No doubt I shall be chided for saying that these Moon-inhabitants are a handsome people, but I was enabled to judge them by a universal standard of beauty, and I looked upon them as a product of the same infinite Creator who fashioned our mortal bodies with such marvelous adaptation of means to end.

One thing is sure, were a person from the Moon to set foot upon our planet, he would estimate us to be as far out of harmony with his standards of beauty as we should consider him to be out of harmony with ours.

As might be expected, these people are very peculiar in their habits.  There is a small percentage of the population who are bright stars intellectually, while others are extremely indolent.  When a person wins a record for laziness, it is said of him:  “He is too lazy to eat his air.”

The large city to which I had come was indeed a novel sight.  Its buildings average in height one-third of ours, although they occupy nearly as much ground space.  They are composed almost totally of non-combustible materials.

The window panes are not made of a brittle substance like glass, but resemble mica, except that they are more tough and durable.  These Moonites are wiser than we in roofing their houses.  They have discovered a mineral composition which in its plastic state is daubed over the roof.  This, upon hardening, is proof against all conditions of weather and never needs replacing.

There are many striking features in their architecture.  In general, it may be said that they are quite far advanced in constructive ability.  Some of their larger buildings look like soldiers’ forts, others resemble immense bee hives, while still others appear like odd-shaped synagogues.

We are their superiors in almost every line, especially in our knowledge and use of electricity and photography, and also in our manufacturing and scientific skill.  However, they have decidedly surpassed us in imitative and creative art.

Their paintings express so accurately the emotions of the heart that I found myself in tears as I saw their masterpieces.  For a time I forgot that I was on the Moon, so lost was I in elevated reflections all suggested by their art creations.  How I wished that I could have taken some of these specimens with me!

From the Moon our Earth looks like a large wagon-wheel hanging in the heavens.  It is amusing to learn of the various opinions and superstitions that are held regarding this wagon-wheel world.  Some of the Moonites declare that it is a huge lantern, hung solely for their benefit, and scoff at the idea that it might be a world inhabited by civilized beings.  More intelligent Moonites venture the theory that human life could exist on the great wagon-wheel, but declare that this is quite improbable, as the whole planet is enveloped by some thick, smoky substance in which they believe it would be impossible for human life to exist.  Some look upon the Earth as the mother of the Moon, and regard the Sun as the father.  This sex idea runs through most of their heathen religion, and there are more who worship the Earth and the Sun than there are who worship the God who created these heavenly bodies.