The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1883-02-24
..ornrR WORLDS THAN orRs .

OTHER WORLDS THAN otHs -
The recent observations made Un the
planet Venus during her transit across
the sun appear to confirm the impression
derived from the last transit in 1874,
that she has an atmosphere not less
dense than our own, and aqueous yapor
and cloud within that atmosphere. This
conclusion would have grieved the late
Professor Whewell, who. in his ingenious
essay to disprove the plurality Of nhab
tied worlds, took for granted that 1--WE
discern no traces OF gaseous or watery
atmosphere surrounding her tVenusl, >
and built on this negative evidence one
Of his arguments to prove that in the
whole universe the earth is not improba-
bly, the only habitable globe. Professor
Whewell did his best to show that the
earth held very singular place in what
might be very unique system; that it
occupied what he called the temperate
zone OF its own suns system. and that
there is no particular reason to suppose
that any other sun has planetary attend
ants at all. In order to make out the
singular position of the earth in its own
suns system, Professor Whewall was
compelled to make the most Of the in
tensity of the light and heat in Mercury
and Venus, and the most, again, OF the
comparative cold of Mars. In point of
Ia however, it is probable that very
slight modification OF our human organi-
2ation--even If any structural modifica-
ton at all of that organization were nee
essary-would enable creatures of the
same general structure and habits as
man 70 live with ease in either of the
planets nearest to the earth, in either
Mars, which should, "caeteris paribus,
be colder and darker, or in Venus, which
should, "caeteris paribus," be lighter
and hotter than the earth. We know, to
some extent, the CONFORMATION of the
continents in Mars, and our astronomers
have at times watched the area Of the
polar SHOWS Of that planet increasing
with the approach of winter, and dwin-
ding with summer. OF Venus we know
much less, the intense brightness Of her
reflected light being very unfavorable
condition for minute observation. But
the apparently clear evidence for an at
mosphere Of good deal Of density, and
for the presence of cloud and aqueous
vapor in that atmosphere, disposes COM
pletely of the late Professor Whewell's
assumption that no creature resembling
man, now has, or could ever have had.
his abode there. There now seems no
reason to doubt that in Venus the con-
ditions of physical existence are such
that either there now may be there, or
may have been or may be in future. a
being whose physical existance might,
like that of man and animal natures near
est to man, exist under something closely
approaching to those Of terrestrial life.
The length Of the day in Venus is nearly
the same, the weight Of any given mass
10 nearly the same, the atmospheric con.
ditions are probably not very different
from our own; the only material differ.
ences being probably the length of the
year, which is not very much above the
half Of ours-or, say, about seven months
instead Of twelve-and the amount Of
light and heat, which unless mitigated by
special atmospheric conditions, as they
easily might be, would probably be twic,
a. intense as terrestrial light and heat
We insist on this analogy, however
only for the sake Of those who, like tn,
late DIR. Whewell, made the argumen
from analogy SO allimportant, though il
relation to question which, as it appear
to us, the argument from analogy has
very slight bearing indeed. There is n
reason in the world why spiritual beings
much more like to us in their thought
than it is at all probable that birds an
tortoises are like to US in their thoughts
should not exist everywhere--in the pul
either, in the hottest flames Of the sui
in the dimness Of the darkest recesses
space, in the heat Of the volcano or
the depth Of the ocean. Ignore the re
son from analogy, and We can hard
have . less secure basis for reasonin
where observation Ia limited, as it is
this case, to one minute corner of Il
universe, and we shall find no more re
son why we should con6ne the Creator
power to working within condition
closely resembling our own than there
why We should assume that He W
work at al in regions where we have !
svidence Of that work. -[London Spect
tor.