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Contents
Preface xx
Acknowledgments xxii
PART I FOUNDATIONS
1 ★ American Political Culture 2
Government 5
Is Government Needed? 5
Forms of Government 5
Limiting Government 8
Access to Government: The Expansion of Participation 8
Influencing the Government through Participation: Politics 9
Citizenship: Participation, Knowledge, and Efficiency 10
Who Are Americans? 13

Immigration and Ethnic Diversity 14
WHO ARE AMERICANS? An Increasingly Diverse Nation 15
Immigration and Race 16
Twenty-First-Century Americans 17
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Global Diversity 19
American Political Culture 22
Liberty 23
Equality 25
Democracy 28
What Americans Think about Government 29
Conservative in Theory, Liberal in Practice 30
Trust in Government 31
American Political Culture: What Do We Want? 33
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Voted in 2016? 35
Study Guide 36
For Further Reading 38
Recommended Websites 39
vi

2 ★ The Founding and the Constitution 40
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts 43
British Taxes and Colonial Interests 43
Political Strife and the Radicalization of the Colonists 44
The Declaration of Independence 45
The Articles of Confederation 46
The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution 47
The Annapolis Convention 48
Shays’s Rebellion 48
The Constitutional Convention 49
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Benefits from the Great Compromise? 51
The Constitution 53
The Legislative Branch 55
The Executive Branch 56
The Judicial Branch 56
National Unity and Power 57
Amending and Ratifying the Constitution 58
Constitutional Limits on the National Government’s Power 58
The Fight for Ratification 60
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Comparing Systems of Government 61
Federalists versus Antifederalists 62
Reflections on the Founding 64
The Citizen’s Role and the Changing Constitution 65
Amendments: Many Are Called; Few Are Chosen 65
Which Were Chosen? An Analysis of the 27 66
The Supreme Court and Constitutional Change 68
The Constitution: What Do We Want? 70
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Gained the Right to Vote through
Amendments? 71
Study Guide 72
3 ★ Federalism 76
Federalism in the Constitution 79
The Powers of the National Government 79
The Powers of State Government 81
States’ Obligations to One Another 82
Local Government and the Constitution 84
Federalism in Practice 84
The Traditional System of Federalism 84
Restraining National Power with Dual Federalism 85
Federalism and the Slow Growth of the National
Government’s Power 87
CONTENTS vii

Federalism in the Modern Era 89
The New Deal and World War II: New Roles for Government 89
From Layer Cake to Marble Cake: Cooperative Federalism and the
Use of Categorical Grants 89
National Standards, Regulation, and Preemption 93
Evolving Role of the States 94
States’ Rights 94
Devolution 96
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Cooperative Federalism: Competition or a Check
on Power? 97
Devolution: For Whose Benefit? 100
The Politics of Federalism Today 102
Expediency versus Ideology in Federalism 102
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Benefits from Federal Spending? 103
Polarization and National Gridlock: States Step In 105
State-Federal Tug of War 105
State Preemption of Local Government Policy 107
Federalism: What Do We Want? 108
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Participates in State and Local Politics? 109

Study Guide 110
4 ★ Civil Liberties 114

Civil Liberties and the Constitution 117
A Brief History of the Bill of Rights 117
Nationalizing the Bill of Rights 118
The First Amendment and Freedom of Religion 123
Separation between Church and State 123
Free Exercise of Religion 125
The First Amendment and Freedom of Speech
and of the Press 127
Political Speech 127
Fighting Words and Hate Speech 129
Student Speech 130
Commercial Speech 131
Symbolic Speech, Speech Plus, and the Rights of Assembly
and Petition 132
Freedom of the Press 133
The Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms 136
Rights of the Criminally Accused 138

The Fourth Amendment and Searches and Seizures 139
The Fifth Amendment 141
The Sixth Amendment and the Right to Counsel 144
The Eighth Amendment and Cruel and Unusual Punishment 144
viii CONTENTS

The Right to Privacy 146
Birth Control 146
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Is in Prison? 147
Abortion 148
Sexual Orientation 149
The Right to Die 149
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Civil Liberties around the World 150
Civil Liberties: What Do We Want? 151
WHO PARTICIPATES? Religious Affiliation and Freedom of Religion 153
Study Guide 154
5 ★ Civil Rights 158

The Struggle for Civil Rights 161
Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement 161
The Women’s Rights Movement 162
The Civil War Amendments to the Constitution 163
Civil Rights and the Supreme Court: “Separate but Equal” 164
Organizing for Equality 165
Litigating for Equality after World War II 166
Civil Rights after Brown v. Board of Education 167
The Civil Rights Acts 170
Extending Civil Rights 179
Levels of Scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause 179
Women and Gender Discrimination 180
Latinos 184
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Have Women Achieved Equal Rights? 185
Asian Americans 189
Native Americans 191
Disabled Americans 191
LGBTQ Americans 192
Do the Poor Have Civil Rights? 193
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Women’s Rights 194
Affirmative Action 195
The Supreme Court and the Burden of Proof 195
Civil Rights: What Do We Want? 197
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Has Fought for Their Rights? 199
Study Guide 200
CONTENTS ix

PART II POLITICS
6 ★ Public Opinion 204
Defining Public Opinion 207
Political Values 209
Political Ideology 211
How We Form Political Opinions 216
Political Socialization 216
Social Groups and Public Opinion 218
Political Knowledge and Changes in Public Opinion 225
Stability and Change of Public Opinion 225
Political Knowledge 228
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Where Does Income Inequality Stem From? 231
The Media, Government, and Public Opinion 232
Political Leaders 232
Interest Groups 233
The Mass Media 234
Public Opinion and Government Policy 234
Government Responsiveness to Public Opinion 235
Does Everyone’s Opinion Count Equally? 236
Measuring Public Opinion 237
Measuring Public Opinion from Surveys 237
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Confidence in Democratic Institutions 238
When Polls Are Wrong 242
Big Data, Polling Aggregators, and Measuring Public Opinion 245
Public Opinion and Democracy: What Do We Want? 247
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Expresses Their Political Opinions? 249
Study Guide 250
7 ★ The Media 254

The Media in American Democracy 257
Journalism 258
The Profit Motive 259
Mass Media Ownership 260
The Media Today 261
Newspapers 263
Broadcast Media 265
Radio 265
Digital Media 267
Citizen Journalism 271
Nonprofit Journalism 272
Benefits of Online News 273
x CONTENTS

Concerns about Online News 274
Do Americans Trust the Media Today? 276
Media Influence 277
How the Media Influence Politics 278
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Where Do Americans Get Their News? 279
News Coverage 283
Media Leaks 283
Adversarial Journalism 284
Regulation of the Media 285
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE The Internet and Global Democracy 287
The Media and Democracy: What Do We Want? 288
WHO PARTICIPATES? Civic Engagement in the Digital Age 289
Study Guide 290
8 ★ Political Participation
and Voting 294
Forms of Political Participation 297
Traditional Political Participation 297
Digital Political Participation 303
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Voter Turnout in Comparison 305
The Dark Side of Digital Politics: Russian Voter Suppression
and Mobilization 308
Summing Up Digital Participation 309
Who Participates? 310
Socioeconomic Status 310
Age and Participation 312
African Americans 313
Latinos 314
Asian Americans 316
Gender and Participation 316
Religious Identity 318
Political Environment and Voter Mobilization 319
Mobilization 319
Data Analytics and Voter Mobilization 321
Electoral Competition 321
Ballot Measures 322
State Electoral Laws and Participation 323
Registration Requirements 323
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Which States Make Voting Easier? 325
Voting Rights of Felons 326
Voting and Registration Reforms 327
CONTENTS xi

Political Participation: What Do We Want? 328
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Participated in the 2016 Presidential Election? 329
Study Guide 330
9 ★ Political Parties 334

What Are Political Parties? 337
How Do Political Parties Form and Change? 339
The United States’ Two-Party System 339
What Political Parties Do 340
Parties, Voter Mobilization, and Elections 340
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Two-Party Systems and Multi-Party
Systems 341
Recruiting Candidates 342
Party Nominations and Primaries 342
General Election and Mobilizing Voters 343
Parties as Organizations 344
National Convention 345
National Committees 346
Congressional, State, and Local Campaign Committees 347
Parties in Government 348
Parties and Policy 348
Partisanship and Government Shutdowns 350
Factions within the Parties 350
Parties in Congress 351
Party Identification 352
Who Are Republicans and Democrats? 353
Recent Trends in Party Affiliation 358
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Identifies with Which Party? 359
Party Systems 360
The First Party System: Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans 360
The Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs 361
The Civil War and Post–Civil War Party System 362
The System of 1896: Populism and Republican Responses 362
The New Deal Party System: Government Helps the Working Class 363
The Contemporary American Party System 364
Party Polarization 365
Third Parties 368
Political Parties: What Do We Want? 371
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Votes in Primaries and Caucuses? 373
Study Guide 374
xii CONTENTS

10 ★ Campaigns and Elections 378
Elections in America 381
The Basic Rules of the Game for U.S. Elections 381
What It Takes to Win—Winner Take All 382
The Ballot 383
Legislative Elections and Electoral Districts 384
Presidential Elections 386
Direct-Democracy Elections 392
Election Campaigns 393
Campaign Consultants 393
Fundraising 394
Campaign Strategy 395
Money and Politics 400
The Courts and Campaign Spending 401
Sources of Campaign Funds 402
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Campaign Laws in Comparison 403
How Voters Decide 406
Partisan Loyalty 406
Issues and Policy Preferences 407
Candidate Characteristics 408
The 2016 and 2018 Elections 409
The 2016 Presidential Nomination 409
The General Election 410
Understanding the 2016 Results 413
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Supported Trump in 2016? 415
The 2018 Election: A Blue Wave Meets a Red Wall 417
The 2018 Election and America’s Future 421
Campaigns and Elections: What Do We Want? 422
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Donates to Political Campaigns? 423
Study Guide 424
11 ★ Groups and Interests 428

Defining Interest Groups 431
Common Types of Interest Groups 433
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Civil Society around the World 436
What Interests Are Not Represented? 437
How Groups Organize 439
The “Free-Rider” Problem 441
Why Join Groups? 441
Digital Communication and Interest Groups 443
Approaches to Interest Group Membership: Two Case Studies 444
The Growth of Interest and Advocacy Groups 446
The Expansion of Government 446
Growth of Public Interest Groups in the 1960s and ’70s 447
CONTENTS xiii

Interest Group Strategies 447
Direct Lobbying 449
Regulating Lobbying 452
Using the Courts 453
Mobilizing Public Opinion 454
Using Electoral Politics 456
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Is Represented by PACs? 457
Interest Groups: What Do We Want? 460
WHO PARTICIPATES? How Much Do Major Groups Spend? 461
Study Guide 462
PART III INSTITUTIONS

12 ★ Congress 466
Congress: Representing the American People 469
House and Senate: Differences in Representation 469
Trustee versus Delegate Representation 470
Sociological versus Agency Representation 471
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are the Members of Congress? 473
The Electoral Connection 475
Direct Patronage 480
The Organization of Congress 482
Party Leadership in the House 482
Party Leadership in the Senate 483
The Committee System 483
The Staff System: Staffers and Agencies 487
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Women’s Parliamentary Representation
Worldwide 488
Informal Organization: The Caucuses 489
Rules of Lawmaking: How a Bill Becomes a Law 489
Committee Deliberation 489
Debate 491
Conference Committee: Reconciling House and Senate Versions
of Legislation 493
Presidential Action 494
How Congress Decides 494
Constituency 494
Interest Groups 495
Party 496
When Congress Can’t Decide 500
Beyond Legislation: Other Congressional Powers 502
Oversight 502
Advice and Consent: Special Senate Powers 503
Impeachment 504
xiv CONTENTS

Congress: What Do We Want? 505
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Elects Congress? 507
Study Guide 508
13 ★ The Presidency 512

The Constitutional Powers of the Presidency 515
Expressed Powers 516
Implied Powers 522
Delegated Powers 523
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Executive Branches in Comparison 524
Inherent Powers 525
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are America’s Presidents? 527
The Presidency as an Institution 529
The Cabinet 530
The White House Staff 530
The Executive Office of the President 530
The Vice Presidency 531
The First Spouse 532
The Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power 533
Going Public 534
The Administrative Strategy 536
The Limits of Presidential Power: Checks and Balances 542
Presidential Power: What Do We Want? 543
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Voted for Donald Trump in 2016? 545
Study Guide 546
14 ★ Bureaucracy in a Democracy 550

Bureaucracy and Bureaucrats 553
What Bureaucrats Do 553
Who Are Beaurocrats? 556
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are “Bureaucrats”? 557
The Organization of the Executive Branch 559
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Bureaucracy in Comparison 562
Goals of the Federal Bureaucracy 563
Promoting Public Well-Being 563
Providing National Security 565
Maintaining a Strong Economy 571
Can the Bureaucracy Be Reformed? 573
Eliminating Programs and Agencies 575
Devolution 576
Privatization and Contracting Out 577
CONTENTS xv

Managing the Bureaucracy 579
The President as Chief Executive 580
Congressional Oversight 581
Bureaucracy: What Do We Want? 583
WHO PARTICIPATES? Waiting for a Veterans Affairs Health Care
Appointment 585
Study Guide 586
15 ★ The Federal Courts 590

The Legal System 593
Cases and the Law 593
Types of Courts 594
Federal Courts 598
Federal Trial Courts 599
Federal Appellate Courts 599
The Supreme Court 599
How Judges Are Appointed 600
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Are Federal Judges? 603
The Power of the Supreme Court: Judicial Review 604
Judicial Review of Acts of Congress 604
Judicial Review of State Actions 605
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Term Limits for High Court Justices 606
Judicial Review of Federal Agency Actions 607
Judicial Review and Presidential Power 608
Judicial Review and Lawmaking 609
The Supreme Court in Action 610
Controlling the Flow of Cases 612
Lobbying for Access: Interests and the Court 614
The Supreme Court’s Procedures 614
Explaining Supreme Court Decisions 618
Influences on Supreme Court Decision-Making 618
Judicial Power and Politics 621
The Federal Judiciary: What Do We Want? 624
WHO PARTICIPATES? Influencing the Supreme Court? 625
Study Guide 626
xvi CONTENTS

PART IV POLICY
16 ★ Government and the Economy 630
The Goals of Economic Policy 633
Promoting Stable Markets 633
Promoting Economic Prosperity 634
Promoting Business Development 637
Protecting Employees and Consumers 639
The Politics of Economic Policy Making 641
How Much Should the Government Intervene in the Economy? 642
Organized Interests and the Politics of Economic Policy 646
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Earns the Minimum Wage? 647
Politics and the Great Recession of 2008 648
The Tools of Economic Policy 649
Monetary Policies 649
Fiscal Policies 652
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Tax Rates around the World 654
Regulation and Antitrust Policy 659
Subsidies and Contracting 661
The Environment and the Economy 663
The Debate on Climate Change 664
Environmental Policies 665
Economic Policy: What Do We Want? 668
WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Pays Taxes? 669
Study Guide 670
17 ★ Social Policy 674

The Welfare State 677
The History of the Social Welfare System 677
Foundations of the Welfare State 679
How Do We Pay for the Welfare State? 683
Opening Opportunity 689
Education Policies 689
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE U.S. Health Care: High Cost, Poor Outcomes 691
Health Policies 694
Housing Policies 698
Who Gets What from Social Policy? 700
The Elderly 700
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Benefits from Social Programs? 701
The Middle and Upper Classes 702
The Working Poor 702
The Nonworking Poor 703
CONTENTS xvii

Minorities, Women, and Children 704
The Policymaking Process 706
Social Policy: What Do We Want? 707
WHO PARTICIPATES? Growing Student Debt Burden 709
Study Guide 710
18 ★ Foreign Policy and

Democracy 714
The Goals of Foreign Policy 717
Security 717
Economic Prosperity 720
Human Rights 721
Who Makes American Foreign Policy? 722
Presidents and the Executive Branch 722
AMERICA SIDE BY SIDE Building Influence through
International Connections 723
Congress 730
Interest Groups 732
The Instruments of Modern American Foreign Policy 733
Diplomacy 734
The United Nations 734
The International Monetary Structure 735
Economic Aid and Sanctions 736
Collective Security 737
Military Force 738
WHO ARE AMERICANS? Who Serves in the U.S. Military? 739
Soft Power 740
Arbitration 740
Current Foreign Policy Issues Facing the United States 741
A Powerful China and a Resurgent Russia 741
Nuclear Proliferation in Iran and North Korea 743
Trade Policy 744
Global Environmental Policy 745
Foreign Policy: What Do We Want? 745
WHO PARTICIPATES? Public Opinion on Security Issues 747
Study Guide 748
xviii CONTENTS

Appendix
The Declaration of Independence A1
The Articles of Confederation A5
The Constitution of the United States of America A9
Amendments to the Constitution A15
The Federalist Papers A21
The Anti-Federalist Papers A27
Presidents and Vice Presidents A33
Endnotes A35
Answer Key A81
Credits A83
Glossary/Index A87
CONTENTS xix

Preface
T
his book has been and continues to be dedicated to dev eloping a satisfactor y
response to the question more and more Americans are asking: Why should we
be engaged with government and politics? Through the first eleven editions, we
sought to answ er this question b y making the text dir ectly relevant to the liv es of the
students who would be r eading it. As a r esult, we tried to make politics inter esting by
demonstrating that students’ interests are at stake and that they ther efore need to take
a personal, even selfish, interest in the outcomes of go vernment. At the same time, w e
realized that students needed guidance in ho w to become politically engaged. B eyond
providing students with a cor e of political kno wledge, we needed to sho w them ho w
they could apply that kno wledge as par ticipants in the political pr ocess. The “Who
Participates?” and “What You Can Do” sections in each chapter help achieve that goal.
As events from the last sev eral years have reminded us, “ what government does”
inevitably raises questions about political par ticipation and political equality . The size
and composition of the electorate, for example, affect who is elected to public office and
what policy dir ections the go vernment will pursue. H ence, the issue of v oter ID laws
became important in the 2016 election, with some arguing that these laws reduce voter
fraud and others contending that they decrease participation by poor and minority voters.
Charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 election have raised questions about the integ-
rity of the voting process. Fierce debates about the policies of the Trump administration
have heightened students’ interest in politics. Other recent events have underscored how
Americans from different backgrounds experience politics. Arguments about immigra -
tion became contentious during the 2016 election as the nation once again debated the
question of who is entitled to be an American and have a voice in determining what the
government does. And charges that the police often use excessive violence against mem-
bers of minority groups have raised questions about whether the government treats all
Americans equally. Reflecting all of these trends, this new Twelfth Edition shows more
than any other book on the mar ket (1) ho w students ar e connected to go vernment,
(2) why students should think critically about go vernment and politics, and (3) ho w
Americans from different backgrounds experience and shape politics.
To help us explor e these themes, P rofessor Andrea Campbell has joined us as the
most recent in a group of distinguished coauthors. Professor Campbell’s scholarly work
focuses on the ways in which government and politics affect the lives of ordinary citi-
zens. Among her contributions ar e new chapter intr oductions that focus on stories of
individuals and how government has affected them. Many Americans, par ticularly the
young, can have difficulty seeing the role of government in their everyday lives. Indeed,
that’s a chief explanation of low voter participation among younger citizens. The new
chapter openers profile various individuals and illustrate their interactions with gov-
ernment, from a r ock band that gets its contr oversial name appr oved by the S upreme
xx

Court (Chapter 4), to a young mother who realizes the tap water in her Flint, Michigan,
home is poisoning her childr en after local officials switched the source (Chapter 14),
to teenagers protesting the end of net neutrality and the internet as they hav e known it
(Chapter 7). The goal of these stories is to show students in a vivid way how government
and politics mean something to their daily lives.
Several other elements of the book also help show students why politics and govern-
ment should matter to them. These include:
• A twenty-first-century perspective on demographic change moves beyond the
book’s strong coverage of traditional civil rights content with expanded coverage
of contemporary group politics.
• “Who Are Americans?” infographics—many new and updated for the twelfth
edition—ask students to think critically about how Americans from different
backgrounds experience politics. These sections use bold, engaging graphics
to present a statistical snapshot of the nation related to each chapter’s topic.
Critical-thinking questions are included in each infographic.
• “Who Participates?” infographics at the end of every chapter show students
how different groups of Americans participate in key aspects of politics and
government. Each concludes with a “What You Can Do” section that
provides students with specific, realistic steps they can take to act on what
they’ve learned and get involved in politics. The InQuizitive course includes
accompanying exercises that encourage students to engage with these features.
• “America Side by Side” boxes in every chapter use data figures and tables
to provide a comparative perspective. By comparing political institutions and
behavior across countries, students gain a better understanding of how specific
features of the American system shape politics.
• Up-to-date coverage, with more than 20 pages and numerous graphics on the
2016 and 2018 elections, including a 12-page section devoted to analysis of
these momentous elections in Chapter 10, as well as updated data, examples,
and other information throughout the book.
• “For Critical Analysis” questions are incorporated throughout the text.
“For Critical Analysis” questions in the margins of every chapter prompt
students’ own critical thinking about the material in the chapter, encouraging
them to engage with the topic.
• “What Do We Want” chapter conclusions step back and provide perspective on
how the chapter content connects to fundamental questions about the American
political system. The conclusions also reprise the important point made in the personal
profiles that begin each chapter that government matters to the lives of individuals.
• This Twelfth Edition is accompanied by InQuizitive, Norton’s award-winning
formative, adaptive online quizzing program. The InQuizitive course for We
the People guides students through questions organized around the text’s chapter
learning objectives to ensure mastery of the core information and to help with
assessment. More information and a demonstration are available at digital.
wwnorton.com/wethepeople12.
We note with regret the passing of Theodore Lowi as well as Margaret Weir’s decision
to step do wn from the book. We miss them but continue to hear their v oices and to
benefit from their wisdom in the pages of our book We also continue to hope that our
book will itself be accepted as a form of enlightened political action. This Twelfth Edition
is another chance. It is an advancement toward our goal. We promise to keep trying.
P R E FA C E xxi

Acknowledgements
We are pleased to acknowledge the many colleagues who had an active role in criticism
and preparation of the manuscript. Our thanks go to:
First Edition Reviewers Mark Kann, University of Southern California

Robert L. Perry, University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Sarah Binder, Brookings Institution
Wayne Pryor, Brazosport College
Kathleen Gille, Office of Representative David Bonior
Elizabeth A. Rexford, Wharton County Junior College
Rodney Hero, University of Colorado at Boulder
Andrea Simpson, University of Washington
Robert Katzmann, Brookings Institution
Brian Smentkowski, Southeast Missouri State University
Kathleen Knight, University of Houston
Nelson Wikstrom, Virginia Commonwealth University
Robin Kolodny, Temple University
Nancy Kral, Tomball College
Robert C. Lieberman, Columbia University
Fourth Edition Reviewers
David A. Marcum, University of Wyoming
Laura R. Winsky Mattei, State University of New York at Buffalo M. E. Banks, Virginia Commonwealth University
Marilyn S. Mertens, Midwestern State University Lynn Brink, North Lake College
Barbara Suhay, Henry Ford Community College Mark Cichock, University of Texas at Arlington
Carolyn Wong, Stanford University Del Fields, St. Petersburg College
Julian Zelizer, State University of New York at Albany Nancy Kinney, Washtenaw Community College
William Klein, St. Petersburg College
Dana Morales, Montgomery College
Second Edition Reviewers Christopher Muste, Louisiana State University
Lydia Andrade, University of North Texas Larry Norris, South Plains College
John Coleman, University of Wisconsin at Madison David Rankin, State University of New York at Fredonia
Daphne Eastman, Odessa College Paul Roesler, St. Charles Community College
Otto Feinstein, Wayne State University J. Philip Rogers, San Antonio College
Elizabeth Flores, Delmar College Greg Shaw, Illinois Wesleyan University
James Gimpel, University of Maryland at College Park Tracy Skopek, Stephen F. Austin State University
Jill Glaathar, Southwest Missouri State University Don Smith, University of North Texas
Shaun Herness, University of Florida Terri Wright, Cal State, Fullerton
William Lyons, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Andrew Polsky, Hunter College, CUNY
Grant Reeher, Syracuse University Fifth Edition Reviewers
Richard Rich, Virginia Polytechnic Annie Benifield, Tomball College
Bartholomew Sparrow, University of Texas at Austin Denise Dutton, Southwest Missouri State University
Rick Kurtz, Central Michigan University
Kelly McDaniel, Three Rivers Community College
Third Edition Reviewers
Eric Plutzer, Pennsylvania State University
Bruce R. Drury, Lamar University Daniel Smith, Northwest Missouri State University
Andrew I. E. Ewoh, Prairie View A&M University Dara Strolovitch, University of Minnesota
Amy Jasperson, University of Texas at San Antonio Dennis Toombs, San Jacinto College–North
Loch Johnson, University of Georgia Stacy Ulbig, Southwest Missouri State University
xxii

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That particular night—early in the evening—she had gone to Mr.
Zzyx's apartment with Henry. She happened to be carrying a new
novel which she was particularly anxious to begin reading that night.
Mr. Zzyx took a fancy to the book, probably on account of the picture
of an African jungle luridly depicted in colors on its cover. Pat refused
to give it to him, which put him in a bad temper.
She was in a dressing-gown and mules, when she discovered that,
after all her trouble in holding on to the book, she had left it behind in
Mr. Zzyx's apartment. She hurried back just as she was, and
knocked at the door. Niki answered her knock, and on her request,
returned the novel, and then closed the door. She went back to her
own apartment, and was just about to re-enter it, when she glanced
back, down the hall.
Mr. Zzyx was peering out of the doorway of his bedroom. This gave
her quite a start, and she darted into her room, quickly locking the
door after her.
Her story of what followed was an odd one.
"I wasn't so awfully frightened when I saw Mr. Zzyx peeping out at
me," she said, "or I would have gone straight into Aunt Jane's
apartment, the safest place in the castle. I had become so
accustomed to Mr. Zzyx's antics—he's just as playful as a child—I
saw no reason why I should become unduly alarmed. So I settled
down, and read my novel until about midnight. I went to sleep almost
as soon as my head touched the pillow.
"I don't know how long I'd been asleep when something aroused me.
It was a sound outside my bedroom door. I switched on the lights,
slid out of bed, caught up my dressing-gown and went to the door
and listened. I distinctly heard a scratching noise outside my door—a
sound my pet poodle makes when it wants to come into my room.
Then I saw the brass knob, inside my door, moving, and I got the
impression that some one was pressing his full weight against the
door. Well, I was just too scared to scream, so I started hammering
on the door.
"Then I listened again, by placing my ear close against the door. I'm
sure I heard a stealthy movement outside, a soft, cat's-foot
movement, as though some one was moving away, down the hall;
then everything became quiet. Finally, I became more composed
myself, and finding that I had not aroused anyone by hammering on
the door, I went back to bed. But I never closed my eyes again that
night."
When Pat recounted her adventure the next morning at breakfast,
Henry was inclined to dismiss it as trivial. "My dear, you had a
nightmare," he said. "Who on earth would want to get into your
apartment at that hour of the night? As for Mr. Zzyx, why, he wouldn't
hurt a fly."
Jane was stunned by Pat's story, and immediately added another
bolt to her bedroom door. For myself, I had heard no sound during
the night, and I'm a very light sleeper, and easy to waken. I felt, like
Henry, that perhaps Pat may have dreamed it.
At least, that was my opinion, until shortly after breakfast, while
examining the outside of her bedroom door, I found several distinct
marks, where the paint had been scratched, or clawed, off.
Discovering these marks, I felt it was not a nightmare of Pat's. So I
questioned Niki.
"You don't think it could have been Mr. Zzyx at Pat's door?" I asked
him.
Niki looked startled, then he grinned, and established a complete
alibi for our guest. "No," he said. "Mr. Zzyx never left his room last
night."
I left him, my mind confused in many ways, but entirely clear on one
point. There was something at Pat's door, that was sure.
Jane was naturally upset and uncomfortable the first night Mr. Zzyx
dined formally with us. We were both dressed for dinner, and waiting
in the entrance hall for the others to come down. She had just been
telling me of her resolve not to close the castle on November first,
and open our town house, a custom we had rigidly followed for so
many years, when she happened to glance up the grand staircase.
Clutching my arm suddenly, she whispered: "My God, Livingston!
Look!"
I turned, and gave one look, and then I burst out laughing, the sight
that met my eyes was so incredulous. Marching down the staircase,
three abreast, came Henry and McGinity, with Mr. Zzyx between
them, all three in immaculate dinner dress and enveloped in an
atmosphere of complete dignity. Henry seemed more astounded
than affronted at my mirth. Before he could voice his sentiments one
way or the other, an excited murmur came from Pat, who had just
entered the hall from the drawing room.
"Good work, Uncle Henry!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the foot of
the staircase. "And Mr. Zzyx! He looks as smart as they make them!"
Mr. Zzyx seemed pleased at the furore he was causing, and proud of
his tailed dinner clothes. He kept drawing our attention to his pearl
shirt-studs and cuff-links.
"Now, I suppose Mr. Zzyx will be expected to escort me into dinner,"
said Pat.
"Not a chance," said McGinity, moving quickly to her side; "unless
he's smarter than I think."
As Mr. Zzyx advanced towards Jane, she walked away. She stopped
when Henry said: "Don't be afraid, Jane. Mr. Zzyx has no idea of
hurting anyone. What interests him is that gold-beaded bag you're
carrying."
"Oh!" said Jane, flushing. Then she handed the bag to Mr. Zzyx, who
inspected it closely, smelt it, and then gave it back to her.
"Really!" she exclaimed. "He acts almost human!"
At this stage of the proceedings, Schweizer appeared on the scene,
to announce that dinner was served. And to my dying day, I shall
never forget the mingled look of amazement and horror that spread
over the butler's rotund face as his eyes fell on Mr. Zzyx.
And one couldn't blame him. It was enough to give any one the jitters
to see this half-human creature in smart evening dress, his heavy
animal fur framing a human face, and his hairy hands and forearms
protruding from the white cuffs of a stiff-bosomed shirt.
We had not been seated long at the table before I realized that Mr.
Zzyx, despite his repulsive appearance, possessed the mentality and
playful urge of a child. This was evident during the entrée course,
when he began to make wig-wag signals with his napkin, in an effort
to attract the butler's attention. What possible motive could he have?
Then, suddenly, the truth dawned on me. It was Schweizer who
served the dinner, and it was the food he brought that interested Mr.
Zzyx most. He had a most voracious appetite.
He sat between Henry and McGinity, in a great throne-chair which
Henry had brought from Europe. I must admit Niki had accomplished
wonders in teaching him how to handle his knife, fork and spoon. He
ate everything that was set before him, and showed a great
fondness for Henry's choice wines and champagne. Now and then,
he would pause in his eating, and look round the table, his sharp
black eyes taking us all in, one at a time; then he would chatter
something unintelligible, and resume his eating.
Henry noted this, and remarked: "Of course, we all appear very
strange to our honored guest, as it would be if we, ourselves, were
catapulted to Mars in a rocket, and suddenly found ourselves dining
with a group of Martians. In time, I hope he will be able to speak our
language."
"And then we'll know what he thinks about us," McGinity suggested.
"But he must realize by this time, how much we all think of him."
Turning to Mr. Zzyx, he patted him on the arm, and added: "You're in
pretty soft, aren't you, young fellow?"
And to out utter amazement, Mr. Zzyx turned to McGinity and spoke
—actually spoke for the first time. He distinctly mouthed a word that
sounded like "Spaghet!" with emphasis on the last syllable. He sort
of hissed the word.
"There you are!" exclaimed Henry. "I thought all along he had the
power of speech. I shall engage a tutor for him the very first thing
tomorrow morning."
"He certainly said something," McGinity observed; "sounded like
Latin to me."
And then Pat distinguished herself. "My opinion is that he tried to say
'spaghetti'," she offered. "That has some Latin connection, hasn't it?
Niki says he's terribly fond of it."
After dinner, Mr. Zzyx lounged indolently in the largest easy chair in
the library, while Schweizer served coffee. He smoked one cigarette
after another with evident enjoyment. When Henry first offered him
one of his big cigars, he surprised and amused us by biting off the
end of it, and then throwing the cigar away. The end he thrust in his
mouth and began chewing it.
A little later, as I placed my empty coffee cup on the butler's tray—
this was after Niki had taken Mr. Zzyx upstairs, to undress him and
put him to bed—Schweizer whispered: "I beg pardon, sir, but I don't
like the looks of that fellow!"
"I'm afraid, Schweizer," I rejoined, "that you'll be seeing a good deal
of this 'fellow' from now on."
The butler reflected a moment in silence on this information, and
then walked away, muttering: "I don't like his looks—I don't like his
looks!"
XVIII
The following morning, while Henry was making arrangements about
engaging a tutor for Mr. Zzyx, and McGinity busied himself in giving
proper publicity to our guest's first attempt at speech, Pat and I
strolled down to our dock. We went there on Niki's pressing invitation
to see the progress Mr. Zzyx was making in operating a runabout
Henry had recently acquired.
When we arrived at the dock, Mr. Zzyx was seated in the bow, at the
steering-wheel, looking very nautical and important in a blue worsted
suit, a white, soft-collar shirt, with a blue and white polka dot tie, and
a smart yachting cap. He beckoned at once to Pat to come down
and get into the boat.
"Oh, no! Thanks!" she called down to him.
He looked up at Pat and me imploringly. "I guess he wants us both to
come for a ride," I said. But Pat said she didn't want to go.
What happened, then and there, was an exhibition of handling a
runabout I didn't believe possible in a creature of such low mental
caliber. He seemed to take to it instinctively. Knowing there was a
great scarcity of water on Mars, I wondered how it came to him so
easily.
At Niki's word of command, he started the engine, and then steered
the boat, as unerringly as an arrow, in a swift and successful quarter-
mile run between the dock and our tiny island of rock, on which
stands the ruins of the old, stone lighthouse.
Pat and I applauded his feat on his return. In fact, Pat became so
enthusiastic over his expertness in steering the boat, that she took
her courage in hand, and ran down the steps, and jumped into the
runabout. "Now, Mr. Zzyx," I heard her say, "please give me a ride to
the island, and back."
Before I could voice my objection, Niki hopped out, and I was
horrified to see the boat race off again towards the island. While I
was protesting to Niki, I was keeping my eyes trained on the
runabout, which had now reached the island. Even from that
distance, I could see Mr. Zzyx doing a peculiar thing.
He had pulled up alongside the small dock; the engine was still
running, and the propeller kicking up a lot of foam. Apparently, he
didn't know how to tie up the boat. He was standing up, and making
funny motions to Pat, who seemed to be protesting by gestures. To
say I was not only puzzled but frightened is rather to understate the
situation.
If I had any coherent thoughts at all, they were that Mr. Zzyx wanted
Pat to go ashore with him and explore the island; he had an
abnormal sense of curiosity. There was really nothing of interest to
see there. It was all rock, devoid of trees and grass. The only
habitable building was a small shanty, which the Government had
used for storage purposes before Henry purchased the island.
"Why, in heaven's name, did you let him take Pat off like that?" I
protested to Niki. "Why didn't you stay aboard? He's dangerous."
Niki shrugged rather insolently at my fears. Since receiving a liberal
payment from Henry on the reward he had earned by first
discovering the rocket, he had become rather impudent. "Mr. Zzyx is
not dangerous, Meester Livingston," he countered. "He only likes fun
—like a leetle kitten!"
"When I say he's dangerous I mean that he is," I replied, with
vehemence. Then, profoundly shaken over Pat's security, I cried:
"Oh, what shall I do?" and turned round to run back to the castle.
The next moment, I had run full tilt into McGinity.
McGinity's reaction to the situation was typical. "That bird is too
dangerous to trifle with," he said; and within a few minutes he was in
one of our row-boats, heading for the island.
To my amazement, the next thing I saw was Mr. Zzyx bringing the
speed-boat back to the dock. I had pulled myself together somewhat
when he returned. I was surprised to see Pat, lolling comfortably
among some cushions, a cigarette in her hand and a cool smile on
her face. By that time, McGinity had put back to the dock. He arrived
in time to help Pat out of the runabout.
"What's all the trouble?" she asked him, a little sharply.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied, vaguely. "We just thought you might
be stuck over there, and couldn't get back."
"No fear," she returned, and laughed a little. "Mr. Zzyx has too much
common sense for that. The way he handles the boat is simply
marvelous. It was real excitement. I wouldn't have missed the ride—
not for anything!"
"All the same," McGinity remarked, "it was lucky for you, perhaps,
that I got here in time—that is, in case anything did happen."
Pat waved that off with a light gesture, and turned to me. "How does
Uncle Livingston feel about it?" she inquired.
"I was pretty well excited myself, Pat," I replied; "uneasy-like."
"I simply wanted to show Mr. Zzyx that I'm not afraid to be alone with
him, and that I'm a good sport besides," Pat explained.
"It's bad business," said McGinity, "any way you look at it. Matter of
fact, I think Mr. Zzyx is bad business."
"I don't see it," Pat retorted.
It was not until an hour later, when I found myself alone with Pat, that
I learned the truth about the situation, although I was convinced from
the first that she had deliberately overplayed her attitude of
indifference to danger.
"I was nearly scared to death," she confessed. "I did not miss Niki
until we were well on our way to the island. Mr. Zzyx showed by his
actions that he wanted me to tie up the boat, and go ashore with
him, but I wouldn't budge. If he had remained there, at the dock, a
minute longer, I would have yelled, screamed—jumped overboard.
But—" she concluded, as she tightened her grasp of my arm, "never
mind what I felt—Bob mustn't suspect."
In other words, she was still concealing her fear of Mr. Zzyx lest
something might happen to spoil McGinity's news stories, and
remove him from our midst. For some weeks now, he had been
assigned by his paper to "cover" Mr. Zzyx's every movement, and to
report all the news developments in connection with Henry's theories
about Mars. This necessitated his remaining at the castle.
The Daily Recorder, however, long since, had announced in its
editorial columns that while it printed all the news concerning the
recent Martian revelations, the publishers assumed no responsibility
for their veracity, and their readers were left to render a verdict in
accordance with the facts. This was a little raw on Henry, I thought.
Anyhow, the incident of the runabout was forgotten in the excitement
of the following day, when the Swedish-born Mayor of New York, His
Honor, Oscar Swenson, gave an official reception for Mr. Zzyx at the
City Hall. And what happened there became local history.
There was a large crowd outside our lodge-gate as we drove off, in
an open car; and all along the way, in the suburbs, and through the
city, to the downtown district, police reserves had to be called out to
control the vast throngs which lined our route.
It was a triumphal procession through the city. Mr. Zzyx waved to the
people in response to their loud huzzas. From the clouds of ticker-
tape and confetti that descended upon us, he collected a great
quantity. He and Henry, sitting in the rear seat, were knee-deep in it
by the time we reached the City Hall. On our way, while the
procession was held up by cross-town traffic, I bought a raspberry
lollypop from a street vendor for Mr. Zzyx. Henry frowned on this as
very undignified, but Mr. Zzyx sucked it with great enjoyment. His
actions reminded me of a small boy at his first circus.
The day was perfect—the air cool and crisp. We found City Hall
plaza one vast sea of faces. As we passed through a barrage of
cameramen, a Swedish chorus burst into song; and we had no
sooner taken our places on the steps, beside the Mayor, scores of
other city officials, and many notable invited guests, when several
hundred Swedish gymnasts entertained us with feats of physical
prowess.
I wished that Jane and Pat had come with us, but they both had
elected to remain at home, and enjoy the happenings at the City Hall
through the medium of the radio and television.
Mayor Swenson is a tall, gaunt, rosy-cheeked Swede, but his head
only reached to the shoulders of Mr. Zzyx when they stepped in front
of the microphone and television transmission instruments. Niki had
accompanied us as the Martian's bodyguard, and never left his side.
He carried an automatic pistol, ready for any emergency, as I
learned afterwards.
It was not my first experience of an official reception at the City Hall,
but many years had intervened since I attended the last one.
Although I was very familiar with the great changes that had taken
place, politically, in the city administration, this first close personal
contact with the Mayor, the Board of Aldermen, and the various
Commissioners, was in the nature of a shock. There was not one
single Irishman in the Aldermanic board, nor even a Jew. The board
was composed mostly of Chinese, Turks, Filipinos, and Bulgarians,
and one Eskimo, who had entered politics after graduating with
honors from Princeton University.
Amid this gathering of mixed nationalities, Mr. Zzyx was an
outstanding figure. As time passed, he grew restless, and kept
running a long, hairy finger around his immaculate collar as though it
choked him. He was attired in a formal cutaway coat and striped
trousers, topped with a silk hat, which he wore at an angle that gave
him a rather rakish appearance. He looked to me exactly like a huge,
over-stuffed piece of furniture, with the hair sticking out.
A breathless hush fell upon the thousands as the Mayor raised his
hand to command silence. His voice sounded a bit squeaky through
the loud speakers, not thunderous, as I had anticipated. I took notes
of his speech, which follows:
"I t'ank it's about time I introduced the city's distinguished visitor from
Mars." (A pause until the cheering had subsided.) "I bane t'anking as
I stood here that Mr. Zzyx is probably the most unique visitor the
great city of New York has ever welcomed, officially, yah?" (More
applause.) "Some of you no doubt bane t'anking that he is a great
fakir. My wife and me, we bane having an argument about this. My
wife, she t'anks he's just a big monkey that's got loose from some
zoo." (Laughter.) "When I ask our good friend, Mr. Henry Royce,"
(Mayor's voice lost in a tumult of cheers)—"when I ask him what he
bane t'anking about Mr. Zzyx, and his coming in a rocket, on a beach
out on Long Island, he only shakes his head, and says he knows
next to noddings; and I t'ank he's just as much fooled as the rest of
us. But whether our distinguished guest comes from Mars or the
moon, I bane t'anking we must hold fast to our traditions, and bestow
on him the key to our great city of fifteen million people—yah?
Therefore, it is with the greatest pleasure that I confer such an honor
upon Mr. Zzyx, the jungle man from Mars."
So saying, the Mayor handed an important-looking scroll to Mr. Zzyx,
who took it, and immediately unfolded it and began to look for
pictures. Not finding any, he passed it over to Henry, at whose signal,
Niki stepped forward to superintend Mr. Zzyx's introduction at the
microphone.
Our Martian visitor made a better showing at the microphone than I
had expected. I did not know then that for several days previous to
the reception, Niki had coached him in the use of the instrument.
First, he peered curiously into it, then he stuck his finger in, as
though he had seen some imprisoned insect inside.
Suddenly, he began to chatter, and then, just as suddenly, he
stopped. Hearing his own voice amplified through the loud speakers
seemed to have startled him. After Niki had patted him reassuringly
on the arm, he burst into chatter again, concluding with the only word
he could pronounce—"Spaghet!" He seemed to spit the word into the
microphone, which sent the crowd into convulsions of laughter and
cheers.
That practically ended the official city reception. After stepping into
our car, Mr. Zzyx further amused the crowd by smoking a cigarette,
and tipping his hat to the ladies, another trick Niki had taught him.
On the return trip to Long Island, he was greeted with even greater
acclaim than had been shown him earlier in the day.
We found Pat in a state of excitement. Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk, she
said, had telephoned during our absence, to announce that she was
giving a dinner for Mr. Zzyx on the following Monday. After dinner,
she planned to take Mr. Zzyx to the opening performance of the
winter season at the Metropolitan-Civic Opera House.
Naturally, Pat was excited about this; we all were. Mrs. Van Dyk is
the last word in fashionable exclusiveness in New York society; even
European royalty is more accessible.
XIX
Mr. Zzyx behaved beautifully at the very brilliant dinner given in his
honor by Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk at her town residence, the last red
brick mansion of a remote period, except our own, still left standing
in Washington Square. A dinner made more memorable than it
otherwise would have been by the distinguished array of guests.
Among them, Henry's beloved and revered old friend, the venerable
Episcopalian prelate, Bishop William Buckingham, who had grown a
bit queer in his dotage.
"A very novel idea on the part of our hostess," the Bishop remarked
to Henry after dinner, in the smoking-room, while I sat by, listening
and silent. "This sort of thing was done, years ago, at Newport, a
monkey-dinner, as I recall reading about it, and the clergy and the
newspapers made an awful row. Certainly times have changed when
we can sit down to dinner with a man-ape without the flicker of an
eye-lash. After this, I shan't be at all surprised to have one of my old
parishioners invite me to dine with a white rabbit. Mrs. Van Dyk sets
the fashions in New York, you know."
"After all," remarked Henry, "brutes and humans really belong to one
great family by common descent."
"Hold your miserable tongue, sir!" the Bishop responded, perkily.
"Not until I've extended an invitation to your reverence, to attend the
banquet the Exploration Club is giving for Mr. Zzyx on November
thirtieth," Henry rejoined.
"The Exploration Club! How extraordinary!" the Bishop exclaimed.
"The most exclusive club of its kind in the city. What's up?"
"Oh, just another revelation concerning Mars," Henry replied,
nonchalantly. "You will come, won't you?"
"Do my best to oblige," the Bishop replied.
At that, I felt my ears pricking. I already knew that Henry, Olinski and
McGinity, had something new about Mars up their sleeves, which
was to be disclosed at the banquet at the Exploration Club. What it
was, I had no idea. And I found out nothing that night. The
conversation between the Bishop and Henry was cut short by the
return of Mr. Zzyx and Niki, who had taken our Martian visitor to the
lavatory immediately after dinner, to tidy him up a bit before we left
for the opera.
A few moments later, we joined Mrs. Van Dyk, and her house guest,
Lady Gwynne of London, in the drawing room. The other dinner
guests had gone. Both were ready for the opera, Mrs. Van Dyk in a
stunning ermine wrap, and Lady Gwynne in sables.
We had no sooner entered the room, when, to my horror, Mr. Zzyx
went straight up to our hostess, and began to chatter, and stroke her
ermine coat. Then he walked over to Lady Gwynne, and repeated
the action on the sable wrap. I could see that they were both terribly
frightened.
Henry took the matter in hand at once, and drew Mr. Zzyx aside,
tenderly, as a father would treat a child of doubtful sanity. After
quieting him with a cigarette, he left him in Niki's care, and
approached Mrs. Van Dyk.
"A bad break, I'm afraid," he said to her, "and I apologize for this
breach of propriety. After all, Mr. Zzyx is part animal, and I'm afraid
the high instinctive animalism in him was beguiled by the sight and
smell of ermine and sable."
"A gesture of Martian jungle courtship," Lady Gwynne suggested.
Henry shook his head. "No; I don't think so," he said. "Mr. Olinski, my
associate, and I, have definitely proved that he is not influenced in
any way by what we mortals call sex appeal. Otherwise, he would be
very objectionable to have about. Pretty clothes, sparkling gems and
furs attract him just as toys intrigue small children. While instinctively
curious, and perhaps a little bold, he means no harm."
"Let's hope he'll keep up this high standard of behavior," the Bishop
remarked. "Undoubtedly a tremendous brute force lies sleeping
under his apparent docility. A pretty go, if this brute force is ever
aroused in him."
"I hope to God that'll never happen," said Henry, gravely.
And then Mrs. Van Dyk spoke. "We can't expect him to measure up
to Park Avenue social standards," she said. "A little clowning now
and then is relished by the best of men. Indeed, I've known men in
my own set to go much further than the mere stroking of a lady's fur
coat."
"Exquisite!" laughed the Bishop.
"How droll!" Lady Gwynne commented.
"As a creature from another planet," Mrs. Van Dyk continued, "I feel
very honored in having Mr. Zzyx as a guest in my house."
Henry sighed gustily, and said: "Very friendly of you, Mrs. Van Dyk."
And then the Bishop said: "Well, let's push on to the opera."
The Metropolitan-Civic Opera House was packed that night with one
of the largest crowds in its history. I was convinced upon our arrival
that the throng was there, not to hear Verdi's opera "Otello," but to
see Mr. Zzyx. The evening newspapers had heralded our coming,
and we encountered a large crowd outside the opera house, and
were met by a barrage of cameramen's flashlights as we entered.
Once inside, the crush about us was so great, we had considerable
difficulty in reaching Mrs. Van Dyk's box, in the parterre. Although
grand opera now was democratized, the "diamond horseshoe" still
remained. Opera, I'm afraid, will always remain the pet hobby of the
fashionably rich, just as racing will ever be regarded as the sport of
kings.
Two uniformed city policemen stood on guard, in the corridor, outside
the box. Mrs. Van Dyk, regal in black velvet and sparkling with
jewels, occupied the corner nearest the stage. Mr. Zzyx sat in the
other corner, with Henry sitting between. Behind them, Bishop
Buckingham was sandwiched between Lady Gwynne and Jane,
while I hovered, standing, in the rear, too nervous to sit down. Niki
was at my elbow.
We had missed the first act. Five minutes after we had settled
ourselves in the box, the curtain rose on the second act. Fashionable
women, like Mrs. Van Dyk, seem to make it a point to be late at the
opera. I doubt if our hostess had ever heard the first act of any opera
in the entire Metropolitan-Civic repertoire, during her long ownership
and occupancy of the box.
During that five minutes, every eye in the house appeared to be
turned on Mr. Zzyx, who, fortunately, was now in a state of lassitude,
which always overtook him after a heavy dinner. Apparently
undisturbed by the sensation he was causing, he devoted himself,
first, to a curious scrutiny of the packed masses in the balconies,
then he looked down at the arena below, and, finally, rested his gaze
on the two rows of boxes, filled with superbly gowned and bejeweled
women.
I was curious to see what effect grand opera music would have upon
him. What little music he had heard at the castle had come from our
radio, and in this he had displayed only a mild interest. His attitude
toward such music as he had heard rather dispelled the theory that
had been advanced, that if direct radio communication was ever
established between the earth and Mars, the interchange of ideas
would necessarily have to be through the medium of music, on
account of the lack of a common language.
Here, at last, was a chance to try music at its best on an inhabitant of
Mars. I wondered what the reaction would be. Mr. Zzyx watched the
musicians curiously as they trickled into the pit, and the noise of the
tuning up seemed to interest him immensely. Finally, when the house
went dark, he appeared quite excited. Then the baton of the
conductor rose, and the first crash of the orchestra came like a
thunder-clap.
Mr. Zzyx leapt to his feet, and started to climb over the edge of the
box. For a frenzied moment, I thought he was going to dive head first
into the midst of the spectators below. But Henry quickly grabbed
him by his swallow-tails, and pulled him back into his chair. The
incident did not attract the general attention it might have done if the
auditorium had not been darkened.
While Henry patted Mr. Zzyx on the shoulder to quiet him, Mrs. Van
Dyk leaned over, and said: "I don't wonder at him trying to jump out
of the box. To many, grand opera is a perfect hullabaloo, and
devastating. That's why so many people go out between acts for a
cocktail."
Presently Mr. Zzyx fell to listening, with his mouth open. At first, I
thought he was wholly lost in the delight of the orchestral movement
—drums and horns were silent now—and the beautiful singing on
the stage. Then, like a flash, it occurred to me that it was the dark-
skinned Otello who was claiming his attention, not the music or
singing.
I watched him, studied him attentively, as the opera swept on to its
violent climax—the smothering to death of Desdemona—by the
enraged Otello. After the final curtain, while the audience was
recalling and applauding the singers, I noticed he looked a little wild
about the eyes; a sort of inward brooding.
Was it possible that he had grasped the significance of the story, as
it had been unfolded before him on the stage? Could the climax of
the opera put ideas into his head beyond his purely natural instincts?
The force of ideas even stronger than his own inherent brute force,
which might quicken him to the fury of some deed of incredible
violence?
But I had no time for surmises. Yet, as we passed out of the opera
house, in an atmosphere of acclaim and some disorder, almost
mechanically, I jotted down the details in my memory of what I had
observed in him. From the look in his eyes, I felt some terrific instinct
had been aroused. It gave me a strange and eerie feeling, but I
made no mention of it to Henry.
Within ten days I was glad to have paid attention to such details.
Little did I suspect then that a black, threatening cloud was gathering
over our heads, or that more mystery, intrigue—even death—was
closing in about us.
XX
Life at the castle followed its usual routine during the interval
between Mrs. Cornelius Van Dyk's dinner and opera party, and the
banquet at the Exploration Club, in Mr. Zzyx's honor, with one
exception, which I shall mention further on.
I was delighted to see that McGinity shared the place of honor
allotted to our family group at the banquet, and justly so, because he
had put Henry's discoveries and theories over in the biggest possible
way. Later in the evening, I found he had other honors accruing to
him.
It was not until I was seated with the family party at the head of the
long U-shaped table, that I noticed the motion picture screen at the
far end of the dining room. Then the full significance of those secret
visits to a large film studio in Long Island City, on the part of Henry,
Olinski and McGinity, began to dawn upon me.
Gradually worming the secret out of McGinity, who sat on my left
(Jane was on my right) I was in possession of the complete facts of
the Martian revelations, shortly to be disclosed to this most highly
honored body of explorers and scientists, by the time the soup
course was over.
After Olinski had deciphered the Martian written message contained
in the mysterious scroll, found in the rocket, McGinity had put the
information contained therein into scenario form. A screen
production, backed by Henry's money, had been staged by one of
the largest and most progressive film corporations, at its Long Island
City studio, with Henry and Olinski acting in an advisory capacity.
I am telling this circumstantially, because the part McGinity played in
writing the scenario made the first real contribution to the solving of
the strange mysteries that enveloped us, and because it explains
how I myself in a small way became involved in the untangling of the
web.
As we sat placidly at the banquet table, my last thought was that
within twenty-four hours we would be plunged into a series of events,
which savored of the sort of thing associated with sensational fiction,
or exciting melodrama on the screen.
At odd moments, I cast my eye across the table at Mr. Zzyx. His
prolonged sojourn under our roof had become a "beastly vulgar
business," quoting Jane's own words. Daily, we were growing more
resentful of his impenetrable stupidity, and utterly bored with his
gross and ugly presence. Often I felt myself in the mood to wring his
neck.
It was also perfectly clear to me that Henry was beginning to tire of
shouldering the responsibility of this big, lumbering creature, but so
far he had kept it to himself. I felt angrier with him that I had ever
been in my life, yet I was angry rather for him than with him. It was
so utterly unlike him to allow the family's unpleasant associations
with Mr. Zzyx to continue, when a word from him would have ended
it.
The exception to our usual routine at the castle, during the week,
related to our guest from Mars. He was beginning to act very
queerly. I was of the opinion that a sort of madness was creeping on
him, brought on by the unnatural state in which he was living, the
strange food he ate so ravenously, and the constant excitement to
which he was subjected. One of the spookiest things he did was to
move about the castle during the night. Niki might be on guard, and
Mr. Zzyx's own bedroom door locked and bolted, but with uncanny
skill both were circumvented.
His first real outburst had come on the Friday night, preceding the
banquet. He began throwing things at Niki, and did considerable
damage to the furniture, pictures and walls in the State Apartment.
When I questioned Niki, he had dismissed the affair lightly, with the
excuse that Mr. Zzyx had been suffering from insomnia, and was not
himself.
Certainly he was not himself at the Exploration Club banquet. During
the dessert course, I saw that he had not touched his charlotte
russe, and was making holes in the table-cloth with his fork. His pet
hobby, while dining, was to roll his bread into little balls, toss them up
in the air, and then catch them in his mouth as they fell, something I
considered inexpressibly vulgar and disgusting.
I was astonished that Henry, or Bishop Buckingham, who was a
member of our party, did not rebuke him for making holes in the
cloth; but both seemed preoccupied. In a state of anxiety, I glanced
around at Pat, who was sitting on McGinity's left. It was not strange
to find that they both were practically oblivious to their surroundings.
The speech-making was now going on, having begun shortly before
coffee was served. The speakers were long-winded and tiresome. I
am neither a student, nor a philosopher, but I would like some
exponent of the doctrine of psychology to explain why men talk so
much and at such great length at banquets. I've often wished that
some bright person would organize a society for the suppression of
after-dinner speakers.
For fully half an hour, now, a little, rabbit sort of man, with big ears
and completely bald, and wearing tortoise-shell spectacles, had
been telling of his pursuit of prey, biped and quadruped, in distant
places, with minute detail of how he had killed one of every species
of beast and bird and fish in the world. The guests were showing
signs of impatience. Mr. Zzyx began making horrible grimaces, when
Henry tapped him warningly on the arm. Then he started to amuse
himself making those little bread balls. I became uneasy myself for
fear he might throw one of them at the speaker, something I wanted
to do myself but did not dare.
Then, suddenly, to my stunned astonishment, Mr. Zzyx picked up the
untasted charlotte russe, which is custard in a form made of sponge
cake, and hurled it at the speaker, who was directly opposite him.
His aim was true, and the little rabbit man got the charlotte russe full
in the face.
The guests roared with delight as the mighty hunter dug his features
out of the spattering custard, while Henry shook Mr. Zzyx sternly by
the arm, and whispered: "You ought to know better!"
Bubbling with mirth, I leaned over to McGinity, and said: "Too bad he
got it in the face." To this, the reporter replied: "The main thing is that
he got it."
After the bespattered speaker had gone to the lavatory to wash his
face, the toastmaster rose, and said: "Now that Mr. Zzyx, our
honored guest from Mars, has enlivened our dinner, we shall
proceed to the surprise event of the evening.
"No one is asked to accept these new disclosures about Mars which
our friend, Mr. Olinski, decoded from the mysterious writings of the
scroll, discovered in the rocket, as infallible," he continued. "Even our
fellow-scientist, Mr. Royce, who is accountable for this, and other
recent events of a scientific nature, which literally have rocked the
world, declares an uncertainty still exists in his own mind, and that
he is simply making public the information that has fallen into his
hands, from strange and unknown sources. In other words, he
wishes me to make clear to you all that he's not trying to put
something over on us. So, now, let's see what we shall see!"
The film, in four reels, was in the nature of a travelogue, beautifully
colored, and interspersed with sound and music. Henry was the
pictorial lecturer. McGinity's clever hand was seen in the numerous
whimsies and dramatic highlights. Many scenes were genuinely
stirring.
Mr. Zzyx, closely guarded by Niki in the darkened dining room,
watched the picture unfold with fascinated interest. At times, he
would gesticulate, strangely, like one familiar with the subject matter,
and utter primitive sounds, as though he wanted to speak, and tell us
more startling things about his home planet.
This newly acquired and first-hand information of present day life on
Mars, presented in picture form, supplemented by the free play of
imagination on the part of the director, proved infinitely more
valuable as educational entertainment than the cold facts would
have been if delivered from the lecture-platform.
The picture divulged, first of all, that life on Mars had originated and
evolved the same as on the earth, with the white division of the
human species exercising supreme authority over the affairs of the
planet.
Secondly, it showed that the strange, geometric markings on the
planet, as studied by astronomers on earth, are not a canal system,
or even man-made. The lines, or bands, which some of our
astronomers believed to be canals, constituting a system of
irrigation, are really deep wide canyons, ten to twelve miles in width
at the rim, and descending 2,000-3,000 feet below the sterile

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(eBook PDF) We the People (Full

Twelfth Edition) 12th Edition

wtp12e_ptr_ch00_fm_i-1.indd 5 27/11/18 10:26 AM

Who Are Americans? 13

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WHO PARTICIPATES? Who Participates in State and Local Politics? 109

4 ★ Civil Liberties 114

Rights of the Criminally Accused 138

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5 ★ Civil Rights 158

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7 ★ The Media 254

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9 ★ Political Parties 334

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11 ★ Groups and Interests 428

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PART III INSTITUTIONS

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13 ★ The Presidency 512

14 ★ Bureaucracy in a Democracy 550

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15 ★ The Federal Courts 590

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17 ★ Social Policy 674

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18 ★ Foreign Policy and

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The Articles of Confederation A5

The Constitution of the United States of America A9

Amendments to the Constitution A15

The Federalist Papers A21

The Anti-Federalist Papers A27

Presidents and Vice Presidents A33

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First Edition Reviewers Mark Kann, University of Southern California

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18 ★ Foreign Policy and