Question from Pretoria —
But Why Ask "Why"?

By

N. Meade Layne, M.A.

(Author of "The Coming of the Guardians")

"I HAVE done a good bit of lecturing this year," writes D.T.K. from Pretoria, "and have discussed flying saucers and the pioneer work of investigation which they give rise to. My hearers have included scientists and medical doctors from the University here, as well as non-professional people of all occupations, and nearly all of them end up with the same question: 'Why don't these "saucers" land at the United Nations' Assembly and stop all wars; or else in the various capitals of the world, so that people can see these things for themselves and be able to put aside their doubts entirely?'" Well, the question is not a new one, but it reflects small credit on the "scientists and doctors" who parrot it.

"Polly wants a cracker" is a comparable complaint, and answers should be obvious to those who are well informed and not of parrot mentality. The first and simplest Socratic retort would be: Why should the "saucers," the space people, land on our planet at all? Before we rebuke them for not doing this or that, we need to know their purposes. motives, and plans. The question quoted implies the smug assumption (1) that these space beings are here to "help humanity," (2) that their idea of help and human benefit of moral, physical, and ethical betterment is parallel with our own. Assume for the moment that genuine communications have been received from them, including remarks on their own objectives. What have they said? "We are not primarily concerned with the future of humanity, but rather with the physical preservation of your planet. . . . Three times we have a intervened mentally (in the H-bomb tests) and averted by a 24-hour margin the destruction of your globe." . . . And again: "Your planet has its role and destiny in the solar system, in the life of other worlds and peoples." But the preservation of our race, it may well be, is a minor and incidental "good" in the eyes of greater and wiser ones; yet we have the stupidity and gall to suggest that the prove themselves and their cause before town meetings and political assemblies.

They have allegedly replied to this requirement by saying: "Many of those whom you call the top-level people in all countries have long ago been visited, and warned in no uncertain terms that they must compose their differences. We have told them that a world war with nuclear weapons would not be permitted — but this is on behalf of your planet, not of your human race. And that it is not permitted to us to interfere with the destiny of other races. We can advise and warn only. It is man's privilege to destroy himself if he chooses such a path. All these admonitions, given by us long ago, have as yet met with small response. . . ."

We do not know the ideas and ideals and plan of operations, if any, nor the limits of the permitted powers of these people. And the evidence increases that no single description will apply to all of them; that they differ widely in their attitude toward humans, and that some of them are as truly hostile and dangerous as others are wise and good. All these points have been made repeatedly by communicating entities — but please note, it is not germane to my purpose to prove that these communications have taken place and are genuine and truthful (even if such "proof" were possible). The point is, that every one of these assertions is logically possible, may be God's truth for all we know, and hence to be taken into deep consideration before we tell these visitors what to do, and how and when to do it.

Then consider, if you will, our conduct toward these beings from the Neant. Have we unrolled doormats of welcome, or have we attacked them repeatedly and without provocation? Have not our fastest planes pursued them, even opened fire on them? Have the occupants of the discs not been assailed by individuals and gangs, with clubs and guns? Has their coming not been "welcomed" as often by hysteria and abject fear as by friendship and intelligence? We think ourselves too intelligent to set down a million-dollar plane in the midst of the jungle and of some barbaric jehad, and so invite treachery and fanaticism and immediate attack — yet we expect and urge these sky-wanderers to land in Washington Square and so convert all sceptics by a single coup d'oeil. There are, of course, a number of sane and highly-informed people. including even some "scientists and physicians," who could be trusted to make these almost incredible contacts for the instruction of all of us. How many, even among these, and even after a whole decade of the Visitation, would risk reputation, professional prestige, the derision and abuse of the Press, the physical violence of fanaticism, the "conspiracy of silence," perhaps a midnight invitation (sans RSVP) to a long-term residence in the Alaskan Siberia now being hopefully prepared?

Let us remember that if there are so many as a hundred thousand people who by reason of this or that personal experience can "accept the Saucers," there are some 200 million in the United Kingdom and the United States who have not yet heard the news, or heard it only as extravagant nonsense, with mingled incredulity and alarm. It is this situation which confronts our do-gooders and which they propose to remedy in a few happy hours, if only a vanguard of the Venusian fleets will land in Central Park. Perhaps our correspondent D.T.K. should inquire of these helpful listeners: "Is anyone of you prepared to guarantee the reality and character and origin of these craft and "crews" — or publicly state your own acceptance of them? If not, what kind of reaction can you expect from hundreds of millions of John Doe's to whom your own information is mere gibberish?"

Let me return to the implications of the question: Why don't they land, and so convince everybody? One answer is: because they are much too wise — or "smart" — to risk ignorance, hostility, and violence. Also, because they have nothing to gain by physical contacts with groups and multitudes. Because, after observing our planet and all the distressful ways of mankind for (perhaps) centuries, they know (most likely) the whole of our dubious achievements in science, philosophy, religion, and the Arts. They do not, apparently, lay claim to omniscience — it is merely that they are centuries or millennia ahead of us. Those of them who are benevolent can point out our errors and open incredible vistas of new knowledge — IF and WHEN we are ready for it. The grade school youngster may be a "nice" boy or a very bad one, or stupid or very precocious, but he is not yet receptive to calculus. And most of us who are adult in years ended our mental growing-up with our 'teens. But we have yet to uncover in these paragraphs a single good reason why our space visitors should hold open house for the throngs of Mardi Gras or Broadway or Pall Mall. But they have done the next thing to it. They buzzed the Capitol, and flew in their literal hundreds over Farmington nearly ten years ago. They have explained again and again, in terms science is beginning to understand, the operation of their craft. In all parts of the world these principles are under intensive study. If we consider only the beneficient Beings, their approach to the human race in our century has been kindly, tactful, and very wise. If in time, by force majeure or otherwise, we become receptive, we may deserve some modicum of this wisdom ourselves. But as far as mass demonstrations are concerned, these have accomplished little more than to display their futility.

If it is not their interest in humanity, presumably in human welfare, which draws these visitors into our skies — what is it? It does not have to be any new motivation, for there is reason to believe it has gone on for centuries. But since physical conditions on our planet, in the solar system, probably throughout the galaxy are in process of change, and since these involve the so-called etheric regions and bodies, it seems probable that systematic surveys are in order, by scientists of other Worlds and for their own knowledge and protection. It is also believed that mass visitations are correlated with critical periods in the life of nations and races, and also with seismic disturbances of great magnitude; the data on all such matters is probably collected and studied by non-terrestrial observers. And the effects of nuclear bomb tests alone may make this visitation imperative.

What motives and principles govern their selection of the individuals with whom they make friendly contact? Such selections are probably adventitious — time, place, comparative isolation, good sense, receptivity, sometimes technical knowledge, freedom from dogmatic fixations, honesty. It is no concern of these Beings to gratify mere curiosity, to display their prowess, to pretend to be gods or "spirits," that they come either to "save" or destroy, or to take over the governance of our sorry human affairs. They have nothing to learn from us, but much to contend with — ignorance, and fear, and the hostility born of them. An age-long intolerance, a fumbling science, and an impossible religionism, where the blind lead the blind — facilis descensus Averni.

As a final word: I have said nothing, save by implication, concerning maleficent Beings, their purposes and operations; but it is easy to see how this would enormously widen and complicate the whole field of discussion. Yet this problem must be reckoned with, and the historian of times to come (if any) may well find it his major perplexity. For the present, one can only say that the whole planetary situation is extremely complex and replete with X factors which cannot yet be resolved.

Mr. Meade Layne has devoted many years to the study of what might be termed the "new" sciences. They are really very much older than our conventional ones, but new in their acceptance to orthodox minds.

Our contributor is Director of Borderland Sciences Research Associates, 3524 Adams Avenue, San Diego 16, Calif., U.S.A., and his organisation has put out much interesting and thought-provoking material on the subject of the aeroforms (the term Meade Layne uses to cover the wide variety of spaceships cavorting in our skies). Since 1946, he has advocated that the saucers are etheric (4-D), and his conception is now rapidly gaining ground.

Meade Layne's two journals, "Round Robin" and "Clips, Quotes and Comments," are essential reading for all seriously interested in the greatest enigma of our times.

As presented in the Flying Saucer Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1956, and innumerable reprints besides. The full explanation of the Etheric Theory of the Aeroforms is presented by Meade Layne and other Borderland Sciences Research Associates in two mimeographs: "The Ether Ship Mystery: and Its Solution" and "The Coming of the Guardians: An Interpretation of the Flying Saucers as Given from the Other Side of Life". These were later revised by Riley Crabb, who succeeded Meade Layne and continued to promote the Etheric Theory. The Crabb editions are available in our standard xerographic print format via our online cart, along with further materials in support of the BSRF-advanced 4-D hypothesis and related saucerian literature.

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