----
In course of time this earth cooled off. It cooled so thoroughly
that the moon died of cold. Life could no longer continue there.
The dead satellite's destiny thenceforward was to show gratitude
for past heat by moving our tides and cheering our poets. As
life died out on the cold moon which had given us temporary
hospitality, life sprang into being on this planet, now fitted to
support it.
Here, on a larger sphere, with greater opportunities, mankind is
growing, and will far outstrip all that it could have done on the
poor little moon.
Meanwhile, as we struggle on, improving slowly, the sun, as
science proves, is cooling off in its turn. The flames become
less fierce as the thousands of centuries roll by. When we shall
have developed as much as possible on this limited planet, our
home will be cooled and ready on the sun, centre of our life in
this corner of space.
We shall move up a step--as boys do in the public schools. We
shall have been moon men, earth men, and shall graduate into sun
men. Think of a home so vast! On that grand star we shall lead
lives worth while, and justify Huxley's belief that men exist
somewhere compared to whom we should "be as black beetles
compared to us."
The excitement of meeting our brothers from other planets as they
move up to the sun in batchcs will be great.
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