Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/358

 All progress and discovery was ever at the instance of the practical. They could hardly understand mere science for its own sake. Having discovered some time ago, by a happy accident, the principle of the telescope, they had since applied the instrument chiefly to profitable business and amusement—one leading amusement consisting in the enlarged view of the vast overhead cloud-mass agitations of Jupiter, a spectacle especially attractive to children. When we tendered to them any explanations about astronomic systems, they always asked for some practical outcome, and if nothing promised in that way, their attention and interest soon ceased. But withal we ever found them excellent, simple-minded, direct business people, ever ready to truck and traffic with us. For some time at first our profits from these people were fabulous, as some of our very cheapest wares, such as, for instance, our cross-electric matches, striking, as they did, a brilliant light, which lasted for a few minutes, or even hours, according to power-accumulation and price, were intensely valued by them.

Life proved rather pleasant to us here, and in more respects than those merely of climate, the fact being that we Earthians are greatly looked up to, and held in most flatteringly reverential consideration by these simple Jovians; for, if they care little about our science for its own sake, they yet readily see our power to apply it to all sorts of useful and profitable things, and they are struck with awe and admiration accordingly. Many of our people now live here for weeks and months together, in making business arrangements. There is quite an old home-like