The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-11-16
..ornER WORLDS THAN oURs.n
What As,ronomsrs Find ON tho Plane,
Mars-lts Inhabitants Must Re Of Dit.
ferxnt Type from Ours.

Mars-1ts Inhabitants Must he Of . Oif.
ferent Type from Ours.
NJ. Perrotin, of the Nice Observatory,
has been looking through his big tele-
scope at the planet Mars, aud, from
what he observed, it appears that Mars
is not only inhabited by men, but by
most skillful and energetic canal-cutters
and engineers who put NJ. de Lesseps
and his fellow-piercers Of the isthmuses
in back seats Tho canals perceived
by NJ. Perrotin upon the surface of our
next outside neighbor in the solar sys-
tenn, however, are along-known mystery
of the heavens, and one that is probably
as far as ever from being solved. Mars
happens to be better situated for obser-
vation by astronomers than any other
body in the sky except the moon. He
is more than hundred times farther
off than the moon, at his very closest
miles through at his equator; but, un-
like the moon, lie exhibits in turn every
portion of his surface rotating in day
which is about half an hour longer than
our own. Thus the entire face of the
planet Mars has been pretty accurately
mapped, aud presents diversified as
pect 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
extensive white regions, which some-
times show up in the field of the tele-
scope with striking brilliancy and clear.
ness Of definition; and, since these un-
dergo periodic chankes, occasionally al
most vanishing and then shining forth
at just the seasons when it would be
winter with the Martians, astronomers
had been led to oall 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;"
Astronomers, admirable on so many
points, are never so stupid and uninl-
aginative as when melitating on the.
probabilities of life beyond this earth,
that old and fascinating topic of smore
worlds than one." They take their ter
restial notions and experiences much
too blindly into space; they ask if there
be an atmosphere 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 conceivable without lungs
and liver! AS if we must always carry
about with us into the glorious promo
tions of inter-stellar space the dentist,
the anti bilious pill, and bronchitis! It
is true that for beings constructed as We
are at present Mars would be q novel
and rather surprising kind of abode.
Supposing we found dense air enough
to breathe there and water sufficient for
tea and washing-which are both du-
bious points, the diminished gravitation
of the little planet is SO great that it
wo,.ld induce . physical and mental
levity fatal to dullness and forbidding
sense of fatigue. What is hundred
weight here would there weigh only
1 tifty-six pounds, nnd we could oil go
| upstairs five steps at time or Jump
twice our own height with case and
grace. Then it would assnredly be
very nice, if we were living in the right
latitude on Mars, to have quick moon
and q slow moon, always careering
round like splendid Chinese lanterns,
saving gas bills, and encouraging long
walks of lovers and Martial poetry. A
fall from horse would seldom or never
prove at all serious in the Martial hunt
ing fields; the rider would rebound
from the soft soil like IN india rubber
cushion. Aerial navigation has quite
possibly been solved long ago by the
fortunate people of the red planet, the
conditions being SO extremely favorable,
and who knows, indeed, whether the So
called "canals" are not vast toboggan-
ing slides, where the entire population
enjoys the unwonted sense Of swift de-
scent, and some little spice of peril ?
But we may be sure of this, that if there
be sentient creatures on the silver and
pearl surfaces of Mars, they are of q
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 a
larynx simply because We live at the
bottom of an aerial sen, just as the fish
possess gills because they breathe the
water. Meantime they speculate in
Mars, perchnnce, upon us as much as
we on them, and wonder if people can
possibly live with only one moon and
with two-thirds of their planet swampcd
by water, to say nothing of being SC
much nearer to the fiery sun, and re.
volving round him in circle instead ol
an eclipse.
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Prns spHrnus Northern Settlements In Tsn
essee, tsstppI and louisiana.
The passenger department of the IL