Wichita eagle., 1888-08-02
ON TIE PLANET MARS.
THE CANALS A LONG KNOWN MYs-
Terry OF THE HEAVENS.

THE CANALS A LONG KNOWN MYS-
Terry OF THE HEAVENS.
Mars Favor.biy Situated for Astronouai-
cal observation-Some Rather curious
Facts - What Life ON Our NeiShbos
Planet L. Supposed To BE Like
NJ Berthelot, one Of the academicians.
Is evidently light hearted savant. for he
at once asked NJ de Lesseps. who was
present at the meeting. If be had by
chance a brother protector in Mars.
whereat all the learned astronomers
smiled solemcly This is, surely. the
first time that . joke has been imported
from a spot IS 600 600 miles of. which is
about the distance Of the planet Mars
from our earth The canals perceived By
NJ Perrotin upon the surface Of our next
outside neighbor In the solar system.
however. are long known mystery of the
heavens. and one that Is probably as far
as ever from being solved by the face
tious wizard
Mars happens to be better situated for
observation by astronomers than any
other body in the sky except the moon
He is more than hundred times farther
of than the moon at his very closest ap-
proach and measures only 400 miles
through at his equator. but, unlike the
moon. he exhibits in turn every portion
of his surface rotating in day which Is
about half an hour longer than our OWL
Thus the entire face of the planet Mars
has been pretty accurately mapped, and
presents a diversified aspect Of large
patches Of alternating lighter and darker
markings which may naturally suggest
the divisions of land and water At the
poles of Mars are ktensive white regions.
which sometimes show up In the field Of
the telescope with striking brilliancy and
clearness Of definition. and since these
undergo periodic changes. occasionally
almost vanishing and then shining forth
again at just the seasons when it would
be winter with the Martians. astronomer
had been led to call them ice caps" and
to believe that we actually behold the
Arctic and Antarctic polar seas OF the
planet in the form of these little white
saucers stuck on each end of the star Of
war
As for the canals with which NJ Per.
rotip poked scientific fun at NJ de Lesseps.
o1S SSA SoA1Ay VOL SAA AouS OCJCNtSs
From sea te sea- or what looks like 1t,
run these straight passages wearing an
appearance, nc doubt of some immense
canal on colossal scale They do not
alter or extend-there they alwa.s arei-
some Of them completed. others appar
emily imperfect. a. if the Marian cham
Der of deputies had refused to sanction q
60 ell Sc 81
original design But when NM Perrotiu
and Faye begin to talk of engineers"
and men il Mars" it is necessary TO re
member that tC be seen at all even as q
aair line, these canals ID Mars would have
to be at least so times as broad as the
Thames-say thirty OF forty miles across
and as their length is to be reckoned In
hundreds OF mics the navvies in Mars. if
they exist. must certainly DO wonderful
beings
Astronomers, admirable on 81 many
points. are never SO stupid and unimagln
alive as when neditating or the proba
bilities of life beyond this earth that old
and fascinating topic OF more worlds
than one They take their terrestrial
notions and experiences much too biindly
into space. they ask if there be an atmos
phere In the moon, or water in Mars and
If any doubts exist about these elements
they solemnly conclude that these and
other lovely and eligible celestial abodes
are tenantless AS If life were not con
ceivable without lungs and hverl As II
we must always carry about with US into
the glorious promotions Of inter stellar
space the dentist. the anti bilious pill and
bronchitis.
1t Is true that for beings constructed
as we are at present Mars would be a
novel and rather q surprising kind of
abode Surprising we found dense air
enough to breathe there. and water suffi
Gent for tea ard washing-which are
both dubious points-the diminished
gravitation Of the little planet is SO great
that it would induce a physical and
mental levity fatal to duilness and for.
bidding sense of fatigue. What is
hundred weight here would there weigh
only fifty six pounds. and we could eli go
up stairs five steps at a time. or jump
twice our own height with ease and grace.
Then it would assuredly be very nice, il
we were living in the right latitude on
Mars, to have q quick moon and slow
moon. always careering round like splen
did Chinese lanterns, saving gas bills and
encouraging long walks Of lovers and
Martial poetry A fall from q horse
would seldom or never prove at all seri
Gus in the Martial hunting fields. the
rider would rebound from the soft soil
like an India rubber cushion Aerial
navigation has quite possibly been solved
long ago by the fortunate people Of the
red planet. the conditions being so az
tremely favorable. and who knows, in
deed. whether the 80 called canals" arc
not vast tobogganing slides where the
entire population enjoys the unwonted
sense Of swift descent. and some little
spice Of perilf But we may be sure Of
this, that If there be sentieut creatures
on the silver and pearl surfaces Of Mars.
they are Of very different type from our
terrestrial frames. for life Is always the
equation Of its surrounding conditions,
and we denizens Of the earth have lungs
and laryux simply because we live at
the bottom Of An aerial sea. Just a fish
possess gills because they breathe tbs
Telegraph
The Army Of vcnezuela
The Venezuelan army is so organized that
there are no white officers except Of the
highest grade in the service. 1t is useless,
II