I have previously spoken of their elegance in dress, and their fondness
for luxury and magnificence. On occasions of great ceremony their
dresses were furnished with very long trains. The only prominent
difference that I saw in their state dresses, and the rare and costly
ones I had seen in my own and other countries, was in the waist. As the
women of Mizora admired a large waist, their dresses were generally
loose and flowing. Ingenuity, however, had fashioned them into graceful
and becoming outlines. On occasions of great state and publicity,
comfortably fitting girdles confined the dress at the waist.
I attended the Inaugural of a Professor of Natural History in the
National College. The one who had succeeded to this honor was widely
celebrated for her erudition. It was known that the ceremony would be a
grand affair, and thousands attended it.
I there witnessed another of these marvelous achievements in science
that were constantly surprising me in Mizora. The inauguration took
place in a large hall, the largest I had ever seen. It would accommodate
two hundred thousand people, and was filled to repletion. I was seated
far back in the audience, and being a little short-sighted anyway, I
expected to be disappointed both in seeing and hearing the ceremonies.
What was my astonishment then, when they began, to discover that I could
see distinctly every object upon the stage, and hear with perfect
accuracy every word that was uttered.
Upon expressing myself to Wauna as being greatly pleased that my
eyesight and hearing had improved so wonderfully and unexpectedly, she
laughed merrily, and asked me if I had noticed a curious looking band of
polished steel that curved outward from the proscenium, and encircled
its entire front? I had noticed it, but supposed it to be connected with
some different arrangement they might have made concerning the
footlights. Wauna informed me that I owed my improved hearing to that.
"But my eyesight," I asked, "how do you account for its unusual
penetrativeness?"
"Have you ever noticed some seasons of the year display a noticeably
marked transparency of the atmosphere that revealed objects at great
distances with unusual clearness? Well, we possess a knowledge of air
that enables us to qualify it with that peculiar magnifying condition.
On occasions like this we make use of it. This hall was built after the
discovery, and was specially prepared for its use. It is seldom employed
in smaller halls."
Just then a little flutter of interest upon the stage attracted my
attention, and I saw the candidate for the professorship entering,
accompanied by the Faculty of the National College.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account