the stars, and of
the stars that are themselves dark and cold, with naught but the
faraway constellations to cheer them, on which night reigns eternally,
and that far outnumber the stars you can see. Also of the multiplicity
of sex and extraordinary forms of life that exist there, though on none
of them are there mortal men like those on the earth.

"Nature, in the process of evolution, has in all these cases gone off
on an entirely different course, the most intelligent and highly
developed species being in the form of marvellously complex reptiles,
winged serpents that sing most beautifully, but whose blood is cold,
being prevented from freezing in the upper regions of the atmosphere by
the presence of salt and chemicals, and which are so intelligent that
they have practically subdued many of these dark stars to themselves.
On others, the most highly developed species have hollow, bell-shaped
tentacles, into which they inject two or more opposing gases from
opposite sides of their bodies, which, in combination, produce a strong
explosion. This provides them with an easy and rapid locomotion, since
the explosions find a sufficient resistance in the surrounding air to
propel the monsters much faster than birds. These can at pleasure make
their breath so poisonous that the lungs of any creatures except
themselves inhaling it are at once turned to parchment. Others can
give their enemies or their prey an electric shock, sending a bolt
through the heart, or can paralyze the mind physically by an effort of
their wills, causing the brain to decompose while the victim is still
alive. Others have the same power that snakes have, though vastly
intensified, mesmerizing their victims from afar.

"Still others have such delicate senses that in a way they commune with
spirits, though they have no souls themselves; for in no part or corner
of the universe except on earth are there animals that have souls. Yet
they know the meaning of the word, and often bewail their hard lot in
that no part of them can live when the heart has ceased to beat.

"Ah, my friends, if we had no souls--if, like the aesthetic reptilia,
we knew that when our dust dissolved our existence would be over--we
should realize the preciousness of what we hold so lightly now. Man
and the spirits and angels are the only beings with souls, and in no
place except on earth are new souls being created. This gives you the
greatest and grandest idea of the dignity