AT THE TEA TABLE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11990, 29 January 1920, Page 5

AT THE TEA TABLE.

SOME TOPICAL TALKS.

“Marconi’s statement about the mysterious wireless messages, gives us something to think about,” remarked the Sage. ‘ ‘The subject is, of course, vastiv different from the average topics that claim public attention. It gives one almost an uncanny feeling to reflect that possibly the inhabitants of other worlds are trying to communicate with our planet. For myself I have long ago come to the conclusion that it is folly to think that the whole of the immense and illimitable universe, except our own little speck is not inhabited. Possibly, indeed, the inhabitants of other spheres are of very' much higher intelligence than ourselves. It may he that they have been noticing our wireless messages ever since Marconi’s invention, and have reasoned that we have been trying to communicate with them.” “You may reruemner,said the Oritic, “that just before the war Nikola Tesla, the eminent American electrician, who, by the way, is a Servian by birth, declared that his instruments were recording vibrations that‘must have come from somewhere outside the earth. The Marconi operators’ experiences seem to indicate that the vibrations are caused by the messages of intelligent beincs. ”

“What will ho the use of them, if we cannot understand them?” asked the Spinster. “We can try to understand them,” replied the Sage, “and we have already done something similar by finding ont whut the arrow-headed inscriptions of the Ancient Assyrians and the hieroglyphs of the Egpvtiaus mean. There is no mystery that remains long unsolvable, by patient and intelligent study. The indications seem to be that the same message is being constantly repeated, so this is an advantage, to start with, as it reduces the field for preliminary research. Then, again, it is possible that the messages may be in some language that has been used on earth, which is not known by the Marconi men. For instance, the languages of the peoples already mentioned, or others to which we have the key. There is a certain similarity in all human language in so far as it is the translation of thought into sound, and we may fairly assume that this similarly extends throughout th« whole universe. I believe that at.any time we may receive some startling confirmation of the belief that there are indeed ‘Other Worlds than Ours,’ ”

‘That was argued by Proctor, the American astronomer, in a book bearing the title you have quoted,” said the Scribe, ‘'and in it he took a delightful imaginary excursion through the realms of space.” “The possibilities arising out of the suggestions consequent on Marconi’s statement open up a wondrous vista to the imagination,” observed the Critic. “If there is any confirmation of the theories obtained it will upset all our preconceived ideas. Wo may indeed, as the Mail put it, be on tiio threshold of a most tremendous discovery. ’ ’ “These things remind us,” remarked the Sage, “that we know very little of the secrets of nature as yet, though during the short time that has elapsed since man begun to place his experiences and discoveries on record, for the information of his fellows ‘we have accomplished wonders, especially when we remember that it was only since the recent discovery of printing, ‘the art preservative of all tho arts’ that it became possible to disseminate knowledge widely,” “What do you mean by a short time?” asked the Spinster. “Ac-

cording to our records the world is only about six thousand years old.” “According to the story of the rocks, it is many millions, ” said the Sage “I said a short time because it is a fact that as there are only three generations of 33 in a century it follows that tho pairs of human beings who are our particular ancestors, have numbered, ever since the beginning of the Christian era, only a few more than sixty.

Then remember, too, that our knowledge, discoveries and inventions during the last fifty years have been greater and more important in their bearing on human progress than at any period in the history of the world. I think, however, that for the time we had better change the subject, lest the others may become jaded. There are lots of others I should like to discuss if we had time.”

“Befoie we . adjourn, ” said the Critic, “I should like to ask why a self-constituted body calling itself the Alliance of Labour is permitted to hold up the industries of the country?” “It is permitted,” replied the Sage, “because those whom we hav* elected to protect the interests of the people are too timorous. ” “I wonder what would happen,” said the Cynic, “if an Alliance of Producers resolved to go slow or to

stop selling produce in the country, and at the same time claimed the right to control the shipping that carried the produce to the more profitable foreign market I Yet this, would only be precisely what the" Labour Trusts are doing. They cut off our supplies, paralyse our industries and hold up our shipping. It is quite clear that there ought to be a remedy. ”

“Turning to another subject, ’’ remarked the Critic, “I notice that the Yankees are going to teach all their foreign residents to speafe English. If so, when are the Yankees themselves going to learn it? I have tried to read some American books

lately, which are almost incomprehensible owing to the curious ‘English’ in which they are written.” “Our language is a growing one,” said the Sago. 1 ‘That’s no reason why we should encourage the growth of word weeds,” said the Cynic. A JAYE PENNS.