time and again good men and women ostracized, imprisoned and hanged for expressing their honest thoughts and for giving to the world the fruits of their honest toil of observation and investigation. “I think these and countless other cruelties and outrages are enough to frighten any one into silence who came from such a just, kind and rich world as I had left only a short time before. “You may say that it was foolish for me to be frightened under the protecting hand of your civilization; but you must bear in mind that the trouble was, and is still more so now, that I can not see your civilization. The savage would doubtless call you a coward and a fool for being frightened in his state of society; but you would undoubtedly not feel at ease with him, while he would enjoy it. So one coming from a more advanced state of civilization would no more feel at ease in your world than you would among the savages. “For these and other reasons, I have never before mentioned my coming to this earth to any one until I became a member of your kind, intelligent family, which seems so homelike that I can say what I desire and what I _believe_ to be true of _your_ world, and what I _know_ to be true of _our_ world. Of course, my history and my visit from Mars to your earth is not intended to be a secret by any means. As I have told you, at first, I was frightened into silence, and further on, I concluded that I would not say anything about it until I was quite familiar with all your institutions, and until I had learned your language so that I could give you a clear, intelligent account of our world and compare it, in an unbiased manner, with your world, so that the earthly inhabitants may derive all the benefit possible from our older and fuller scientific, social and industrial experience.” “Have you always been engaged here selling Mr. Spencer’s works?” asked Viola. “Oh, no! You see at my arrival I was at a great disadvantage. I could not speak your language, and I knew nothing of your customs, habits, science and literature. Much pertaining to your science, society and industry was new to me. I was therefore forced into the field of the hardest manual labor. But as I learned to read and write your languages, I found that Mr. Spencer’s philosophical works were well adapted to give the necessary information essential for a _higher_ social and industrial life. Partly for this reason, partly for making a livelihood, and partly for being thrown in contact with eminent mechanics whose assistance I am seeking, I have accepted my present vocation of disseminating useful knowledge by selling good works; for I am convinced that _thought_ is the only power that can move the psychical world in the right direction.” CHAPTER III. THE MARSIAN THEORY OF CREATION AND FORMATION.