observations as far as they had gone were intensely interesting, and we never tired of asking questions, which were always answered courteously and in a satisfactory manner. But I soon reached the point where I began to feel the need of more comprehensive sources of information. I wanted to be able to speak the language of the country, converse with all the people, attend lectures and make the fullest use practicable of the extensive libraries and numerous publications which contained the current literature of the times, so that I could enter into the spirit and purpose of this wonderful civilisation, which seemed to be far more attractive than the most entrancing picture of Utopia. Feeling thus, I was prepared for what was to follow.

One morning after we had somewhat familiarized ourselves with our new surroundings, and we felt inclined to rest and think, rather than to roam around, MacNair asked:

"How do you like your new home since you have had time to look around and get acquainted?"

"So far as I am concerned," I replied, "I am delighted with the country and the treatment I receive wherever I go. But there is so much to learn, that I feel overwhelmed. If I were able to converse with the people, and enter into the spirit of their daily life, I would be more at home. I want to be able to utilize all the sources of learning which are contained in your literature and I think that the time has come when the best thing we can do is to settle down in earnest to the study of the language."

"I knew that you would soon come to that conclusion," said MacNair, "but what you have seen is a necessary step in your education. We must soon go to our classes and you can go with us and take your first lesson. In order to facilitate your studies, you have been assigned apartments adjoining the Library and Lecture room."

We assented and were at once conducted to our apartments. Iola presented each of us with just such a bookcase and library as Polaris had shown us, on her airship. As she opened one of these cases and displayed the contents, she said:

"You will find here everything needed in order to acquire an accurate understanding of our language. It has been prepared under the direction of MacNair and myself by the publishing department, particularly for the use of English speaking people who might succeed in getting through the ice barriers. These cards contain the English alphabet with our corresponding characters printed on the right. The only difference is that we have a character for each sound while you have a number of sounds to one character. When you have learned our alphabet you will be able to read our language. If there should be any difficulty with the pronunciation all you have to do is to formulate the word by pressing the characters on this keyboard and you will hear every sound clearly enunciated. Every word thus formed is inscribed on a cylinder and after the sounds have been recorded all you have to do is to increase the speed of the clock work in order to have the word pronounced just as it is spoken in ordinary conversation. This instrument is called a Phonographic Enunciator and it records the sound of every character by means of a simple but most delicately constructed mechanical contrivance which has been carefully adjusted to the tones of the human voice. The sounds thus recorded by the use of the sound characters on the keyboard are then pronounced audibly on the principle of our old fashioned phonograph.

"You will find that the definition of the words and the grammatical structure of our language are very easy to learn. This small dictionary of root words, defined in English, contains the key to the definition of every word in our language. When you have committed these definitions to memory you will not find it difficult, even without a teacher, or lexicon, to define every word compounded from them. The grammar, as you will see, is not essentially different from your own, except that we have simplified its treatment. We recognize but four parts of speech; nouns, verbs, modifiers and connectives. The study of our language is further facilitated from the fact, that when its fundamental principles are fully understood, you will naturally have a word for every meaning, instead of a variety of meanings for one word. Our Altrurian language has been repeatedly revised by carefully selected committees of eminent scholars, with a view to making it so easy to learn that it would become universal, a result that was accomplished several hundred years ago."

"Polaris showed me a school library something like this," said I, "but it was adapted to pupils who wanted to study English."

"Yes," remarked Iola, "we have been urging her for a long time to study English, but we never could induce her to make the effort. But," she added, smiling, "no doubt she now regrets it. I predict that it will not be long before she is speaking English as glibly as she does her mother tongue. But I must go now. If you need any help, just touch that button and I will come at once."

She bade us adieu, and we went to work to master the language. As Iola and MacNair had informed us, we found it remarkably easy. We had been well trained from childhood in distinguishing all these sounds, and our eyes soon became familiar with the characters by which they were represented, and before we retired to rest after our first day's study, we were practicing the pronunciation of words, and committing definitions to memory.

We soon had quite a vocabulary of words at our command, which we introduced into our ordinary conversation. This could be the more readily done, because of the grammatical construction of the language being so similar to the English. Associated as we were, with a number of highly educated people, who understood both languages, our progress was very rapid, and in a short time we could express all of our wants in the language of the country, and when we did not have the right word we substituted English, knowing it would be understood, and also, that some one would supply the right word. We determined from the beginning, to use no language but the Altrurian, just as rapidly as we could acquire it. We used it in reading, writing and conversation, and soon we scarcely thought of our mother tongue, except when we heard it spoken.

MacNair and Iola were engaged with their classes an average of two hours a day, and we ordinarily spent our leisure and recreation time together. Our home was also District Headquarters, and here we were continually meeting with representatives from every home in the district, and our acquaintance was rapidly extended. We often visited other homes, sometimes by electric carriage or airship, and sometimes we would walk for miles. When tired, we could always hail a car or carriage. Thus, we were by our associations continually improving in the use of the language, while we were adding to our fund of knowledge concerning the country, by observation and conversation with the people.

I carefully studied the economy of the home in which we lived, being assured that this was a sample of a multitude of others. The same thing was true of the district. So in a general way, we were making a study of the entire concave by having a sample submitted to our inspection. At least, I could get a very clear idea of agriculture, the great basic industry that sustains the race, and hence, I am condensing into this chapter the results of a long and careful investigation under exceptionally favorable conditions.

During our attendance at school Iola and MacNair frequently took us for a sail in their airship. This gave us an opportunity to study its mechanism, and at the same time obtain a bird's eye view of the country, and if anything especially attracted our attention, all we had to do was to ask for an explanation. As we had first approached the continent we were struck by the large residences, storage buildings, and the long rectilinear fields, but now that we examined the scene at leisure we began to take in the details, and were impressed by the general sameness of the picture.

These magnificent buildings were strikingly similar to each other and the same thing was true of the long rectilinear fields and the arrangement of the crops. The residence buildings were apparently situated at alternate section corners and hence about two miles apart each way. Midway between these were large warehouses, elevators, mills, factories, etc.

To the east and west these long rows of buildings were connected by surface, electric roads, and north and south by elevated roads. These roads, both passenger and freight, all passed through these buildings. This general arrangement of everything into squares, gave the entire district, from the cabin of the airships, the appearance of an immense checkerboard.

This district which may be taken as a sample of many others, had a complete system of waterworks, a continuous pressure being secured by a series of stand-pipes, from three to five hundred feet in height, which forced the water to every point where it was needed. This system also provided water for irrigation purposes as the season seemed to require. This with a complete system of drainage, constituted a method of keeping the most perfect condition for producing the greatest abundance. In addition to this, all the waste products were converted into fertilizer and returned to the soil. These wise, economic, scientific methods and intense cultivation, explain how this small district, sustained a population of 200,000 and yet gave up fully one-half of its lands to boulevards, lawns, parks, driveways and ornamented grounds.

Electricity was the universal motor power, as well as a stimulant to the growth of crops. The soil was pulverized, seeded and rolled by vast machines. The grain was harvested, threshed and placed in sacks by huge combined reapers and threshers, and dried by passing through evaporators on an endless belt which conveyed it to elevators, from which it reached the mills by force of gravity, if that is the right word to apply to the centrifugal force which in this moral world held everything to the surface.

The standard day's labor was but two hours; and yet with the aid of machinery, ten persons harvested a strip of grain one hundred feet wide and thirty miles in length, delivering the same at the elevators in sacks, while another ten prepared the soil and put in another crop. All the other work was carried on in the same labor saving manner, and this two hours of labor was deprived of every feature of drudgery and became only agreeable exercise.

One thing I noticed particularly; domestic animals seemed to be raised more as pets than for use. The only animal diet ordinarily used consisted of eggs, milk, butter and cheese. Sheep and goats were raised for the fleece which was manufactured into the finest fabrics. Fruits and nuts were produced in the greatest abundance and constituted a very large part of the diet of the people.

The district was in fact a stupendous farm and in its original design the prime object had evidently been utility rather than ornament. The work of the landscape gardener had been utilized to the largest extent, but it had not been permitted to encroach upon the useful. The economy in the uniformity in which the lands were laid out, the houses constructed and the work of production carried on, gave to the whole country such an artificial appearance, especially from the airships which we need most generally in our observations, that Captain Ganoe could no longer refrain from commenting upon it. One day as we were soaring above this magnificent farming district, he asked MacNair if the entire inner world had been cut out according to the same pattern.

"Not at all," replied MacNair. "You will find plenty of variety. Every person has an opportunity to gratify his or her tastes, provided that by so doing they do not deprive others of the same privilege. There is nothing compulsory about it. People who do not desire to dwell together can find plenty of opportunities to be by themselves. The rule here is freedom. People live together in communities because it secures so many advantages, but they often take an outing and find variety, and solitude if they want it, in comparatively wild and uninhabited parts of the country."

"But," I said, "I am curious to learn how it was that the communal system came to be established. In the outer world I am inclined to believe that it would be impossible to find so many people who would live together in harmony."

"That is doubtless true," said MacNair. "But as I now understand it, influences are at work, which will ultimately compel the producing masses to come together as one family, in order to enable them to preserve any semblance of personal liberty and economic independence."

"And was it," I asked, "necessity that compelled the founders of this district to organize this system of community life?"

"It certainly was," interrupted Iola. "This district was founded by a few of the more intelligent laborers in the great city which at that time existed at the mouth of the Cocytas. A time had come when the laboring masses were forced to get together in colonies and co-operate with each other in order to live. This represents the first organized revolt of the masses against landlordism and the spirit of commercial and financial cannibalism, which had reached its apex in the large cities existing in the olden time along this eastern coast. The few owned all the land, all the machinery and all the facilities for distribution while the many were often famishing for food, and always begging for an opportunity to serve some master who would feed them."

"If they were indeed so poor," I asked, "how was it possible for them to break the chains by which they were bound?"

"That is a long story," said Iola, "and cannot be recorded in a word. Volumes are filled with the futile efforts of the working classes to protect themselves by organization, and their education had to come through their repeated failures. But all these futile efforts at organization were on the competitive plan, and actually placed one class of workers in competition with another class. At first the skilled artisans, seemingly secured some advantages by the trade unions, but it was only a question of time when the improvement in machinery and a division of labor, placed the skilled workman, to a very large extent, in competition with the common laborer for the privilege of running the machines, which did the work better than the most skillful mechanic, and with a speed that had never before been dreamed of. From that time on to the end, the employed in every branch of production were placed in a bitter and destructive contest with the unemployed for the privilege of working for a master.

"It was not until they had reached this condition by bitter experience that they began to learn just what was the matter. Among the first things that occurred to them, was, that they were at the mercy of the landlord until they had access to the soil, but how could they obtain access to the soil in their penniless condition? This was the question that racked their brains.

"But conditions, which neither they, nor their oppressors could control, were forcing a solution. It had been recognized in the civilization of that time, that the poor and the physically infirm, had a just claim on society for food, shelter and raiment which must not be disregarded. All that they needed, was the fruits of their labor applied to the soil, and the money kings had to a very great extent monopolized the soil. It was worthless to them unless it was cultivated. Its possession still gave them power to oppress the landless, but not the opportunity to speculate, as no one was able to buy. So to save the expense of feeding their victims they were willing that the land should be used, by these objects of charity, to produce their food by their labor.

"Thus was provided the opportunity that enabled far sighted reformers to introduce a new system of organization among the poor, which placed all their relations to each other on an ethical, instead of a selfish basis. They began by organizing exchanges among themselves, and what they saved to themselves in this way was invested in land for which there were no other purchasers. For a time this enabled the land owners to sell the lands which were useless to themselves, as a source of profit. The colonists continued to cultivate the land, sell the surplus in the cities, and buy more land, but they never sold an acre. In the course of time, the lands of this district were socialized and rent abolished.

"Thus, by using the profit, which under the old competitive system left the hands of the producers, never to return, they were able to abolish landlordism, as far as they were concerned, and their wealthy oppressors congratulated themselves that they had gotten rid of a dangerous class. But the same causes continued to impoverish others, and thus create other dangerous classes, and the only way to get rid of them, was to give them an opportunity to dig their living out of the soil. It became a common thing for cities to organize movements which enabled the poor to secure subsistence by cultivating vacant lots. Indeed, this was one of the first signs that marked the decline, and presaged the early abolition of the then existing system of commercial and financial cannibalism that impoverished the people.

"This community demonstrated that labor could, even under the most adverse circumstances, by co-operating in production and distribution, get control of land and the means of production, and abolish tribute to non-producers in all its forms. You will find the history of these movements most intensely interesting, and I should think from what I have learned, of inestimable value in your native land.

"Since MacNair gave us the benefit of his knowledge of the economic system which exists in the outer world, our scholars have studied our own ancient histories as they never did before. Situated as we are, it is hard to believe that any people, no matter how ignorant they may be, would permit a few to take possession of the earth and starve the many, but such was the situation here in the olden times; hence, it is not strange that these conditions exist in the outer world."

"Well," I remarked, "since I think of it, I am not surprised that you can hardly believe such conditions could exist in any country claiming to be civilized. But why is it that the people of this inner world, understood the nature of this evil and removed it so long ago, while the masses of the people of the outer world seem to be utterly oblivious to the fact that there is anything wrong?"

"On this question I can only theorize," said Iola. "I have thought that it may have been the long continued ice age, that with its rigors, held the people of the outer world back and retarded their development until long after the inner world had made a very considerable progress toward civilization. But MacNair has a theory that may have something in it. He believes that the psychic conditions in a concave world, tend directly toward concentrated effort and co-operation, because the heads of the people all point toward each other and converge at a common center, while in the outer world they point outward, each in a direction of its own, tending directly toward individualism and the development of every selfish instinct."

"Well," said Captain Ganoe, who had been an attentive listener, "I am glad, for the honor of my own country, that a fellow countryman of mine has evolved a theory that has not been previously thought out and demonstrated by this most progressive people. I think, Jack, that we had better go to work and evolve an improvement on these airships that will enable us to carry the news of these wonderful discoveries to our own people."

"I have been thinking of the same thing," I replied, "and that is why I have always been insisting that we should use these airships for our short journeys that did not require speed. It is when we go slowly that I can study them best, and in my mind I have partially solved the problem of constructing a ship that would be proof against both cold and storms."

"Just like my luck," said the Captain. "I always succeed in getting an idea in my head after someone else has worked it out. But still I think that I am something of a mechanic and you can depend upon me to do my best to assist you."

"Thank you," I replied, "I shall certainly call upon you for assistance."

"I have reason," said MacNair, "for believing that Battell and Polaris contemplate something of the same kind, and I am sure that they will call upon both of you for your co-operation."

"Why," I asked, "have you had any intimation of the kind?"

"Not directly from them," said MacNair, "but I have heard this, that Battell and Polaris spend much of their time in the airship factory at Lake Byblis and that they are experimenting with their private airship every day, and that they have succeeded in making some changes in the gearing that enable them to reverse the wings and run backward; also in moving the steering apparatus so they can ascend or descend without the usual spiral motion."

"That is good news," I said, "but I thought that Captain Battell was giving most of his time to the study of the language and customs of the country."

"So he is," said MacNair. "Polaris told me so by telephone, and what is more, she spoke in good clear English. She further said that the work of translating the library was progressing rapidly and that several volumes had been completed and furnished to Norrena, the Continental Commissioner of Education at Orbitello, for distribution to the commissioners of all the grand divisions of the Concave."

"Orbitello! What is Orbitello? A country or a city?" asked Captain Ganoe.

"We have no cities," said MacNair, "but Orbitello is what you would probably call the seat of government. It is the center of business for this continent, the headquarters of all the departments of the public service. The Altrurian Council meets at Orbitello every year, and the World's Parliament every four years. Here the Continental Executive Committee meets every day to transact business in which the whole people are interested. It is located on the Cocytas at the foot of the mountains."

"I would indeed be pleased to visit this center of business and learning," said the Captain.

"We have thought of that," said MacNair, "and as soon as Oqua returns, I think that we had better go. She is our District Commissioner of education and I am deputy and must officiate in her absence. She is attending the Quadrennial Congress of Educators in the mountains of Atlan at Lake Minerva. The sessions seldom last more than thirty days and that time has passed, so we may expect her return from the old world almost any day."

"What's that? The old world!" ejaculated Captain Ganoe. "Am I to understand that you have an old world here, and is this the new, just as we have it in the outer world?"

"Yes, very much the same," said MacNair. "Altruria is often spoken of as the new world because it was originally settled by colonists from the other side of the Ocean. The early history of this country is in a general way very similar to the early history of America. This similarity holds good even to the almost total destruction of a warlike race of red men. The original colonies achieved their independence of kingly rule and established a republican form of government, just as was done by our thirteen original colonies. But here the similarity ends. Altruria now extends all over the continent, and has carried out to their logical sequence, the principles set forth in our own Declaration of Independence; and more than this, these principles have extended over all parts of the inner world. This is why I often speak of the concave as the World of Truth."

As MacNair ceased speaking, our airship alighted on the roof of our home, and we were informed that Battell wanted to meet us at the telephone. We went at once to the telephone room and again met Battell, but I was not dumbfounded at the sight. He addressed me in his usual familiar style, saying:

"Well, Jack, we have a boat factory here and I have conceived the idea of becoming an inventor of airship attachments and I want you and Captain Ganoe to join me. I want the Captain for his mechanical skill and I want you to test our inventions, make observations and report such changes in the mechanism as you deem advisable. Polaris cannot stand the cold at the verges and I will not have time. Can you undertake the work?"

"Certainly," I replied. "Just notify me whenever you are ready. I have been contemplating the same thing myself, and Captain Ganoe has offered his services as a skilled mechanic."