The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1890, 1888-08-11
ON THE PLANET MARS.

VN 1uG lkANEl MAHO.
THE CANALS A LONG KNOWN MYs-
Terry OF THE HEAVENS.
aIars Favorably Situated for Astronom,-
cal observasion-some Rather Curaoo.
Facts - What Life on Our Neixhbor
Planet Il Supposed TO Be Like.
NJ Berthelot, one Of the academici.ns.
u evidently light hearted savant, for be
at once asked NJ. de Lesseps, who was
present at the meeting. III he had by
chance q brother protector In Mars"
whereat all the learned astronomers
smiled solemnly This Is, surely, the
hrst time that joke has been imported
from spot 85. OO0. 900 miles of. witch is
about the distance Of the planet Mars
from our earth The canals perceived b,
M. 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
a. 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 q hundred times farther
OF than the moon at his very closest ap
proach, and measures only 1900 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 own
Thus the entire face Of the planet Mars
has been pretty accurately mapped, and
presents . 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 Mara are extensive 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
be winter with the Martians, astronomers
had been led to cali them lice 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
rottn poked scientific fun at M. de Lesseps,
they are certainly very curious objects.
From sea tc sea, or what looks like Il.
run these straight passages. wearing an
appearance. no doubt. OF some Immense
artificial work-some Panama or Suez
canal on q colossal scale They do not
alter or extend-there they always arei-
some Of them completed. others appar
emily imperfect, as II the Martian cham
Der Of deputies had refused to sanction a
lottery loan for the fulfllment Of the
original design But when MN Perrotin
and Faye begin to talk Of engineers" !.
member that to be seen at all, even as a
hair line. these canals in Mars would have
to be at least 500 times as broad as the
Thames-say thirty or forty miles across
and as their length is to be reckoned in
hundreds Of miles. the navvies in Mars, If
they exist. must certainly be wonderful
beingsl
Astronomers, admirable on SO many
points. are never so stupid and unimagin
ative as when meditating on the proba-
hlities Of life beyond this earth. that old
and fascinating topic Of more worlds
than one. They take their terrestrial
notions and experiences much too blindly
into space; they ask II there be an atmos.
phere In the moon. or water in Mars; and
II any doubts exist about these elements
they solemnly conclude that these and
other lovely and eligible celestial abodes
are tenantless As II life were not con
ceivable without lungs and uveri As If
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 surprising kind of
abode. supposing we found dense air
enough to breathe there, and water sufii
cient for tea and washing-which are
both dubious points-the diminished
gravttation Of the little planet is so great
that it would induce q physical and
mental levity fatal to dullness and for
bidding sense of fatigue What is
hundred weight here would there weigh
only 6fty six pounds. and we could all 20
up stairs FIVE steps at q time. or jump
Lwice our own height with ease and grace.
Then it would assuredly be very nice, if
We were living In the right latitude on
Mars, to have quick moon and slow
moon: always careering round like splen
encouraging long walks Of lovers and
would seldom or never prove at all seri
Jus In the Martial hunting fields; the
'ider would rebound from the soft soil
ike an India rubber cushion Aerial
navigation has quite possibly been solved
ong ago BY the fortunate people Of the
ed planet. the conditions being so ex
remedy favorable. and who knows, in
iced. whether the 80 called ''canals" are
lot vast tobogganing slides. where the
'ntire population enjoys the unwonted
ense Of swift descent. and some little
pice Of perilf But we may be sure Of
his, that II there be sentient creatures
n the silver and pearl surfaces Of Mars.
hey are Of very different type from our :,
errestrial frames. for life Is always the
quation Of its surrounding conditions,
nd we denizens Of the earth have lungs
nd larynx simply because we live at
he bottom Of an aerial sea, just as fish
'ossess gills because they breathe the
Telegraph.
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