"You are surprised that our airship which is traveling so fast, or rather I should say falling or being attracted towards our planet Mars, is going so smoothly that it seems as if we were motionless. As a matter of fact, we are traveling at the rate of 20,000 miles per minute in the ether of vacuum of space where all atmosphere is totally absent. We are in a void without air pressure or friction. Our speed has no effect on our motion nor does it cause damage to our ship. Flying time from your atmosphere to ours is nearly forty-eight hours. We expect to land on Mars tomorrow night. "You are also wondering at our appearance. Because we have the reputation among you of being warlike, you Earth people were led to think that we were of abnormal physical size. You are surprised to find us not very much unlike yourselves in looks and stature. What is your opinion of our appearance?" After carefully looking the men over and contrasting them with ourselves, who were considered on Earth as good athletic and handsome fellows, I answered him. "Frankly," I said, "Your men are as like us as our high bred champion race horses in their prime are like the nags that pull our junk wagons. The other difference between us seems to be, the extramuscular development of your shoulders and arms plus an apparently longer arm reach than we have." I had to give them credit for their white clear skin, their regular features, their vigor, and their erect posture. Their proud, but frank and gentle appearance exuded powerful heavenly personality. There were among them many men with deep sky-blue and grass-green skin, colored men, who also were the same fine specimens of manhood. Then their leader answered, "There is nothing superhuman or supernatural about us. We as yet have not reached perfection. From what we have observed of Earth men, I would say we are more healthy, virile, better developed physically, also mentally. I mean no offense, our intellectual force is much more advanced than Earth men. But you still have a chance eventually to reach our development, if you will only seize the opportunity." "You will notice among us Martians something else which will surprise you. Look us over. How old do you think he is?" the leader asked, pointing to their youngest, an erect young man. "Why," I replied, "I should say about 25 years old." They all laughed. "No," he said. "This one, who is our youngest, is now 100 Earth years old. You will notice that none of us have any gray hair, wrinkles, or false teeth; those few of us with false teeth acquired them by accidentally breaking their own. None of us use eye glasses or hearing aids. There are no bald-headed men on Mars. Our old people reach the age of 150 Martian years or 300 Earth years. "Our women, even those past middle age, retain their natural color texture, youthful figures, velvety skin and texture of their soft, youthful hair.