The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-11-15
LIFE ON THE rLANEr,.

Some of the Reasons for Relieving They
Are Not Inhabited.
Prof Mcfarland, of the Ohio State
University, in the Sidereal Messenger
for this month says: Thirty years ago
the question of the Availability of the
planets was widely and, in some in
stances, insemperately discussed. SeV-
eral 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 opponents which things they pro-
| ceeded then and there to do. And both
sides about equally forgot or dIsregsrded
the facts, and with great heat argued on
general principles.
An article in the June number of the
Popular Science Monthly, entitled
| "The Cost of Life" and which was In
| part criticised in late number of the
| Messenger, is kind of renewal of the
| useless debate, and ie clothed IN logic
| equally conclusive The points given
| lately touching the weight of IA man on
/ Jupiter aud Mars were intended as a
| part of the proof that these planets are
not habitable. To pass in review all
| the points of error would require an
| article of too great length for the pages
| of tins journal so shall cOnfine myself
pretty closely to a few of the more prom
| lnent ones.
The same author. speaking of Mercu.
~, says: with q temperature of boiling
water in the irigid 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 tenn
| perature, and IN the nature of the case
| there can be none Wherefore the con-
| illusions ara of no force. The error
| consists in virtually assuming that the
| climate of place depends solely on its
| distance from the sun-wheTeas this is
only one of hundred causes
II is we'll known that even in the Tor
| rid zone at All elevation of alb. ut thee
| and one-Ialf miles, SLOW does not melt /:
| that cenIurysafter century 'teternal" snow
| Whitens lofty peaks in all latitudes.
The temperature of = place on the
earth's surface depends on many infiu-
/ ences, 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 a part of the multitude Of things 70
/ be taken into consideration as touching
the matter in hand, we may name these,
| viz: The latitude, the eleyatton above
i the sea level, the ocean current, the
II "a bA1C R1Ca1E4lBA 4NlA10os tLC
presence and trend of mountain ranges,
the amount Of vapor usually IN the at
1 m0splere, the degree of cIoudiness, the
l ouahsfty Of rain and snowfall; the size OF
/ the body az 1a1d, the amount Of land In
close proximity and lts surroundings,
1 the nature OF the coil, the amount and
Kind 81 Vegetatle8, the density aad height
o. She Atmosphere. ths length Of the day.
the 0bIIquity OF the suns rays, and the
thousand and one other things which go
! to make up the whole Temperature aud
| climate. Oh the great part OF these-in-
4 deed, ~ almost every one OF them-as
| exhibited on other planets, &c IL absolutely
impossible 70 know any thing At ali and
as matter ofeourse, no one can speak
intslsigently Of the climate en- any planet
/ except our own. But should all these
items be kn0wRs the further question
| animated beings could hive In an environ
meut totally unlike that which surroun 10
u.s. The conclusion Of the whole matter,
% far a. astronomy and physics caa now
tell. is this: That the four large outer
planets have not sufficiently cooled down
90 allow life on their surface, such as We
see on the earth; that Mars gives sIl tele-
scopie and speetroscopic probabilities Of
4 eonditious compatible with life as we see
II. that the earth certainly for millions OF
life: thas Of Venus and Mercury We have
no certain knowledge; and that the sstei-
i lttes are pretty certainly not fitted for
/ suah life as lie on the earth; tina, in pafsic-
uiar, ourmOon hiss no waiter ahd no at
mosphere, consequently no eiimats or
vegetable life. II the sun and the planets
] continually lose heat, then there viii como
i 9 time in the far future when the sun IT.
elf shall 20 out In everlasting night. and
the planets cool down 50 that the setter
nal enoWo would be bot compared with
the degree Of cold throughout all space
| where everything shall be dead.