The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-05-28
IS MARS TALKING AT USg
The BOLD SUGGESTION OF AN
ASTRONOMERS.
Certain Squares. TrianSles and Rectangies
Formed by spots the Planet.
Designed to Attract Our
Attention.

Ono OF the boldost OF the many
bold suggestions that have been
thrown out by imaginative writer's In
the last few years Is u recent Que by
Flammarion. the French astronomer
1t is in reference to a proposal made
some months ago to encourage the
formulation OF a plan for opening up
communication between the nhabis-
ants OF earth and those OF some other
world. He argues that as the planet
Mars is several million years older in
point OF development than is our
world. its people are further advanced
in the scale OF intellectual progress
than we are. and that they may have
been making signals TO us for the last
hundred thousand years or SO without
our being made aware OF the fact.
Tho reasons for the deduction may
BIO briefly stated. says the Chicago
Tribune. Even without supposing ac-
cording to the Kant-Laplace theory.
that Mars was thrown off from a ring
OF nebulous matter much earlier than
the earth. he must have cooled down
more rapidly because of his smaller
bulk his diameter being less than
| D. 600 miles. This reasoning is sup
ported by the ascertained facts that
his atmosphere is far less dense than
ours. and his land and water surfaces
are nearly equal while with us the
proportions are nearly one to three.
1t is inferred that both oceans and at
mosphere have diminished on that
planet much more than the per cent
credited by some with having disap-
peared from the earth since the be-
ginning OF geological history. On
Mars the successive phases OF planet
life have been condensed into n
shorter time than Is the case with
us. Its people are therefore nearer
The maximum OF possible develop
ment il they have not long since
passed it, and all animation will have
disappeared there when our earth is
still the theatre OF intensely active Vi
.ality. hence it may be inferred that
the most highly organized inhabitants
Of Mars long since thought of the in
tar-planetary communication scheme
which Is yet u novelty with us and
have during many centuries been
vainly trying to make us aware OF the
fact. If they really have been doing
so they have acted in the most simply
suggestive way possible.
Flammarion says that in the newly
constructed maps OF Mars there are
observable in several places small
dots by the side OF which the astron-
omcr notes the presence of luminous
spots that shine like snow under the
rays OF the sun. 1t is not probable
that these spots are due TO the pres
ence of snow. since some are situated
near the equator while others are in
high ATTITUDES. Nor can they be noun
tain peaks. for they are close to the
seas and symmetrically disposed with
reference to certain rectilinear canals.
Furthermore, several among them ap-
pear to mark parallels OF latitude and
meridians, and in examining them one
is inevitably reminded OF geodetical
signs. The close observer can dis
tinctly trace triangles. squares and
rectangles formed by these luminous
spots.
Improbable as the inference NAV
seem to be. 1t is likely that several OF
the astronomical observers who can
not think OF any thing better to do
with their telescopes will subject
these spots to patient scrutiny. and
record what they see for comparison
with appearances in the future. when
some Of these spots will have changed
their positions IL they be really the
result of intelligent design. II meth
odical changes be discovered In the
course OF a few years or even centu-
ries 1t will be hard TO resist the con
clusion that the guess of the Partisan
writer is correct one. and then will
begin the effort to reciprocate. Evil
IDENTIFY this will be much the worse Job
OF the two on account of the relative
position We can best make out
the smaller details on the sur
face OF Mars when nearest 10
him. he being then in opposition to
the sun. But ut that time we
are buried in the sunlight as seen
from the planet and the distance
must be ut least doubled in order to
carry the earth sufficiently far away.
angularly. to permit a distinct view
from our neighbor in space. That is,
each of the luminous mounds con-
structed by us must have twice the
diameter or four times the area OF
those on Mars in order to be visible
with equal distinctness II the optical
power employed be the same in each
case. IL however II be supposed
possible that the Martial folks
have learned how to construct
telescopes which are correspond
ingly more powerful than the
best we have that difficulty vanishes
in theory. But who is going to know
thisp And how long will 1t be ere
the fact is established to the satisfac-
ton of the most curious among. NOR
talsp et tf2
In any event 1t must be very many
years before the actual exchange OF
signals between ourselves and the
inhabitants OF Mars can become fact.
II at all Perhaps it will DO SO many
centuries that by the time we are pre-
pared TO talk" to them the Adhemar
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