Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/395

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A THOUSAND YEARS HENCE.
377

one of a line or street of houses, presumably his own residence. These houses are very small slight structures, and, in passing through this one, we noticed what must have been a bed, but which to us looked more like an electric battery. We had already, indeed, heard something of the sleeping arrangements in Upper Solardom, the plan being to lie down in a head-to-foot magnetic current, which composes at once to sleep, while a clock regulation, by arrest and reversal of the composing current, after so many hours, causes immediate awakening.

We now passed through, into a somewhat large and open space behind, where we noticed what seemed like a slightly hollowed out amphitheatre. This was nearly filled by the irregular outline of what looked like a transparent mist or light auroral cloud. Our guide, in pointing to this remarkable object, seemed, by his face, to ask us if we could divine its meaning. We approached nearer, and gazed intently for some seconds. Suddenly I recognized the peculiarity of the outline, and a sense of sublime awe and even terror came over me, for was it not a micromized reflection of the vast outside universe! It was indeed no other. Our own science, although far less advanced, had long since laid down the general form of our universe, embodied mainly, as it was, in the so-called Milky Way; and here it all was, bodily reflected before our eyes. When I had whispered the solution to Brown, he was even more awed and affected than myself.

Our guide first explained that this reflection was secured for their use from the point of view of the furthest outlying star-cluster, and conveyed to them,