Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-11-11
TALKING WITH MARS
Plans Suggested by Some Vision
Arg Astronomer.
Practical sfindcd PrSfssssf Gives HI
Sssss.s for fhlaktng the Feat Of Cen
nanieAsing with the otsss
II Impossible

When Prof George Davidson. OF the
Davidson observatory and the coast
and 9eodetic survey, was shown the
Paris e&blegrsm saying that an old
Lady had Just died in spa leaving one
hundred Thousand francs as a prize to
the astronomer, French or foreign. who
within ten years win be able to COM
municate with any planet or star. he
read 1t through slowly once, then he
read it twice more rapidly. Finally he
picked it up. held it at the proper dis
lance from his Dyes, and squintea at 1t
tust N he would squint 1T Mercury
throuyh his telescope il he wanted to
and the big tortoise-shaped spot on Its
northern hemisphere.
IAN old lzdy-an old ladyw the VET
srsn astronomer finally exclaimed.
"Now. ISN'T that pretty way to treat
such . piece Of philanthropy as that?
An old lady. indeed Now, why under
the sun do you suppose they keep back
her name? I am inclined To believe
that some good-loolsiug young man
One Of tiiose smooth talkers-has
been getting close TO her and talking .
From the very form her bequest
takes I am aware that sonebody-
Ylammarion or some other man-has
been talking 70 her about the proposed
triangle Tho project Is . very curious
one. bat can be explained quite easily"
PROT Davidson picked mp blue PEN
ell and drew on a white sheet OF paper
. rightangled triangle.
This tina. have dra wn." he said
els ths old triangle OF Pythagoraa
That triangle has right angle, and
the square built upon the side oppo-
site the right angle is equal to the sum
of the squares built upon the other two
sides The proposition Is said to be
the fundamental one of geometry. II
has been proposed 30 draw snch .
figure as that in the desert OF Sahara
or some other great plain, the hnea OF
course. TO be hundreds of miles long.
end male so they would b distinct on
che desert sand One way would be
- plant palm trees 80 that the forests
should take the shape OF lines In the
figure Certainly .ac green ct the
xslrns would b 80 bright In contrast
With The white Of thu sand that the
drawing. when completed. would be
plain snouGh
These are suppositions that 60
along with the idea Il 10 supposed
that there arc people On some Of the
pianeta ct least On Mara II 10 sup
po>ed that the people on the planet are
civilized and capable Of looking
Shroazh telescopes and II b con-
sauded that II this 10 so they mns.
know the Pythaxu~esa proposition
$50 II The people On Mars look
through .hsir telescopes "a the earth
Hi~v VII be sure 20 see that enormous
eenrs on the DESERT. and seeing il they
viii realise that she ssrth Il Inhabited
ev men Of knowiesige snd that the
drawing n . signal Them 81 course,
they will set ~ wcrk ~ answer by
euiiafnx fsss such . iixnre On Aar>
THAI vii b TALKING from scar - star.
sRat ali shis Is eosh and nos~nss 10
me. AMI sis~e say II ~as sss>h sna
ran~ree 90 the rnan whovheedlea shss
Yr.nehsvouaan into ssttins sssds tea.-
enc fn,nes Ept whoever he 80 be
tn~w o. wht-a sia. hss sresd wss
tastsr>.l. asss, knew thst such . trust
ssr wseis~er rur2as>. ~ssid ssr ~
Arrest
.,Sat even sur7ossns sa>f t'se dssrrt