Delta chief., 1883-11-14
LIFE ON THE PLANETS.
Some Of the Reasons for Believing
They are Not Inhabited.

Prof. Mcfarland, of the Ohio State U Univer-
sity, in the sidereal Messenger for this month
says: Thirty years ago the question of the
habitability of the planets was widely, and
in some instances, intemperately discussed.
Several volumes were written, pro and con,
the writers mostly seeming to think that
they had direct commission from on high
to settle the question or to settle their oppo-
nents, which things they proceeded then and
there to do. And both sides about equally
forgot or disregarded the facts, and, with
great heat, argued on general principles.
An article in the June number of the Pop
ular Science Monthiy, entitled THE Cost of
Life" and which was in part criticised in a
late number of the Messenger, is kind of re-
newal of the useless debate, and is clothed in
logic equally conclusive as was that of the
original controversy. The points given
lately touching the weight of a man on Ju-
piter and Mars were intended rs part of
the proof that those planets are not habitablc.
To pass in review all the points of error
would require an article of too great length
for the pages of this journal SO shall con-
fine myself pretty closely to few of the
more prominent ones.
The same author speaking of Mercury, says:
"With a temperature of boiling water in the
frigid zones and red hot iron at the equator"
etc.-therefore there can be no life on the
planet. But there is no proof of any such
temperature and in the nature of the case
there can be none. Wherefore, the conclu-
sions are of no force. The error consists in
virtually assuming that the climate of place
depends solely on its distance from the sun
whereas, this is only one of hundred
causes.
1t is well known that even in the torrid
zone, at an elevation of about three and
half miles, snow does not melt that century
after century "etcrnaP' SHOWS whiten lofty
peaks in all latitudes.
The temperature of place on the earth's
surface depends on many influences, any one
or several Of which may be greatly modified
or annulled by the others so that there is no
general rule for climate.
AS part of the multitude of things to be
taken into consideration, as touching the
matter in hand, we may name these, viz:
The latitude, the elevation above the sea
leNel, tHe OCEAN currents, tHe direction OF
the prevailing winds, the presence and trend
of mountain ranges, the amount of vapor
usual in the atmosphere, the degree of cloud
iness, the quantity Of rain and snow fall, the
size of the body of land. the amount of land
in close proximity and its surroundings, the
nature of the soil, the amount aud kind of
vegetation, the density and height Of the at
ynngpLrr. tbn lnp,,I ,,g, la. Oh try
of the suns rays, and the thousand and one
other things which go to make up the whole
temperature and climate. OF the greater
part of thcse-indeed, almost every one Of
thcm-as exhibited on other planets. it is
absolutely impossible to know anything at
all and, as matter of course. no one can
speak intelligcntly of the climate on any
planet, except his own. But should all these
items be known, the further question arises
whether it is not possible that animated
beings could live in an environment totally
unlike that which surrounds us. The con-
clusion Of the whole matter, so far as astron-
omy and physics can now tell, is this That
the four large outer planets have not sutii-
cicntly cooled down to allow life on their
surface, such as We see on the earth that
Mars gives all tclescopic and spctroscopic
probabilities Of conditions compatible with
life as we see it that the earth certainly for
millions of years has been covered with null
tifarous life ; that of Venus and Mercury we
have no certain knowledge, and that the sat
elites are pretty certainly not fitted for such
life rs is on the earth that in particular, our
moon has no water and no atmosphere, con-
sequently no climate or vegetable life. II
the sun and the planets continually los, heat,
then there will come time in the far future
when the sun itself shall go out in cvcrlast-
ing night, and the planets cool down so that
the "etcrnal snow" would be hot compared
with the degree of cold throughout all space,
where everything shall be dead