New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-20
A ROOM FOR ASTRONOMY.

Mention is made of French lady who has left
large amount of money to the Academy OF
Science in Paris, to be awarded by that body TO
the astronomer who succeeds in opening com
munication with the inhabitants of any one OF
tbe other planets, barring Mars. 1t is not quite
clear why the line is drawn at Mars. For al
though of late years astronomers have added
somewhat to the worlds stock of information
concerning that interesting planet, it will hard
" be claimed by any of them that the problem
OF forming the personal acquaintance OF the
Mars people is any nearer solution to-day than
f' was when the morning stars first sang TO-
pether. 1t would seem, however, that the pub
ic-spirited lady leaving the legacy believes that
it is only question of time, and of short time
at that, when the mails or their equivalent shall
be Transported regularly between the earth and
Mars. for she gives as her reason for barring
the latter that it is " too well known already"
An extreme statement, Surely-but then the
teStator. like Others of her sex, may have been
prone to extravaganza. 1t is to be added that
if. owing to circumstances not under their con-
troll the astronomers never succeed in winning
this particular golden egg the money Will still
enrich some member of their noble guild. For
the will in which it is offered contains clause
directing that until communication with planet
is accomplished the interest of the prize money
shall be given every five years to the star
gazer who shall make the most important dis
coveres touching the planets primary or
secondary.
Well it is safe to assume that the majority
Of people will regard the legacy as capital
Joke and the legatOr as full-bloWn crank.
That we do not vet know all that we are going
IN know about other worlds than ours they are
nrobablv willing to admit. But the idea that
the day will ever come when the newspapers
will be receiving dispatches as regularly from
.Tuniter and Saturn as from London and Paris
they scout as the most impossible sort OF an
imnossibility. These persons may have the
RIGHT of the matter, but the fact remains that
experience is dead against them. a century
ago. if a leve-headed man had desired to eX-
press himself forcibly as to the impOsSibility OF
| communicating with the planets he could scarce
| " have done better than to have said Com
municate with the panetS-why, you might as
we'll try to throw your voice across the At
Ianticr And vet to-day a LoRdoner and a New
Yorker find no difficulty in holding sweet OF
sopr converse with each other in spite of the
| great intervening ocean. from tlile Ilhiheilo
rial the one great staple Of conversation has
been the weather. When all other topics fail
tbe weather remains But the men and women
Of every generation since ADAM in their OBJ
seryations concerning. the weather have pro-
ceeded on the assumption that whether the day
brings sunshine or storm all that mankind can
do is to take what comes. But to-day expert
ments are being made having for their object
TO compel the rain to fall wherever it is par
ticuIarly needed, and nobody characterizes then
as the outcome of cranlism. On the contrary
they are conducted by scientists of established
renutation, who are confident that ultimately
they will succeed in their undertaking.
+ Hence let the astronomers go ahead with q
heart for any fate, determined to capture tha
legacy. True there Me obstacles in the way
but what are obstacles to the modern mind