The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-08-31
UP In MARS,
Reasons for Believing that the Planet IN
Inhabited.

The conditions which favor the belief
in the existence of life in the planet
Mars present the c~learest possible evil
dence or being one in origin and structure
with our own earth. We cannot tell
wGat the nature of the soil of Mars may
be, but its generally rudy tinge-so
well marked that, though the telescope
shows an almost equal part of the surface
to be greenish in hue, the red prevails,
giving to the planet, as seen by the naked
eye, its obvious red color-seems to show
that it resembles the red sandstone of
our W earth. This, we know, is one of
the older geological formations, and if we
could safely compare terrestrial with
Marian geology, or, let us say, geology
with aerology, we might almost be
tempted to find in the present prevalence
of a tint belonging to one of the earlier
of our terrestrial formation an argument
in favor of the theory that Mars passed
through fewer stages of development
during its life bearing condition than
our earth, and that thus the later forma-
tons of Il earth's surface are wanting
in the surface of Mas, This reasoning
"OulN " w NSly SdICj uOWtNGI, IL iii
plies a resemblance in details which is
not likely, the observed rule of nature
seeming so far as we can Judge, to be
similarity in generals, variety in details.
We may well believe that the ruddiness
of the soil of Mars is due to the same
general cause as the ruddiness of our
red sa~ndstonc-the general prevalence of
certain organisms--but neither the actual
character Of this particular formation,
nor its position in the territorial series of
strata can be safely predicted of the
ruddy formation constituting the chief
part of the visible land surface of Mars.
Few will now suppose with a French
writer that the ruddiness of Mars is due
to the color of the vegetation there. A
certain support is given to the idea by
the circumstance that the degree of rud-
diness is variable, and is somewhat
greater during the Martain summer than
in spring and autumn. In this sense we
may say of the summer of Mars with the
poet Wendell Holmes:
The SHOWS that glittered on the disc of Mars
Have melted, and the planets fiery orb
Rolls in the crimson summer of its year.
But the ruddiness of the planets sum-
mer-which will be well marked this
year, for on September Is, only eleven
days after its time OF nearest approach
and greatest ~splendor, it will be mid
summers day tor the southern half of
Mars-can be otherwise and better ex.
planned than by ~supposing that the
Marian forests glow with fiery foliage
the summer days. We can see,
as the summer proceeds, the white mists
which had hidden the planets lands and
seas breaking up, and the features of the
being gradually revealed with
and more distinctness. 1t is to the
disappearance of these mists and clouds,
to the red leaves of Marian trees.
that the change in the plants color must
most probably be referred, We have less
for doubt as to the nature OF the
greenish markings. The spectroscope, as
have already explained in Life in
shows that the air of Mars is at
times laden heavily with the vapor of
We can no longer, therefore,
follow Whewell in doubling the real ma
of the green parts of the planet, or
with him to accept explanation of
the white polar marking long since ad-
vanced by Sir w. Herschel. Undoubt-
wide seas and oceans, with many
straits and bays and inland seas, exist on
Mars. Snow and ice gather in the win
.er time about bis polar regions, dimin-
gradually in extent as summer
proceeds, but never entirely disappearing.
Thus we are not left doubtful as to the
resemblance of Mars, so far as the
truptura of hiS surfapa ia oonparnad IN
he earth on which we live. He has a
of earth, probably in large part
ormed by deposition at the bottom of
ormer seas and subsequently raised
lbove the e alevel by mediterranean forces,
n rather caused to appear above the
iurface by the effects of the gradual
hrinkage of the planets crust CornhiU
MAGAZINE.