i. Economic Decline
I CANNOT BE sure how long the Celestial1 World Empire endured. Its life must certainly be counted in centuries, and possibly it lasted for a couple of thousand years. Though the world empire was at heart a diseased society and bound to disintegrate2, it inherited from earlier societies a certain toughness of fibre, and its structure was such that it could carry on in a sort of living death so long as conditions remained unchanged. While its material resources were unimpaired it functioned automatically and without change.
The human race had in fact attained4 the kind of stability which insect species have maintained for many million years. Its whole economy had been worked out in intricate detail by the technicians of an earlier age through a period of many decades, and had at last become absolutely stereotyped5. Raw materials, produced in appropriate regions and in regular annual quantities, were assigned to manufacturing districts according to a time-honoured plan, to be distributed in time-honoured proportions to the various nations and social classes. The whole industrial technique had acquired a kind of religious sanctity. No variations were to be tolerated, except the seasonal6 variations which were themselves sanctified.
In these circumstances the function of the technicians, the unacknowledged but effective rulers of the planet, was radically7 altered. From being primarily inventors of new processes and new adjustments they became simply orthodox vehicles of the sacred lore9. Intelligence, therefore, even bound intelligence, came to have an increasingly restricted function. Before the onset10 of decline, planning had been becoming more and more comprehensive and far-seeing. Men had planned for centuries ahead and for great societies, even tentatively for the future of the species. But after the world empire had become firmly established and stereotyped, large planning was no longer necessary. Only in the ordering of individual lives was there any scope for intelligence. Even here, as individual lives became more and more dominated by the regularities11 imposed by the state, the office of intelligence became more restricted. Whenever any daring spirit did try to improve upon the orthodox procedure, his intelligence proved feeble and his action misguided. His failure merely strengthened the general distrust of innovation.
For a very long while the material resources and the biological condition of the race did remain in effect constant. To the subjects of the world empire it seemed certain that the existing order was eternal. The idea of progress, material or mental, had long since ceased to seem plausible13, for society was universally regarded as perfect. On the other hand the idea of racial decline was never contemplated14. But behind the appearance of stability great changes were already at work, both in the physical environment and in the constitution of the human race itself.
Though volcanic15 power was inexhaustible, certain essential raw materials were not. Coal and oil had long ago been superseded16 as sources of power, but as raw materials for many synthetic17 products they were valuable, and becoming ever more difficult to procure19. The world’s phosphate deposits, so necessary for agriculture, were being steadily20 reduced. Guano, long ago abandoned, was once more assiduously collected. Potash deposits had been heavily worked and were seriously depleted21. An earlier age had known that an unlimited22 supply of potash could, when necessary, be obtained from sea water, but there had been no need to work out a technique for isolating23 it. Now, when potash was scarce, there was no longer the inventive capacity to tackle so difficult a task. Nitrogen had for long been derived24 from the air for use in fertilizers and high explosives. In this case, however, the technique was well established, and so there was no immediate25 danger of its loss. Iron, though one of the commonest of all elements, was becoming steadily more difficult to reach. All ordinarily accessible deposits were seriously depleted, and the skill for much deeper mining was by now lacking.
The condition of forestry26 in the latter days of the world-empire throws a strange light on the mental decay of the race. Wood-pulp had been the main raw material for many synthetic products. In early days, when the intelligence of the technicians was still effective, afforestation schemes had been organized so as to keep the balance of production and consumption. But latterly planting had seriously lagged behind felling. This may seem surprising, since the balance of planting and felling was part of the rigid27 and sacred technique of social organization. The cause of the ever-increasing discrepancy28 was very simple but completely hidden from the sluggish29 minds of the latter-day empire controllers. The original scheme had been calculated on the assumption that the art of forestry would continue to be practised with quick intelligence. Some margin30 had been allowed for accidents and errors, but not a fool-proof margin. When intelligence had declined, mistakes became more frequent, and less successfully repaired. Consequently the old sacred formulae failed. The forests slowly but surely dwindled32. But according to the sacred scriptures33 of afforestation this was impossible, if the formulae had indeed been followed. Therefore it was impious to suggest that the forests were dwindling35. Therefore anyone who began to suspect that this was happening turned a blind eye on the facts. Thus the rot continued without any attempt being made to stop it.
The same disastrous36 decay took place in agriculture. The original organizers of the empire’s tillage had worked out a delicately balanced agricultural system which should yield an adequate crop of food-stuffs without impoverishing37 the land. But this system had depended on intelligent adjustment. It was not fool-proof. When sluggish minds took charge, there was a far greater wastage at every point in the system. The old formulae therefore became inadequate38. But since any alteration39 would have been impious, the upshot was that century by century rather less was put into the ground than was taken from it. Thus there set in a steady process of denudation40. Slowly but surely all the great agricultural districts became less productive. The corn-bearing plains of North America and Russia, the rice plains of China and India, the great scattered41 areas that had provided the world’s greens, the fruit lands of California, Australia, South Africa, one and all deteriorated42. Little by little they turned into wastes of sand, like the once fertile Sahara. The process was made all the worse by climatic changes caused by the shrinking of the forests.
The gradual failure of agriculture was of course a very slow process. Ordinary citizens of the empire did not notice it. True, there were great desert tracts43 in which the ruins of former farmsteads might be observed; but the slow-witted populace never dreamed that this was a symptom of an ever-spreading disaster. Only by comparing the present output with past records could the trouble be realized. But the records and the sacred proportions of agricultural production were known only to the ‘mystery’ of agriculture, in fact to the heads of the world agricultural system. These magnates knew vaguely44 that something was wrong; but since for sundry45 reasons it was unlikely that there would be trouble in their day, they held their tongues. The decline was in fact easily concealed46, because, while supplies were dwindling, the population of the world was also rapidly decreasing.
ii. Decline of Population
The decline of world-population had started long ago after the period of rapid increase which took place in the early phase of industrialization. It was due partly to the widespread use of efficient contraceptive methods, partly to anxiety about economic insecurity, partly to a vague sense of the futility47 and falsity of civilization. In the rather tired Utopia of North America, where the decline was first seriously felt, insecurity cannot have been a cause, for prosperity was universal. But disillusionment about a curiously48 aimless Utopia was a serious factor in American life. The early totalitarian states had always feared decline of population, and had done their utmost to check it, but without much success. The newer totalitarian states, the Russian and Chinese Empires, and the World Empire in its early phase, had attacked the problem with characteristic ruthlessness.
The most obvious way to increase population was waken the hundreds of millions whom past governments had from time to time put into cold storage all over the world in order to solve the unemployment problem. There was at first great reluctance49 to do this, for a reason which reveals the incredible stupidity and superstition50 of the human race in this period. Declining population, far from solving the unemployment problem, had increased it. Demand was constantly declining. Mass-productive machinery51 could less easily be worked at a profit. Though the rulers saw clearly enough with one side of their minds that an increase in population was needed, on the other side they were painfully aware of the unemployment problem, and reluctant to add to the stagnant52 pool of potential labour. Consequently, though there was much discussion about the cold-storage houses, nothing was done. Meanwhile population continued to decline.
The governments tried to compel the peoples to reproduce. Women were educated to believe that their sole function was reproduction. Mothers were honoured in relation to the number of their offspring. Those produced fifteen or more babies were given the title ‘Prolific Mother’. Any who succeeded in launching twenty human beings were deified. Contraception was made illegal and condemned53 as immoral54. In spite of all these measures the fertility-rate declined. In desperation the World Government tightened55 its grip on the women. Every girl was compelled to have intercourse56 with a man as soon as she was certified57 as mature. A month after certification she appeared before her medical board again and was examined to prove that she was no longer a virgin58. If after three months she had not conceived, she was sent to an institution that combined the characters of a brothel and a stud-farm. If after another three months she still failed to conceive, she was subjected to medical and surgical59 treatment to cure her barrenness. If this also failed, she was publicly disgraced, appropriately tortured, and gradually killed.
After helplessly watching the decline of population for many decades, perhaps centuries, the World Government decided60 to take the obvious step, which, moreover, was sanctioned by scripture34. For it was part of the sacred canon that some day, when there was great need of workers, the sleepers61 must be wakened. The rulers now declared that the time had come. In panic and without proper preparation it ordered the physiologists62 to thaw63 out the whole refrigerated multitude. The process was a delicate one, and the instructions left by an earlier and brighter generation were at first badly bungled64. Millions were killed, or woke up to a brief period of misery65 and bewilderment, speedily followed by death. Millions more survived only for a life of permanent invalidism66 or insanity67. The majority, however, though seriously damaged by their rough awakening69, were fit for active life of a sort. But they had slept through much history. Their minds had been formed by a world long vanished. Their speech and thought were often so archaic70 that modern individuals could not understand them. Their limbs, and their minds too, moved at first with painful sluggishness71. Their procreative impulses were apparently72 quenched73. Moreover they gradually discovered that their new world was even less propitious74 than the old one. Some of them, when they had entirely75 thrown off the miasma76 of their age-long sleep and had painfully adjusted themselves to the new environment, proved to be rather more quick-witted than their normal neighbours in the new world. And, as they had not been brought up to accept the recent and more extravagant77 prejudices of the new world, they were generally very critical of the modern customs and institutions. In fact they soon became a grave nuisance to the authorities. The Government hastened to order that all the ‘reawakened’ should at once be fitted with radio control. This obvious precaution had been delayed less through fear of putting them to too great a strain before they had recovered from the effects of refrigeration, than out of an amazingly stupid reluctance to raise them to the rank of citizens. Millions were now subjected to the operation. Half of these died under the anaesthetic. Millions more put up a desperate resistance and had to be destroyed. Here and there, where there was a large concentration of the ‘reawakened’, they were able to seize power and set up a rebel state. The spectacle of human beings resisting authority was utterly78 bewildering to the robot citizens of the world-state. In many minds there arose an agonizing79 conflict between the orthodox radio-generated will and a shocking impulse to rebel. This would probably not have occurred had not the technique of radio-control seriously degenerated81, owing to the general decline of intelligence. Many of the unfortunate sub-humans (for men were no longer human) went mad or died under the stress of this conflict. Some succeeded in resisting the control and joined the rebels. It almost appeared that an era of new hope was to begin for the human race. Unfortunately the ‘reawakened’ could not stand the strain. While their cause prospered82, all was well with them, but every passing misfortune was accompanied by a great crop of suicides. So little heart had they for life. One by one the rebel centres collapsed83, till none was left.
The population problem remained unsolved. One other method of coping with it had been tried, at first with some success.
In the early middle period of the world empire, while innovation was still possible, a group of physiologists and surgeons had devized a method which, it was hoped, would settle the matter for ever. The new technique was a half-way stage towards true ectogenesis. The womb and other necessary organs were removed from a young woman and kept alive artificially. The mutilated donor84 of these precious organs was then destroyed, but part of her blood-stream was put into artificial circulation through the excised85 organs and used as the medium for supplying them with necessary chemicals. The womb could then be inseminated, and would produce an infant. By various technical methods the process could be made far more rapid than normal reproduction. Moreover quintuplets could be procured86 from every conception. Unfortunately the excised organs could not be kept alive for more than ten years, so it was necessary to have a constant supply of young women. The government therefore imposed the death penalty on women for the most trivial offences, and used them up for artificial reproduction. At the same time it tried to educate female children in such a way that when they reached maturity87 many would actually desire the supreme88 glory of sacrificing their lives so that their wombs might live on with enhanced fertility. The response to this propaganda was disappointing. In fear of a really catastrophic decline of population the government passed a law that every woman, except members of the sacred governing class, must ‘give her life for her children’s sake’ at the age of twenty-five.
Unfortunately the method of artificial reproduction involved a very delicate surgical technique, and it did not come into general use until first-class manipulative intelligence was already in decline. Increasingly, therefore, the excised wombs failed to survive the operation, or, if they did survive, failed to produce viable89 infants. Presently it became clear to the few free intelligences of the race that the method, far from increasing the population, was actually hastening its decline. But already the method had become part of the sacred tradition and could not be abandoned. For decades, therefore, it continued to be practised with increasingly disastrous results. There came a time, however, when even the dull and enslaved wits of the Celestial Empire could not but realize that if the decline of population was not quickly stopped civilization would disintegrate. A great struggle ensued between the orthodox and the protestants, until at last a compromise was agreed upon. At the age of twenty-five every young woman must receive a ceremonial cut on the abdomen90, accompanied by suitable ritual and incantations. This, it was believed, would increase the fertility of her reproductive organs without the necessity of excising91 them.
In spite of everything, population continued to decline. I was not able to discover the cause of this universal process. Perhaps the root of the trouble was physiological92. Some chemical deficiency may have affected93 the germ cells. Or again some subtle mutation94 of the human stock may have rendered conception less ready. Or perhaps the neurotic95 condition of the population had produced hormones96 unfavourable to conception. I am inclined to believe that the real cause, through whatever physical mechanism97 it took effect, was the profound disheartenment and spiritual desolation which oppressed the whole race.
Whatever the cause, the world-population continued to shrink, and in the process it became a predominantly middle-aged98 population. The small company of the young, though cherished and venerated99, counted for nothing in decisions of policy. An ice-age of feebleness and conservatism gripped the world with increasing force.
iii. Disintegration100 of the World Empire
Presently there came a time when the sacred customs could no longer be even superficially maintained. There was neither the labour nor the degree of vigour101 and intelligence to maintain the sacred stereotyped functions of society. The first serious breakdown102 was connected with volcanic power. Whenever great volcanic eruptions103 occurred, the machinery for harnessing and using the submerged titan was likely to be thrown out of gear or destroyed. When the tumult104 had subsided105 the local system had to be reconstructed, probably in new conditions. Great eruptions are rare, but over the centuries they occur in every active volcano. So long as intelligence was strong, the damage was quickly repaired. Long after the extinction106 of the fully31 free intelligence the limited, bound intelligence which functioned only within the orthodox system of ideas and values was still capable of great practical inventiveness. When a volcanic power station was destroyed and the volcano changed its whole configuration107, even the bound intelligence was able to reconstruct the generating system. But when the actual innate108 capacity for intelligence had seriously declined, when even the best surviving intelligence was not only bound but feeble, such great problems of engineering could seldom be successfully tackled. In due season they became completely insoluble. Inevitably109 the great volcanic power stations fell one by one into disuse. The world’s supply of power steadily diminished. Since the needs of the declining population were also shrinking, this might not have mattered, had it not been for the effect on communications. After a while it became impossible to maintain the world’s transport system. Little by little the continents, and then the regions within a single continent, failed to maintain the orthodox trade-intercourse with one another. This obvious breakdown in the sacred system caused not only grave economic disorder110 but also a severe psychological disturbance111 in men’s minds. It should be mentioned that radio-control of thought and volition112 had by now broken down completely. The delicate surgical operation and the delicate mechanism which it involved were far beyond the compass of latter-day man. Relieved of this tyranny, men were once more independent individuals; or at least they would have been, had not the tyranny of mob-feeling and suggestion still controlled them. Generally mob-feeling and suggestion favoured the government; but the increasing gap between the official version of events and the state of affairs that men perceived around them sometimes inclined even the degenerate80 latter-day mobs to criticism. For at last it became impossible even for the average dullard of the race not to recognize that the Celestial World Empire, for which he had been taught to sacrifice himself body and soul, was disintegrating113. This knowledge produced a kind of religious terror. The very universe, it seemed, was crumbling114 about men’s heads.
The process of disintegration must have lasted for several centuries at least. During this period, until the isolation115 of the provinces was complete and all clear memory of the past age had been lost, there was a phase of violent social unrest. The race, it seemed, was on the verge116 of waking from the neurotic trance which had so long gripped it. It might at any moment insist on revolutionary changes. But such was the strength of the old culture, and such the stupidity and aimlessness of the revolutionaries, that the crisis was weathered. Instead of waking into sanity68 the race somnambulistically adjusted itself to its new circumstances without sacrificing its cherished delusions117.
The transition from a very complex and close-knit world-economy to a medley118 of isolated119 societies was very significant of the condition of the species. So long as some meagre communication persisted, it was impossible for people not to realize that foreign countries existed, and to be perturbed120 by the failure of the empire. When mechanical transport had collapsed altogether, attempts were made to maintain contact by sailing-ships and caravans121. But both these occupations depended on techniques long since abandoned. The half-wit populations could not effectively recover them. The radio still for a while maintained contact between peoples, for this technique, though fairly complex, was preserved in the tradition. Radio communication with foreign lands, however, came to seem very objectionable to the provincial122 governments, which, of course, controlled the whole of each provincial radio system. Radio news kept reminding people of the existence of a world which, from the government’s point of view, they should forget; since the recollection of it filled them with restlessness and awkward questioning. One by one the governments therefore broke off all radio communication with foreign countries. Any attempt to make contact by radio with ‘imaginary other lands’ was henceforth punished by death. This state of affairs lasted until the final loss of radio through the further deterioration123 of intelligence.
When contact with the outside world had been completely severed124, each isolated people was able to readjust itself mentally by accepting the fiction that it was in fact the whole of mankind and that its state was the world empire. The sacred formulae for production and consumption could not, of course, any longer be literally125 applied126; but they were ‘symbolically interpreted’ to mean something very different from their original intention, something adapted to the reduced life of the ‘world empire’. It was interesting to observe the stages by which this reinterpretation128 established itself.
The slow breakdown of communications had, of course, involved a constantly increasing infringement129 of the sacred formulae for international trade. In the heyday130 of the empire the provinces had been highly specialized131 for particular forms of agriculture, mining, and manufacture. Specialization had been encouraged by the early world-governments, for individuals, social classes, and peoples. Everything must be done to increase dependence132 on the imperial organization and the government. No region must be self-sufficient, no individual a person of all-round development. No one must ever be more than a cog in the great machine or a specialized cell in the great body politic133. But now the failure of communications forced the peoples to change their whole economy or be extinguished. The great change was of course unplanned or misguided. The paucity134 of intelligence and the sanctity of the traditional economy made conscious planning impossible. New industries had to sprout135 in every region; but lack of inventiveness and organizing talent, and the universal condemnation136 of novelty, forced the pioneers to flounder along under a heavy cloak of subterfuge137 and self-deception. Inevitably the standard of living in each province deteriorated. Little by little the flood of mass-produced machine-made goods gave place to a miserable138 trickle139 of the crudest hand-made makeshifts produced by local craftsmen140 who were hampered141 not only by innate obtuseness142, but by lack of all traditional technique, and also by the enervating143 sense that their occupation was sinful.
In agricultural regions, though food was for a while plentiful144, comfort vanished; and presently, through the failure to procure new agricultural machines, tillage itself degenerated into a kind of half-wit caricature of primitive145 methods. In manufacturing regions there was for a while a huge surplus of certain goods and a complete absence of others, while food became ever more difficult to obtain. Populations were slowly starved, their numbers shrinking, catastrophically. The remnant, generation by generation, turned more and more to tillage of a wretchedly inefficient146 type.
In the old industrial regions the sacred tradition of industrialism remained as a cult18 wholly divorced from practical life. The ruins of the great factories were treated as temples, where, once every seven days and on the many sanctified ‘bankolidays’, everyone repaired to carry out rituals which were corruptions147 of the forgotten techniques of the ancient industry. The fields would not bear, it was believed, unless these rituals were meticulously148 performed. Throughout the week men guiltily scratched the surface of the earth with home-made implements149 of stone or bone, implements which the ancient Stone Age men would nave150 been ashamed to use. On the sabbath the whole population implored151 the gods of industrialism to forgive men their impious infringement of the sacred law, and to refrain from blasting the fields. One or two of the great machines in some of the former industrial regions were successfully maintained by a caste of priestly engineers, and put in action on holy days. When possible, appropriate raw materials were procured for them, so that they were able to produce a small and erratic152 stream of the ancient goods. These were considered far too sacred to use. Since in the old days the products of the local industry had mainly been exported, these ritual products were, if possible, carried to the sea by a great procession of the faithful. They were then loaded into a sacred ship which was taken out to sea and over the horizon, there to be ceremonially sunk.
iv. Final Degeneracy
I hoped that when the power of the Celestial World Empire had been thoroughly153 broken and the culture on which it was based had been reduced to absurdity154, the human race might be able to develop a much less specialized economy, so that the distinctively155 human capacities would at last reassert themselves, and history begin again. But this was not to be. The rot had already gone much too far. Superficially the isolated human communities had still the appearance of civilization, though a severely156 damaged civilization. To a slight extent mechanical power was still used. Electric lighting157, the telephone, water and sewage services remained in the more fortunate states, though they were all extremely inefficient, and a serious breakdown was apt to defeat all efforts at repair. Here and there, even railways remained, connecting a metropolis158 with some specially159 important provincial town. But accidents were so frequent that many people preferred to sacrifice speed for safety in the resuscitated160 stage-coach. The ancient main-line continental161 railways could still be traced by their cuttings and embankments, but the tracks had long since vanished. In the wars which frequently broke out between states with common frontiers explosives were still used, though tanks and aeroplanes were no longer available.
The cultures of the states, though both crude and crazy, were such as could not have existed save as products of a past civilization. In most regions the average intelligence had sunk almost to the bushman level, and in the more degenerate populations far below it. Even outstandingly brilliant individuals were mostly mere12 dullards according to early standards. And these dullards were grievously hampered by their faulty upbringing. The languages of this age, mostly corruptions of the ancient English, Russian, or Chinese, were rich in fossil remains162 of ancient thought. Language was much cherished. It was the vehicle through which the sacred wisdom was handed down. Two dead languages, ancient English and ancient Chinese, were taught to the children of the wealthy, and proficiency163 in these languages was demanded of every aspirant164 to posts of responsibility. Ancient literature and historical records were very carefully studied, and subtly interpreted so as to accord with local mythology165 about the World Empire. Much of the ancient thought, particularly the great scientific and philosophical166 inquiries167 of the past, were by now far beyond the understanding of even the brightest individuals. Nevertheless immense labour was devoted168 to criticism of the ancient texts, which were given symbolical127 or magical meanings adapted to the degenerate modern mentality169. Meanwhile the great mass of scientific knowledge accumulated by earlier ages was reduced to a few well-tried practical precepts170, of use in manufacture and electrical engineering of a very crude kind. In physics and astronomy certain sensational171 mysteries were still handed down in the sacred tradition, but they were accepted without any attempt at understanding, and in general they were gross perversions172 of the original discovery. For instance, the theory of relativity was completely lost, but it was affirmed that if a man were to walk far enough in a straight line he would reach his starting-point. This true statement was not derived from the roundness of the earth, for the earth was assumed to be flat; it was regarded simply as a sacred mystery. Men also believed that the universe was very big; but since astronomy was a lost science, they assumed that the universe itself was a sphere, half of which was solid ground and the other half sky. Sun, moon, and stars were supposed to emerge from the eastern rim8 of the ground to be blown across the sky, and finally to settle down once more in the west.
In consequence of the decline of intelligence all complex organization tended to disintegrate. The great national states, the former provinces of the world-empire, fell into hopeless disorder. One by one they crumbled173 into small quarrelling principalities. These were ever rising and collapsing174, coalescing175 into petty empires, splitting into a score of fragments, passing from the hands of one tyrant176 to another. Little by little even these small social units decayed into mere tribal177 territories, each occupying its own valley or plain.
Meanwhile the manner of life of the degenerate tribes of men steadily decayed. Agriculture was less and less efficient. In district after district, through lack of fertilizers and intelligent rotation178 of crops, it was gradually abandoned. The miserable remnant of mankind now sank to collecting wild vegetable foods and hunting the swarms179 of wild animals which had greatly increased with the decline of man. Wild cattle were abundant in many regions, but only the hardiest180 and most cunning of the half-wit hunters dared attack such large and dangerous beasts. For the most part the populations lived on the swarms of rabbits and other small rodents181 that thrived in a world in which the large carnivora had long since been exterminated183. In some regions the starving tribes were reduced to eating mice, toads184, and beetles185.
Once more it seemed to me possible that from this utter debasement man might now once more take the first step on the long journey towards lucidity186. The whole lethal188 social order which had hitherto frustrated189 it had now vanished. Reduced once more to the primitive family, surely men would rediscover their essential humanity. But this could not be. The dead hand of the past still gripped even their most intimate relationships. Debased intelligence, debased self-consciousness, debased sensibility towards others made it impossible for the new sub-men to realize the folly190 and cruelty that they were constantly perpetrating. No individual was ever treated with respect even for such rudiments191 of personality as he might possess. Every man and woman was merely the node of a number of formal social relations. Everyone was either a chieftain or a slave or a free hunter, either a husband or bachelor, a wife or a virgin, and so on. And for each relationship there was an intricate pattern of conventional conduct, which must never be infringed192. These patterns were in the main not expressions of existing circumstances but confused survivals of a past culture, in many cases cruelly frustrating193 to the individual. This state of affairs was damaging to everyone, not only because of the discrepancy between his actual circumstances and the behaviour imposed by convention, but also because in everyone there still lurked194 a tortured and bewildered germ of that spirit which in the past had flowered as Jesus, Socrates, Gautama, and the hosts of the wise and the good.
Though the degenerate species was no longer capable of revival195, it did at last attain3 a condition of equilibrium196. The scanty197 world-population, scattered throughout the continents in little isolated groups persisted probably for half a million years. Floods, climatic changes, volcanic eruptions, land subsidence, plagues, might now and again wipe out whole tribes, but their place would sooner or later be taken by others. Man had found his appropriate niche198 in the natural system of the planet’s fauna199. Generation after generation he survived. His sluggish wits were wholly occupied in the tasks of food-gathering, the maintenance of crude shelters, reproduction, and the performing of traditional rites200.
v. The End of Man
This prolonged equilibrium was insecure. Sooner or later some more than usually widespread scourge201 would extinguish the species. The end came in a manner that I had not expected. The rat had accompanied man through all his adventures. Indeed, long before man appeared on the earth, the rat was well-established. And it was destined202 to survive him. A considerable part of the energy of the human race had always been devoted to defence against the rat. Even at the height of material civilization this ubiquitous rodent182 devoured203 much of man’s food stores and infected him with plagues. With the decline of human intelligence the rat became a much more serious menace. It exacted a far heavier toll205 on his food stores. It multiplied extravagantly206. In the last long phase of human degeneracy the rat-catcher was the most honoured profession. Only the most intelligent of men could cope with the limited but adequate native cunning of the inferior species. Century by century man held his own against this formidable enemy, but only by a narrow margin and at great cost.
At last there came a crisis. Some climatic change covering the whole planet seems to have made life rather suddenly more difficult for man, and therefore for his parasite207. Driven by starvation, the rats began to change their habits. Not content with ravaging208 man’s food stores, they attacked men themselves. They began by devouring209 the babies whenever they were left for a while unguarded. Sleeping adults were also attacked. Sometimes a host of hungry rodents would waylay210 a lonely hunter, seize his legs, clamber up his body, hang on to his flesh with their incisors, bite at his throat, drag him to the ground and devour204 him alive. It seems probable that some mutation in the rat had increased its efficiency as a carnivorous beast, for attack on large mammals and particularly on men became increasingly common. Men were by now much reduced in stature211, rats increased in weight. There came a time when the rats no longer confined their attention to stealthy attacks on children and sleeping adults or to persons isolated from their fellows. They gathered in great armies and invaded the scattered settlements, exterminating212 their inhabitants. Century by century men fought a losing battle. Tribe after tribe was exterminated, country after country depopulated, until only in the most favoured region a few hard-pressed families lurked in the woods, feeding on roots and worms, meeting at the full moon in solemn conclave213 to chant their spells against the rodent enemy, and assert with stupid pride their superiority over all beasts. The almost meaningless jargon214 which issued from these baying mouths was their one remaining title to humanity. In it there still lurked fantastic corruptions of civilized215 speech, relics216 which had lived in the times of Shakespeare, Plato, Con-fu-tsze. For a few decades, perhaps centuries, these ultimate remnants of mankind hung on to life, attacked not only by the rats but many other pests and plagues, and by the weather. In this constant warfare217 their frail218 human physique combined with their sub-human mentality to make extinction inevitable219. At some time or other, unmourned and unnoticed, the last human being was destroyed.
The planet which had once and again haltingly attained the lucid187 mentality sank now for ever into torpor220. For no species remained on earth capable of evolving to the human level. The torch which had fallen from the hand of man could never be picked up and carried forward by a fresh runner. For incalculable aeons, for a period immeasurably longer than the whole career of mankind, the terrestrial globe spun221 and circled, its surface possessed222 by a host of lowly creatures.
Meanwhile the sun, like all stars of his age and size, was growing hotter, through the increasingly rapid release of energy in his interior. The more highly specialized biological types on the Earth were gradually destroyed. The lowlier kinds became adapted to an ever more torrid climate. More and still more of the ocean vaporized into the atmosphere, shutting out the heavens with perennial223 cloud. Little by little conditions on the earth passed beyond the limit of adaptability224 of any terrestrial species. The ocean began to boil, the sands to melt, the atmosphere to vanish into outer space. The increasing heat of the sun, however, had favoured the evolution of life on Uranus225. Slowly, as on Earth, there appeared a multitude of species. And as on Earth these one by one reached a climax226 of specialization beyond which no further evolution was possible to them. At last, as on Earth, one single type, specialized only for versatility227, stood at the threshold of lucidity. But then the sun, as so many stars before him, exploded into the nova state, fusing all his planets.
These remote events I did not witness. They seem to have been obscurely borne in upon my mind through contact with the minds of my superhuman fellow explorers.
My personal experience was confined to terrestrial events. And as soon as earth’s brief flicker228 of lucidity had ended, my attention was withdrawn229 from this whole sad stream of time, in which the will for darkness had prevailed. For other scarcely less agonizing but glorious events were all the while unfolding before me.
收听单词发音 |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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disintegrate
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| v.瓦解，解体，（使）碎裂，（使）粉碎 | |
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3
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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4
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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5
stereotyped
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| adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的 | |
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6
seasonal
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| adj.季节的，季节性的 | |
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7
radically
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| ad.根本地，本质地 | |
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8
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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9
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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10
onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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11
regularities
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| 规则性( regularity的名词复数 )； 正规； 有规律的事物； 端正 | |
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12
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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13
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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14
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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15
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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16
superseded
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| [医]被代替的，废弃的 | |
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17
synthetic
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| adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品 | |
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18
cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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19
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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20
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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21
depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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22
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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23
isolating
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| adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析 | |
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24
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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25
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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26
forestry
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| n.森林学；林业 | |
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27
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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28
discrepancy
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| n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾 | |
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29
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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30
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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31
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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32
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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34
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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35
dwindling
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| adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
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36
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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37
impoverishing
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| v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的现在分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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38
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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39
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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40
denudation
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| n.剥下；裸露；滥伐；剥蚀 | |
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41
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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42
deteriorated
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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44
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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45
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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46
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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47
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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48
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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49
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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50
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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51
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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52
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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53
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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54
immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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55
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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56
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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57
certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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58
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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59
surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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60
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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61
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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62
physiologists
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|
| n.生理学者( physiologist的名词复数 )；生理学( physiology的名词复数 )；生理机能 | |
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63
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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64
bungled
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|
| v.搞糟，完不成( bungle的过去式和过去分词 )；笨手笨脚地做；失败；完不成 | |
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65
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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66
invalidism
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| 病弱，病身； 伤残 | |
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67
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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68
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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69
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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70
archaic
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| adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的 | |
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71
sluggishness
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| 不振，萧条，呆滞；惰性；滞性；惯性 | |
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72
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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73
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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74
propitious
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|
| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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75
entirely
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|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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76
miasma
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| n.毒气；不良气氛 | |
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77
extravagant
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|
| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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78
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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79
agonizing
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|
| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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80
degenerate
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|
| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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81
degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82
prospered
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| 成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
collapsed
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|
| adj.倒塌的 | |
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84
donor
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| n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体 | |
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85
excised
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| v.切除，删去( excise的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
procured
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|
| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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87
maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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88
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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89
viable
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| adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的 | |
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90
abdomen
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| n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分) | |
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91
excising
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| v.切除，删去( excise的现在分词 ) | |
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92
physiological
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| adj.生理学的，生理学上的 | |
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93
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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94
mutation
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| n.变化，变异，转变 | |
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95
neurotic
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|
| adj.神经病的，神经过敏的；n.神经过敏者，神经病患者 | |
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96
hormones
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| n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式 | |
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97
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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98
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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99
venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
disintegration
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| n.分散，解体 | |
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101
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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102
breakdown
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| n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌 | |
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103
eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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104
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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105
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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106
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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107
configuration
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| n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置 | |
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108
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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109
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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110
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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111
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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112
volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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113
disintegrating
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的现在分词 ) | |
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114
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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115
isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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116
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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117
delusions
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| n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想 | |
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118
medley
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| n.混合 | |
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119
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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120
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121
caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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122
provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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123
deterioration
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| n.退化；恶化；变坏 | |
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124
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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125
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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126
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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127
symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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128
reinterpretation
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| n.重新解释，纠正性说明 | |
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129
infringement
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| n.违反；侵权 | |
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130
heyday
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| n.全盛时期，青春期 | |
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131
specialized
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| adj.专门的，专业化的 | |
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132
dependence
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| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
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133
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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134
paucity
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| n.小量，缺乏 | |
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135
sprout
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| n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条 | |
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136
condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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137
subterfuge
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| n.诡计；藉口 | |
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138
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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139
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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140
craftsmen
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| n. 技工 | |
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141
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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142
obtuseness
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| 感觉迟钝 | |
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143
enervating
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| v.使衰弱，使失去活力( enervate的现在分词 ) | |
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144
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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145
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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146
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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147
corruptions
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| n.堕落( corruption的名词复数 )；腐化；腐败；贿赂 | |
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148
meticulously
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| adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心 | |
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149
implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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150
nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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151
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152
erratic
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| adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的 | |
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153
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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154
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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155
distinctively
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| adv.特殊地，区别地 | |
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156
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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157
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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158
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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159
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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160
resuscitated
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| v.使（某人或某物）恢复知觉，苏醒( resuscitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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162
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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163
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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164
aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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165
mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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166
philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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167
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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168
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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169
mentality
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| n.心理，思想，脑力 | |
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170
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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171
sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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172
perversions
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| n.歪曲( perversion的名词复数 )；变坏；变态心理 | |
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173
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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174
collapsing
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| 压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂 | |
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175
coalescing
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| v.联合，合并( coalesce的现在分词 ) | |
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176
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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177
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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178
rotation
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| n.旋转；循环，轮流 | |
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179
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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180
hardiest
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| 能吃苦耐劳的，坚强的( hardy的最高级 )； （植物等）耐寒的 | |
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181
rodents
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| n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 ) | |
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182
rodent
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| n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的 | |
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183
exterminated
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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184
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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185
beetles
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| n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
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186
lucidity
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| n.明朗，清晰，透明 | |
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187
lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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188
lethal
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| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
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189
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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190
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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191
rudiments
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| n.基础知识，入门 | |
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192
infringed
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| v.违反（规章等）( infringe的过去式和过去分词 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等） | |
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193
frustrating
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| adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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194
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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195
revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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196
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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197
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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198
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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199
fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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200
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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201
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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202
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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203
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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204
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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205
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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206
extravagantly
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| adv.挥霍无度地 | |
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207
parasite
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| n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客 | |
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208
ravaging
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| 毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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209
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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210
waylay
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| v.埋伏，伏击 | |
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211
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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212
exterminating
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的现在分词 ) | |
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213
conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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214
jargon
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| n.术语，行话 | |
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215
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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216
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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217
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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218
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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219
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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220
torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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221
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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222
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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223
perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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224
adaptability
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| n.适应性 | |
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225
Uranus
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| n.天王星 | |
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226
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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227
versatility
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| n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能 | |
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228
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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229
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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