BOOK OF THE DAMNED 269 



agreement we have is an indication that somewhere aloft there is a 

 medium denser than this earth's atmosphere. I suppose our strong- 

 hold is in that such is not popular belief 



Or the rhythm of all phenomena: 



Air dense at sea level upon this earth less and less dense as one 

 ascends then denser and denser. A good many bothersome ques- 

 tions arise 



Our attitude: 



Here are the data: 



Luminous rains sometimes fall (Nature, March 9, 1882; Nature, 

 2 5-437)- Tm * s is lig ht that is not the light of incandescence, but 

 no one can say that these occasional, or rare, rains come from this 

 earth's externality. We simply note cold light of falling bodies. 

 For luminous rain, snow, and dust, see Hartwig, "Aerial World," p. 

 319. As to luminous clouds, we have more nearly definite observa- 

 tions and opinions: they mark transition between the Old Dom- 

 inant and the New Dominant. We have already noted the transi- 

 tion in Prof. Schwedoff's theory of external origin of some hail- 

 stones and the implications that, to a former generation, seemed 

 so preposterous "droll" was the word that there are in inter- 

 planetary regions volumes of water whether they have fishes and 

 frogs in them or not. Now our acceptance is that clouds some- 

 times come from external regions, having had origin from super- 

 geographical lakes and oceans that we shall not attempt to chart, 

 just at present only suggesting to enterprising aviators and we 

 note that we put it all up to them, and show no inclination to go 

 Columbussing on our own account that they take bathing suits, 

 or, rather, deep-sea-diving-suits along. So then that some clouds 

 come from inter-planetary oceans of the Super-Sargasso Sea if we 

 still accept the Super-Sargasso Sea and shine, upon entering this 

 earth's atmosphere. In Himmel und Erde, Feb., 1889 a phenom- 

 enon of transition of thirty years ago Herr O. Jesse, in his observa- 

 tions upon luminous night-clouds, notes the great height of them, 

 and drolly or sensibly suggests that some of them may have come 

 from regions external to this earth. I suppose he means only from 

 other planets. But it's a very droll and sensible idea either way. 



In general I am accounting for a great deal of this earth's isola- 

 tion: that it is relatively isolated by circumstances that are similar 

 to the circumstances that make for relative isolation of the bottom 

 of the ocean except that there is a clumsiness of analogy now. To 

 call ourselves deep-sea fishes has been convenient, but, in a quasi- 



