New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-01
THE STTTIrTOH Upon MARS.
From Westermann's MOnais-hefte.


The first sight OF Mars through an observatory tele
rgpe Is y 10 rs Tr nSe w SG sarh Nth " its
lev poles ss ~ solid dt coc aooTInS overhead one
distinguishes clearly the dark blue and the bril-
liant, 6caming, many hued dry land-and on this the
dry beds Of n multitude OF lakes bays. CULTS streams
and canals. these latter either parallel TO each other
or cro,sns enc another at right angles As you rS son
light and shade and further that the outlines on one
edge of the disk pass out Of sight while the other
the landscape expands YOU see that Mars rcyoves on
It's axis. and that the ends u the axis the frozen
poles with us. There Is further resemblance in
The inclination In the All. which provides that on this
planet also III" seasons follow eac other In regular
succession. The Ice crust the poles diminshes in
summer anordlng demonstrate not only that Mars
Is Influenced by the suns rays precisely are. but
also that the air and water are Identical villa ours In
act the mcteorOlogy OF Mars Is POW being reduced To
a science.
Judging the two planets by. superficial rhar-
Ing higher degree Of development IN Mars. The con-
ilnents Of the earth. from a distance present
rs surface. While Mar IS gIrdled on both Sides Of the
equator by continuous mainland, intersected by
81 arr OF the c M Hnd rsa n e
planet and the water only one fourth consequence
Of whc it may be- that It's ATMOSPHERE is less couded
and vapor laden than ours Peculiarly characteristic
!. tho arrangement In which the geological nature Of
Mars has laid ont the streams canals y. All our
streams. without exception. are toruous and all In
IN width they the ocean on Mars. on the
%mfoT width r m nTw mS T cs sn er SrG
from 30 to 100 Mometers apart. have their banks
well defined u suggest the Idea that they sub
ect to int 'gent regulation. Il is hardly possible 10
conceive cat parallel canals in,cISected right
angles by third IN Ophcr land. b. the work Of
elementary forces OF nature tn" question suggests
Itself again lN the two canals which flow from -
through 'ne island Iieas crossing each other Mt
right angles In the centre. Not less Questionable Is
the origin ~ the great blue Lake Of the sun In the cen
OF kcppler land. with It's three rcctnear canals
connecting II with the ocean.
Ever and ever the question recurs. Is II possible
that the crust OF planet whose density Is only
tcnths less sc than that Of the earth can be Yield
Ing that the streams at their origin encountered i'm
p dment 10 their direct course Or have they really
been regulated by the Inhabitants o. Mnrs-an engineer
Ing feat presenting. perhaps. few serious difficulties
lut what most cNcltes our establishment IN connec-
on with these canals + that almost every OF them
Is double. e.. It has lis parallel canal alongside Of it,
but visible ~ intervals only. This has thoroughly
analogous To MD Us 20 n solution. on this account
the return Of Mars Is looked forward TO with consider
able interest. The Improvement in optlcal instr-
mens within the past decade may probably help to
solve the riddle. what Is perhaps still probable
may present moro riddles OF solution The occasion
~ Mars next return Will he the first time for Is years
That we shall have an opportunity OF examining his
south polar REGION Apart from the scientific interest
which attaches TO these observati ms Is an immense
gain to intellectual culture to overthrow the pride
born 81 Ignorance, which In earlier centre, prompted
10 regard this earth tho inhabited sphere
~ the universe. Equal rights for all planets appears
TO be the law OF nature. which certainly has not eX
pending all her forces on his dark cod Of ours.