Edisons Conquest of Mars | Page 9

in the unity of international feeling immensely pleased the spectators.
An Unparallelled Scene.
The scene in the Senate Chamber stirred every one profoundly. That it was brilliant and
magnificent goes without saying, but there was a seriousness, an intense feeling of
expectancy, pervading both those who looked on and those who were to do the work for
which these magnates of the earth had assembled, which produced an ineradicable
impression. The President of the United States, of course, presided. Representatives of
the greater powers occupied the front seats, and some of them were honored with special
chairs near the President.
No time was wasted in preliminaries. The President made a brief speech.
"We have come together," he said, "to consider a question that equally interests the whole
earth. I need not remind you that unexpectedly and without provocation on our part the
people--the monsters, I should rather say--of Mars, recently came down upon the earth,
attacked us in our homes and spread desolation around them. Having the advantage of
ages of evolution, which for us are yet in the future, they brought with them engines of
death and of destruction against which we found it impossible to contend. It is within the
memory of every one in reach of my voice that it was through the entirely unexpected
succor which Providence sent us that we were suddenly and effectually freed from the
invaders. By our own efforts we could have done nothing."
McKinley's Tribute.
"But, as you all know, the first feeling of relief which followed the death of our foes was
quickly succeeded by the fearful news which came to us from the observatories, that the
Martians were undoubtedly preparing for a second invasion of our planet. Against this we
should have had no recourse and no hope but for the genius of one of my countrymen,
who, as you are all aware, has perfected means which may enable us not only to
withstand the attack of those awful enemies, but to meet them, and, let us hope, to
conquer them on their own ground."
"Mr. Edison is here to explain to you what those means are. But we have also another
object. Whether we send a fleet of interplanetary ships to invade Mars or whether we

simply confine our attention to works of defence, in either case it will be necessary to
raise a very large sum of money. None of us has yet recovered from the effects of the
recent invasion. The earth is poor to-day compared to its position a few years ago; yet we
cannot allow our poverty to stand in the way. The money, the means, must be had. It will
be part of our business here to raise a gigantic war fund by the aid of which we can
construct the equipment and machinery that we shall require. This, I think, is all I need to
say. Let us proceed to business."
"Where is Mr. Edison?" cried a voice.
"Will Mr. Edison please step forward?" said the President.
There was a stir in the assembly, and the iron-gray head of the great inventor was seen
moving through the crowd. In his hand he carried one of his marvellous disintegrators.
He was requested to explain and illustrate its operation. Mr. Edison smiled.
Edison to the Rescue.
"I can explain its details," he said, "to Lord Kelvin, for instance, but if Their Majesties
will excuse me, I doubt whether I can make it plain to the crowned heads."
The Emperor William smiled superciliously. Apparently he thought that another assault
had been committed upon the divine right of kings. But the Czar Nicholas appeared to be
amused, and the Emperor of China, who had been studying English, laughed in his sleeve,
as if he suspected that a joke had been perpetrated.
"I think," said one of the deputies, "that a simple exhibition of the powers of the
instrument, without a technical explanation of its method of working, will suffice for our
purpose."
This suggestion was immediately approved. In response to it, Mr. Edison, by a few
simple experiments, showed how he could quickly and certainly shatter into its
constituent atoms any object upon which the vibratory force of the disintegrator should
be directed. In this manner he caused an inkstand to disappear under the very nose of the
Emperor William without a spot of ink being scattered upon his sacred person, but
evidently the odor of the disunited atoms was not agreeable to the nostrils of the Kaiser.
Mr. Edison also explained in general terms the principle on which the instrument worked.
He was greeted with round after round of applause, and the spirit of the assembly rose
high.
Next the workings of the electrical ship were explained, and it was announced that after
the meeting had