Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-24
NAME OFGOD ON MARS
HAVE ITS INHABITANTS BEEN TRYING
TO COMMUNICATE WITH USf
Discovery of notwithstanding From
Our Sister Planet That Had Hitherto
Escaped Terrestrial Observation-Inter-
esting Whether True or Not.

Our Sister Planet That Had Hitherto
Escaped Terrestrial Observation-Inter-
esting Whether True or Not.
The name of the Almighty, standing out
boldly in the original Hebrew characters
on the planet Mars, Shaddai, the name Of
God, traced by the Martians on the surface
of their world by the ingenious arrange.
ment of the canals that have been the sub
ject of so much study and speculation, is
an interesting observation which is the
result of the study Of scientist in the
service at Washington.
Schiaparelli in Italy Flammarion In
France and our own Lowell have made
the study of Mars the especial object of
their life work. They have found on our
sister planet such signs of an advanced
civilization that even the most skeptical
have been compelled to admit the plausi.
bility of the astronomers statements and
to concede the possibility of their truth.
Lowell has observed that after the snow
caps disappear, melting, presumably, tho
so called canals widen out, and after few
weeks assume q blush green tint, as
though vegetation had developed in them.
The parallel at once suggests itself of the
Abyssinan SHOWS, then soaks in the wa.
tiers and develops a luxurious vegetation
of maize and grain ard vegetables.
One further fact was established in tho
astronomical world few years ago, when
a series of light flashes were observed COM
ing from Mars. AT one time three such
lights appeared simultaneously, forming
regular triangle. 1t was at once surmised
that the Martians were attempting to sig
nal to us. Was it an effort to say to us that
we had been as constant objects of study
to them as they have been to us, and did
they seek to tell us that a civilization ex-
listed on Mars, civilization far advanced
because far older than ours? If it was
signal, no answer was ever made, because
it found our astronomers all unprepared.
But that these light flashes eliminating in
the triangle were some signal has come to
be generally believed, and it has set all sci
entists specializing and eagerly searching
for further manifestations.
A few evenings ago u student of the
Marian phenomena in Washington was
reading an abstract of Lowell Boston lee
ture on Mars. With the lecture he had
map of the planet, on which the canals
and artificial lakes had been printed some.
what darker than they ordinarily appear
through the telescope. Remembering the
episode of the triangular lights he was led
to examine more carefully the evidently
artificial outlines of the network of water
ways on the planet. If an attempt had
been made to communicate by three mon
ster lights, which had been too transitory
to evoke response, might there not be
some moro lasting effort at communica-
ton? Might it not be possible to trace out
in the canals some giant cipher that could
be seen and read ON earth?
The suggestion of some letter or cipher
had hardly occurred when with it came
the answer, He was an able orientalist.
and the first glance of his eye, trained to
the curious characters of the oriental Ian.
guages, showed him the letters "daleth"
and "yodh" of the Hebrew alphabet. Be-
fore the "daleth" he saw at the edge of the
hemisphere map what appeared to him to
be part of the letter sheen"
A skilled craftsman, it was for bin the
work of no difficulty to draw a Mercator's
projection of Mars, taking in the adjacent
surroundings from the other hemisphere.
To his amazement and joy there appeared
plainly traced out in the artificial canals
of the sister planet the words signifying
God, the selfsame word ordered to be writ
ten on the doorposts Of every Israelite.
There it stood in bold letters, traced be.
yond a question by intelligent beings, and
traced there, too, beyond a question by
those beings as greeting and overture to
the people of our earth for mutual study
and friendship.
This observer was not devout believer
He was frank agnostic, and his observa.
ton was therefore unbiased by any reli.
gious zeal. But this discovery which sub.
sequent examination only confirmed, i'm.
pressed him as most remarkable, supporting.
as 1t did the generally accepted theory that
intelligent beings have perhaps for ages
been seeking to give us some sign of recog-
milton.
There is wide field for thought and
speculation in this appearance of the name
Of God standing out Enthusiastically on the
surface of a sister planet. There can be no
doubt Of the observers accuracy. The first
letter (sheen) is not as sharply defined as
are the two Others, but washings by the
ocean have undoubtedly taken place. as Is
proved by a glance at the original maps,
where partly submerged portions of the
orange hued land are indicated True the
magnitude of the work of cutting the ca.