Page:Meda - a tale of the future.djvu/264

260 as you see, my son, we can now live on our life-giving atmosphere alone, and enjoy strength and happiness without any food and but little water. Can you now understand the present state of things? Can you now understand why all cities are ruined, and deserted; why we abhor and avoid them? Can you now understand why iron and steel have become things of the past?

"You may not yet see all this as we see it, my son, but you will soon be able to do so. Iron and steel are of no use now; the corrosive power of our atmosphere is so great, that the heaviest and strongest structure if made of these metals would soon be eaten away. The great war ships of the ancients and their great merchant fleets soon became useless by corrosion. This was well, because we now have no use for them. We do not require them to carry food, having no need of it. We do not want them for carrying fuel, having no use for it. All we now require is clothing, and this is of the simplest kind. As previously explained to