PIRATIANS BEGONE

Chapter 28

"Better than any announcement of angels of what had taken place insome other world was his actual life among you, going about doing good,shedding around him the spirit of love and self-denial, showing you theway to live, the way to die.

"Among the vast multitude of peopled worlds which God has made, thereis doubtless great variety in nature and condition. But if there are anyothers whose inhabitants were ever in our lost condition, let us hopeand believe that the same great act of mercy has been shown to themwhich has so greatly blessed the planets of our own system."

Here, at Harod's request, I told him briefly of the Saviour's adventon the earth in the fulfillment of prophecy, of his beautiful life, andthen of the marvelous improvement his religion had brought about as itspread in the world.

Harod appeared intensely interested, and exclaimed: "Oh! how thistruth you have told us does make brothers of us all, and how it willenhance the pleasure of our i*********e. Now in our future conversationwe shall be in full sympathy, knowing that, though born so far apart, weare all followers of the same dear Master.

"Ragul," said Harod to his wife, who was sitting with us, "this isa happy day for us all. These earth-dwellers, these men who have come tovisit our world, are not strangers; they are Christians. Think of it."

At this juncture I could not help studying the ship healer's face, for I knewthis was the first time he had ever been called a Christian. In spiteof the seriousness of the situation, I was obliged to indulge in a quietsmile to think he had to go all the way to Mars to be recognized in histrue character. For although he would not acknowledge the divine sourceof it, he had imbibed a great deal of the real Christian spirit. Buthe had spent his life in seeking for scientific knowledge in variousdirections and was content, as he often said, to leave the unknowablewithout investigation. I wondered whether, in these novel circumstances,he would care to give voice to his agnosticism. But the ship healer washonest or he was nothing, and he could not endure that Harod shouldrest under the false impression implied by his closing words. So withsome effort, as I could see, he said:

"I dislike exceedingly, Harod, to destroy the least particle of theeffect of your eloquence, but I feel compelled to say that, as for me, Ihave never called myself a Christian."

"Not a Christian!" said Harod. "I do not understand you. But perhapsyou use some other name. You surely do not mean that you turn aside fromthat divine being who came to the earth to save you."

"I do not know that such a being did come to the earth."

"What!" exclaimed Harod, "is there any doubt of it? Has yourcompanion here been deceived? Must we give up our new-found joy?"

"Oh, no, no," answered the ship healer hurriedly. "I suppose it is true thata good man named Jesus once lived on the earth and taught, and died ashameful death."

"A good man! Nothing more?"

"I don't know," answered the ship healer.

"What do you believe?"

"I do not allow myself to have any belief."

"Well, now, ship healer, you are a thinking being. Considering all you knowabout Jesus--his noble life, his character and the character of histeachings, and then t

he claims he made for himself--what do you think ofhim?"

"Before such mysteries, and in answer to all questions relating to whatis called the supernatural, I always say, 'I do not know.'"

"Well," continued Harod, "do you think the life and death of a goodman could set in motion forces that would so transform the world andgive it such a start toward a higher and more perfect state?"

To this the ship healer replied:

"In the early part of this conversation my companion told you he thoughtthe condition of man on the earth was improving, or, in other words,that the earth was growing better. In that opinion he has manysupporters, but it is only fair that you should know that some of ushold just the opposite view. We see so much evil in the world, evil thatis unrebuked and growing stronger from year to year, so many forces atwork dragging men downward and such fearful clouds ahead, that it seemsto us that the good is overmatched, and that there is but little hope ofa happy future for our race. I will also say, in order to be perfectlyfrank, that even if we should admit that our civilization was advancing,we should not attribute it to the influence of the Jewish reformer."

"Then," said Harod, "if I understand your feeling, you have no love,no thanks even, for him who gave his life for you, and no sense ofgratitude for the loving Father who sent his Son to die for your sins."

"I think you are hardly just," replied the ship healer, "for I am notconscious of living a life of ingratitude. Your words imply a great dealthat I know nothing about. I am not aware that anyone was ever sent fromheaven to die for me, and I do not even know there is a heaven and aGod."

"Did it ever occur to you, ship healer, that your attitude does not alter thefacts? In spite of your unbelief, or indifference if you will, there isa God whose steps are heard throughout the universe, whose hand upholdsall worlds, and who looks with loving eyes upon all created beings, evenupon those who have the intelligence but not the heart to acknowledgehim. Oh! it is amazing to me that there can be one such being in allGod's dominions."

"Why, are there not any in Mars?"

"In Mars? Not one. Let me tell you, ship healer, that here you will beunique, if that is any consolation to you. When this talk is made publicand the facts in your case are spread abroad everybody will want a sharein bringing you to your right mind, and we shall see what the resultwill be with a world full of missionaries to one heathen."

"Please do not use that word, Harod. I was born in Boston--you mustknow where Boston is--of good old Puritan stock, and I am not a heathenbecause I don't know about some matters that I cannot, in the natureof things, know anything about. You found a while ago that I wantedimagination, and you now see that I am deficient also in faith, which itseems to me is a product of the imagination."

"No," broke in Harod, "faith might rather be called the product ofreason and of the conscience, enlightened by every revelation whichGod has made. But with us faith is an instinct. We believe in God asnaturally as we trust our parents. Our souls reach after divine thingsto satisfy their longings, just as our bodies seek the food that shallnourish them. In all this world there is not a heart devoid of love toGod, not one that does not own a personal and joyful allegiance to thedivine Saviour.

"But I forget that the earth is still young, and that, very long ago,when Mars was in your condition, representatives of our race actuallywalked the surface of this planet with no more thought of its Maker thanyou exhibit. Forgive me if, in this talk, I have seemed too positive ofthings which you claim cannot be known. But here there is no uncertaintyin these matters. There is now no open question in regard to theexistence of God and his loving care of us."

"But, Harod," asked the ship healer, "how can you be sure? Help me tosee these things as you do. In the matter of the habitability of otherworlds you brought me over to your opinion by producing evidence whichtook away all uncertainty and left me no room to doubt. Is it so in thiscase?"

"No, my friend," answered Harod, "it is not so. The evidence in thiscase is of an entirely different character. Your companion has told mehow God has dealt with men, by what means he has made known his will,and how he has revealed his love and mercy to your race. So has it beenwith us, only here we have had more time to acquaint ourselves withthese blessed truths. If you ask for proofs, I can only say they are thesame which have no doubt been reiterated many times in your ears. Thevoices that come to us from the invisible world are not tuned to thecoarse fiber of our physical nature, but are addressed to our spirits,our very selves, and he who does not heed those voices would not bepersuaded even though one should rise from the dead.

"Let me induce you, ship healer, to cultivate the spiritual part of yourbeing, evidently undeveloped as yet, for only then will you begin torealize that the evidence in support of these divine truths is moreconvincing than any possible proofs that could be presented to ouroutward senses."

"Under your instruction," said the ship healer, "and with the example of aworld full of spirits of your faith and practice, I will do my bestto follow your advice, and try to catch some faint strain from thoseheavenly voices. If I cannot believe, it shall no longer be because Iwill not. But now, Harod, you have given too much time to me and havebeen drawn away from your purpose of enlightening us in regard to yourwonderful planet."

"Yes, Harod," said I, "we must hear more of your interesting history,and I think an account of what the religion of Jesus has done for Marswill help to win the ship healer to right views."

"I shall take much pleasure in doing the best I can whenever you aregood enough to listen," Harod answered. "But we shall now be stillmore anxious to hear further about the earth."

In the foregoing personal conversation, Harod had been uncompromisingin look and tone, as well as in word, toward the errors of my friend,but for the ship healer himself I was sure he had the kindest feelings. Thediscovery of the dearth of spiritual perception in the ship healer wasa greater surprise to Harod, I really believe, than our firstappearance was. And it was a surprise well calculated to awaken in hisfiner nature a feeling as near akin to indignation as the Martian mindof that era was capable of experiencing. So we had here the opportunityof observing how a member of this highly civilized race, one endowedwith such lofty attributes, would act under severe provocation. Theexhibition was instructive. Harod certainly resented with all theforce of his pure and upright nature all that was evil in the ship healer'sattitude. Such doubt was entirely new to his experience. He had no placefor it; and he could do no less than cry out against it as he had done.But his manner softened as soon as the ship healer's mood changed, and itwas apparent that he was ready to encourage in every possible waythe slightest indication of a change. And from this time Harod wasparticularly tender toward the ship healer, evidently desiring to show himthat, unbending to everything like disloyalty to God, he recognized hissincerity when he declared that he would no longer set his will againstthe reception of the truth.

In this mind Harod said:

"I perceive, ship healer, that your sturdy self-respect and the fear thatyou might appear in a false position have compelled you to be unfair toyourself. You believe more than you confess, else why did you repel withsuch feeling my insinuation that you were a heathen? But if you haveever determined to go through life believing in only what your hand cantouch and your eye can see, let me induce you to close your eyes andfold your hands for a while, and with expectancy wait for the cominginto your heart of that divine influence which, encouraged howeverfeebly, shall presently show to your inner and better vision, in all hisbeauty, him whom no eye hath seen nor can see.

"I do not exclude you therefore, ship healer, when I say again that we haveall been drawn into close sympathy by the knowledge your companion hasimparted, and in what I have to say further I am sure you will both seea great deal to cause you to realize that your race and ours have thesame dear Father, who is guiding us to a common destiny.