The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-02-14
LIFE IN OTHER WORLDS.
Is Jupitec Watery Planet and has Mars
an Earth and Sky Like Our Own2

an Earth and Sky Like Our Own7
The Results of Professor Proetor's Research
es-Venus More Like Our Globe Thar
Any of the Great Planets
The subject of life in other worlds ha.
always had singular charm for the true
lover OF astronomy, though it cannot be
regarded as in reality scientific question
OF course, the study of astronomy brings
the thought before us that among the
glories of our skies at night may be
worlds like our own or suns nourishine
life upon such worlds. But, although as.
tronomers like Huyghens and the Her.
schels have not thought this subject be-
meath their notice, astronomy kaous really
nothing as to life III other worlds, except
that, if such life exists in this or that
planet, it must exist under such and such
conditions. Yet, even thus limited, the
inquiry has great interest for the student
Of astronomy. It's varying aspect, as
fresh knowledge comes to us, gives zest
to the search for yet more knowledge. 1t
seems to me that the value of astronomy
as subject of study is enhanced by its
association with this fascinating question.
and that We have evidence of this in the
wider views men take now respecting the
government of the universe. The recog-
milton of the prevalence OF law through
out the universe has owed much to the
study of other worlds than ours.
1t is note worthy how much our ideas of
life in other worlds have changed since
the famous controversy between Whewell
and Brewster. | noted so much when |
wrote my "Other Worlds than Ours -
but the change has progressed since then
in such degree that find as much differ
ence between my present views and my
views then as found bet the view s
beginning then to be accepted and the
ideas which Whewell attacked and Brew
ster as staunchly maintained. When l
wrote that work | set out with the idea
of maintaining, what was then generally
believed, the theory that all the eight
known planets of the solar system are in
habited worlds.
| LIFE IN TIE PLANETS.
| l proposed, to show that the conditions
under which life exists in Jupiter, Saturn
and Mars on the one hand, or in Venus
and Mercury Oh the one, are unlike those
we recognize on the Earth, but not, there
fore, Inconsistent with the possibility of
life. Whewell had striven to show that
Jupiter is watery planet, cold and dis
NAL, with mono but gelatinous creatures
floating in its vast domains of water, il
any life exists there at all. proposed to
show that Jupiter is more probably warm
than cold, and not globe of water alone,
but constituted Of the same materials as
our own Earth l had already. in my
treatise on Saturn, considered the posi-
bilities of life on the riuged planet, with
out recognizi ng any difficulties inconsis-
tent with vital requirements, though l
had been struck by the enormous dura-
ton of the spells of darkness caused by
the swaying movements Of his rinsg.
| In the case of Mars l felt confident OF
success, because all the objections which
Whewell had urged against the existence
Of life on Mars had been recently met
and overthrow. Whewell had said that
what asst oDomers had regarded as evil
dencs of land and water on Mars might
very possibly signify nothing of the sort;
he had urged that We have no means Of
knowing whether single terrestrial ele-
ment is present in Mars, that the green
tracts might, for aught we knew, be the
solid parts, the ruddy tracts liquid, the
white polar spots as unlike snow in al ex.
| cept color as snow is unlike salt. But
the spectroscope had triumphantly an.
swered all these doubts. 1t had shown
first that the great central sun is made OF
the same material as the earth, one oil
his family Of planets, and is, therefore,
constituted like the other planets; in
other words, that presumably all the
planets are made of the same materials
1t had shown that the aUmospheres of Ju.
piter, Saturn, Mars Venus and Mercury
contain no vapors not known on the
earth. But it had done more in the case
Of Mars. 1t had proved that the vapol
of water exists in the ruddy planets at
mosphere.
| MARS AND ITS SEA OF ICE
There could no longer be any doubt
about the meaning of the greenish mark
ings. They must be seas. The white
patches at the poles must be ice. Their
the telescope had been at work in the
close scrutiny of the rudy planet. Misty
white markings had been traced along
the edges of the seas of Mars, showing
that the shore lines of the planet, like
those of the earth, are regions of cloud
All this showed Enthusiastically that Mars
is world resembling our earth, in hav
ing oceans and continents, an atmosphere
like our own, clouds, wind, rain, snow
rivers. lakes, and, in fine all those char
acteristics which we recognize as fitting
our earth to be the abode of life.
With Venus the case was somewhat
different. The decisive evidence, show
ing that Venus has an atmosphere like
our own, which is occasionally lader
heavily with the vapor of water, had moi
been obtained when l wrote my "Othel
Worlds" Still was able to reason from
what had been proved in the case of Mars
to what still remained improved in the
case of Venus or of Mercury. These orbs
though their greater proximity to the
sun must necessarily modify the condi
lions of life, regarded then-Vepus, in
deed, regard now--as probably inhabit
ed worlds, But even as | wrote that
work l found my views charging. Sc
soon as l began to reason out the condi
tions Of life in Jupiter and Saturn, as
soon as began to apply the new knowl
edge which would, thought, establish
the theory that life may exist in these
worlds, found the ground crumbling be
meath my feet. The new evidence, in
particular, when properly examined, was
found to oppose fatally, instead of sup
porting, the theory had hoped to estab.
lisb.
c ~ IrrN