us. Nothing that has life could help being uplifted by contact with our
ever-expanding civilization. We believe the chief factor in working this
great betterment in the animal creation has been our success in entirely
eliminating flesh as an article of food. We early came to see it was not
necessary for ourselves and that without it we were much better prepared
to assume the higher duties belonging to our advanced life. We then began
to experiment with the animals nearest us. It was a slow and discouraging
task at first, but finally we obtained results that gave us hope of
success. We found in the course of many years that the digestive organs of
the animals on which we were experimenting were gradually becoming
accustomed to a vegetable diet. We continued the work, extending it to one
class of animals after another, until in time all carnivorous instincts
disappeared."

This interested the doctor exceedingly, and he remarked that he should
think there would have been some kinds of animals that would resist all
efforts to work such a change in them; but Thorwald answered:

"I have never read of such cases, but if there were any the species must
have become extinct, for now, in all this world, no conscious life is
taken to support another life. No blood is let for our refreshment and no
minutest creature is pursued and slain to appease the appetite of its
stronger neighbor."

"Does this condition extend even to the fish of the sea?" inquired the
doctor.

"Even to the fish of the sea," answered the Martian.

"Now that you discover," he continued, "what improvement has been wrought