As they scrutinized the gay festivities, the observers from Earth could not but be reminded of the spirit of the ancient Greek Olympiads, for no individual victory in running or jumping counted here; it was the development of the entire body which was sought. No misshapen wrestlers or biceps-bulging weight lifters were to be seen. Any distortion of the human form by over specialization was carefully avoided.
The decathlon was an ideal means for producing true bodily perfection and balance, for it demanded an extensive proficiency of the body along a wide variety of exercises, and simultaneously evolved the aesthetic satisfaction which a broadly trained body offers to the eye. In the Martian decathlon, the ultimate object was not so much the highest record as it was to bring forth the most versatile and perfect, the "Kalos," as the Greeks had it.
Despite the emphasis on beauty and bodily perfection, there was no lack of strenuous effort in the competition between the males. The final event, a sort of marathon lasting a half hour, brought most of them to the verge of exhaustion. The winner received an ovation which reechoed from the glass dome above when he stepped to the front to receive the prize of a purple neck chain. The enthusiasm of the spectators was no more for the wonderful performance which he had put up than for the harmonious physique which his long training had developed.
As a finale, there were ball games and gymnastics for girls, for whom beauty and grace also were prime objectives. The Earthlings marveled at the enthusiasm with which the maidens engaged in the various exercises and the pride with which they displayed their charms. There was none of the languor which so often tinges an Earthly stage show with the obscene. On the other hand, there was none of the prudery which ugliness so often drapes around itself as a form of moral cloak.
The whole festivity was an unforgettable tribute to the living strength and will to beauty of the healthy youth, offering to a Nature banished by technology the honor and veneration which was her due.
Chapter 29 — The Expedition Bears Fruit
Douglas McRae and Howard Ross were the zoologist and botanist of the Mars expedition. Great indeed was their disappointment when Holt's first radio reports from the surface to the circling vessels indicated that, to his eye at least, there was but little plant or animal life on Mars. Holt had flirted with the idea of directing both McRae and Ross to remain in the space vessels and to continue to circle in the orbit in order to devote the lifting capacity of the landing boats on takeoff to objects of greater importance to Earthlings than the reports and specimens of a zoologist and botanist. It seemed that such reports would consist of the solemn conclusion that Martian fauna was limited to a few species of ants and worms, while flora consisted of a limited variety of mosses.
Holt's point of view changed when he was introduced to the elaborate Martian underground gardens, bathed in a combination of filtered natural and artificial light. Parks produced a luxuriant growth of trees, shrubs and flowers beneath the sun rays that penetrated the enormous glass domes above them. When he had spent some time browsing in the Natural History Museum of Ahla, he revoked his intention of keeping McRae and Ross circling in space and radioed them to descend in the Goddard's boat.
Ahla's natural history museum, like many others in various cities, contained inexhaustible treasure troves for seekers of answers to developmental questions. How, for example, had Mars come to present the picture of today? How may the Red Planet have appeared thousands or millions of years ago? What had become of the oceans and mountains which once must have existed? How long had it taken for the atmosphere to dissipate to a point where the Martians fled to a subterranean, pressurized existence?
When and why did higher forms of animal life die out? What had such forms actually been? How did the Martians breed the marvelous plants of their subterranean world?
Sam Woolf had haunted the museum from the moment that he was free of his duties as airport engineer, and he found so rich the collections and specimens that he was able to dispense with the geological equipment he had brought to the orbit. He promptly abandoned any thought of digging for specimens himself and devoted his time to studying the exhibits in the museum. Here, the Martians had correlated all he desired to know in the most extensive manner, while the curators were always at his beck and call to explain anything he might not fully understand.
Hans Bergmann was another scientist to benefit from the Martian penchant for thoroughly documenting and recording the astronomical phase of the development of their planet. Bergmann enjoyed the astronomical bliss of seeing the history of a planet pass in review in full scale photography — and it was his planet, to which he had devoted his professional life. He found the complete answers to his years of patient, tireless research, passing the planet's red rays through the torture of the spectroscope. Now he had no need to correlate one vague theory with another equally vague in order to make his observations agree with one another. Mars' life story lay before him, an open book. He could even compare it with that of Earth and thereby set up a series of generalizations for basic laws which must underlie the developments of all planets.
Thus the Earthling scientists abandoned the primitive research equipment with which they had hoped to solve the mystery of the Red Planet's life and history. They were able to benefit by the efforts of generations of Martian scientists as collection after collection, specimen after specimen, was presented to their eager eyes.
The expedition's scientists had been a glum lot when the first message from Mars' surface reached them in their orbit, but their gloom rapidly dissipated when they plunged into the stimulating flow of revelations of natural science with their Martian confreres. So vast was the treasure of information that it threatened to overwhelm their mental capacity, and they loudly boasted that a mere visit to the Natural History Museum of the City of Ahla would alone more than justify in the minds of Earthling taxpayers the billions of dollars expended on Operation Mars.
The unfortunate Tom Knight continued to command and maintain as best he could the interplanetary vessels as they circled the Red Planet. The tedium of his faithful watch was relieved by the daily reports radioed up by Holt for retransmission to Earth. Lussigny sent them forth into the ether until they reached the grasping antenna of the High-Duty station in the Lunetta orbit. From there they were poured into the ears of the Space Force communicators and to Braden's desk, from which eager reporters and radio commentators passed them on to the news-hungry people of Earth.
Not long after his arrival, Holt came to the realization that Mars' boiling economy and scientific advancement might well represent an extremely valuable outlet for Earthling trade and the industry behind it, while there could be no doubt that along certain lines an interchange not only of knowledge and culture, but also of material goods, should be envisaged. Using the code designated for confidential matters, Holt asked Braden what his attitude on this subject should officially be. He asked for instructions whether to foment plans for closer interchange of experiences and permanent economic cooperation, if the general idea should seem to appeal to the Martians.
Braden's usually prompt response to any message from Holt was long delayed on this subject, for he did not fail to recognize the solar system-shaking importance of such a decision. He characteristically felt that it was beyond his province. During a personal interview, he laid it before the newly elected President of Earth, but that worthy official likewise declined to rule on so far-reaching a subject, preferring, as was more than natural, to submit the matter to a session of the United Congress.