doubt other heavenly bodies are made of like materials with the earth. Is
it not time now to give your imagination just a moment's play and look
upon some of those distant orbs as the probable abode of life?"

"There I cannot follow you," responded the doctor. "I am wanting in
imagination; probably born so, as some people are born without an ear for
music. Let us stick to facts. Among the recent discoveries in the field of
which we have been talking was the finding of some small diamonds in a
meteoric mass. Upon this some enthusiastic writer, whose imaginative soul
would be your delight, Thorwald, built this argument: 'Diamonds being pure
carbon, their existence necessitates a previous vegetable growth. Hence
vegetable life in other worlds is proven, and if vegetable life, it is
fair to presume the existence of animal life also. Of course, then, there
must be intelligent life, and therefore the stars, or the planets that
revolve around the stars, are all filled with men.' This I call not
reasoning, but guessing."

"And still," quickly responded Thorwald, "the discovery of diamonds in
meteorites was a valuable link in the chain of evidence which you are
putting together. Keep on with your investigations. Some time positive
knowledge will come to you as it has come to us. But let me appeal once
more to your reason. At an earlier stage of development your race no doubt
believed the earth was the center of the universe, around which all the
heavenly bodies swept in magnificent circles. You have learned that the
earth itself, which was formerly thought to be so important an object, is
only one of those heavenly bodies flying through space. You find the earth
resembles its nearest companions in being subject to the same laws of
motion which govern them, but you have yet to learn that they resemble the
earth in the main purpose of their creation. You go into the forest and
see thousands of trees. You can find no two alike, and yet all are alike