The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-04-29
is MARS TALKING AT US?
a NOVEL SUGGESTION BY AN I'M
AGINATivE MIND.

Communication Schsmo-A Highly
interesting Hypothesis Advanced by
French Astron omer.
One of the boldest of the many bold
suggestions that have been thrown out
by imaginative writers in the last few
years is a recent one by Flammarion,
the French astronomer. 1t is in refer
snce to proposal made some months
tgo to encourage the formulation Of q
plan for opening up communication be-
tween the inhabitants 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 have been making
signals to us for the last hundred thou
sand years or so without our being
aware of the fact.
The reasons for the deduction NAV be
briefly stated. Even without supposing,
according to the Kant-Laplace theory,
that Mars was thrown off from 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 that 5000 miles.
This reasoning is supported by the as
certained facts that his atmosphere is
far less dense than ours, and his land
and water surfaces are nearly equal,
while with us the proportion is nearly
one to three. 1t is inferred that both
oceans and atmosphere have diminished
on that planet much more than the Q per
cent credited by some with having dis
appeared from the earth since the be-
ginning of geologic history. On Mars
the successive phases of planet life have
been condensed into shorter time than
Is the case with US. Its people are there
fore nearer the maximum of possible de-
yelopment, if they have not long since
passed it, and all animation will have
disappeared there when our earth is still
the theater of intensly active vitality.
Hence it may be inferred that the most
highly organized inhabitants of Mars
long since thought Of the inter planetary.
communication scheme, which is yet q
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.
Fiammarian says that in the newly
constructed maps of Mars there are OBJ
servable in several places small dots, by
the side of which the astronomer notes
the presence of luminous spots that shine
like snow under the rays of the sun. II
is not probable that these spots are duo
to the presence of snow, since. some are
situated near the equator while others
are in high latitudes. Nor can they be
mountain peaks for they are close to the
seas and symmetrically disposed with
reference to certain rectilinear canals.
several among them ap-
pear to mark parallels of latitude and
and in examining them one is
reminded Of geodetical signs
The closs observer can distinctly trace
triangles. squares and rectangles formed
by these luminous spots.
ImprobaDss ss the reference may seem
TO be. it is likely that several Of the as.
observers who can not think
Of anything better to do with their tele-
scopes will subject these spots to patient
and record what they see for
with appearances in the fu-
ture, when some Of these spots will have
changed their positions if they be really
The result of intelligent design. II
changes be discovered in the
course of q few years, or even centuries,
t will be hard to resist the conclusion
hat the guess of the Partisan writer is
correct one. and then will begin the ef-
'ort to reciprocate. Evidently this will be
much the worse job of the two, on ac-
count of our relative position. We can
pest make out the smaller details on
he surface of Mars when nearest to
him, he being then in opposition to the
Iun. But at that time we are buried in
he sunlight. as seen from the planet, and
he distance must be at least double in
,rder to carry the earth sufficiently far
way, angularly, to permit q distant
yiew from our neighbor in space That
s, each of the luminous mounds con-
tructed by us must have twice the di-
lmetcr or four times the area of those on
liars in order to be visible with equal dis
inctness if the optical power employed
70 the same in each case. If, however,
I be supposed possible that the Martial
olks have learned how to construct tel
scopes which are correspondingly moro
powerful than the best we have, that die-
iculty vanishes in theory. But who is
,oing to know this? And how long will
t be ere the fact is established to the sat.
sfaction of the most curious among NOR.
ais.
In any event it must be very many
ears before the actual exchange of sig,
Ials between ourselves and the inhabi.
ants of Mars can become fact. if at all.
Perhaps it will be so many centuries that
y the time we are prepared to talk" to
hem the Adhemar flood will como
weeping down upon us from tha
outhern Hemisphere and leave all tho
york to be done over again in new lands
levated from beneath the present ocean
svel on the other side of the equator.
'erhaps. which is far the most likely,
loomsday itself will come before
his latest scientific dream becomes a
faking reality. But it is not wise now
0 say such thing can never be ac-
That sort Of confident talk
} not now in order as it was in past ages
'hen men knew far less than they do
ow.-Chicago Tribune.
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