"The subject has not had standing enough to call forth much opinion," the
doctor answered. "There is an almost universal indifference in regard to
the matter. I think the common notion is that the earth is about all there
is in the universe worth considering."

"But what are your own views, Doctor?"

"I have been one of those," he replied, "who believed the notion of life
outside the earth to be a beautiful theory without one shred of scientific
basis. We knew the earth was inhabited and the moon was not, and there we
stopped. We did not know, and thought we never could know, anything that
could be called evidence pointing to the existence of life in the other
planets or elsewhere, and we held that there was no advantage in
speculation. We thought it unwise to spend much time or thought on a
subject about which we could know nothing. On coming here and finding you
I have learned that Mars is inhabited, but I do not know any more about
the other planets or stars."

"Does not the mere knowledge that there are two life-bearing bodies lead
you to believe that there are more, among the vast numbers of worlds which
you have not visited?"

"I don't see why it should. How can we believe anything without evidence?
No one has ever come to us from those distant globes, and they are too far
away for us to see what is taking place on their surface."

"It seems strange, Doctor, to hear you reason in that way, but I suppose
some of our race were just as narrow, if you will pardon me for using that
word, as you are, before our wonderful successes in astronomy. I believe
you have not properly considered the subject, for it seems to me you had