Matter and Man | M. Vasilyev, K. Stanyukovich

Man is calculatingly inquisitive. As soon as he discovers a new law of nature he tries to exploit it for his own ends. Having discovered the secret of lightning bolts he uses it to produce electric light. Having learned the laws of river flow he digs irrigation canals and impounds artificial lakes which affect the very climate of whole regions. He has harnessed the power of nuclear fission of uranium and will soon learn to tame the thermonuclear reactions which heat the sun itself. When he discovers the laws of the universe he will surely put thern to work and make them serve him, He will reconstruct planetary systems, move stars about and regulate their brightness. Man will indeed become the master of the universe, and it will serve him just as terrestrial laws and phenomena are serving him today.