“Well,” said Mr. Midith, “if you desire me to tell you something about them, I shall give you a brief review of _some_ of them; I say _some_ because they are so numerous and complex and varied that I can only touch upon a few of the simplest ones. “But before we proceed let us take into consideration that the nature and kind of man’s sports and amusements vary in different persons; also with age, sex, state of health and mental and physical culture and development. “For example, you notice here on earth that one person delights in playing cards; another in playing ball; another in singing; another in traveling; another in fishing, etc. “The little child finds amusement in the tin rattle; the boy in marbles and ball; the little girl in the doll; the robust person in vigorous exercise; the invalid in rest and quiet; the savage in scalping and other torture; the cultured in promoting his own happiness by promoting the happiness of others. “The moans and cries of the dying victim are highly amusing to the ear of the savage who burns him at the stake; but to the ear of the more civilized person, they are so shocking that he would faint at the sound of them. Only a comparatively few years ago your most refined men and women of the Roman empire looked with delight and amusement on the gladiatorial combats which reddened the arena of the spacious amphitheatre with human blood. To-day, even to _your_ most refined men and women, the same sights and sports would be perfectly horrifying. They could not be hired to witness them. I notice that your civilized American boys still delight in dog-fights and flinging stones at your innocent little song-birds as they are singing their sweet songs. The Marsian boy would think that horrible. By long, kind treatment our song birds have all become even much tamer than your domestic animals; they have nothing to fear from the human hand. I notice still further that many of your so-called civilized Americans still delight in prizefights, bull-fights, sportive hunting and fishing, horseracing, etc. All of these sights would be almost as shocking to a Marsite as a gladiatorial combat would be to a highly-refined and keenly-considerate lady of your present time. “By the foregoing, then, we see that each stage of intellectual culture has its peculiar sports and amusements. What is delightful amusement to one is dreadful horror to another. Hence as Mars is much in advance of the earth, our sports and amusements must be much in advance of yours, must be in harmony with our feelings and institutions.