Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1906-02-22
Mars Approaching the Earth.

Garrett P. Servlss. the celeprateu
astronomer, who spoke last night TO
the teachers at the Peabody Institute
talked later in his apartments at the
Rennert of the attention that the
planet Mars will attract all over the
world in 1907.
"Mars will in July, 1907 said he,
"be only about 100000 miles from
the earth, or more than 10000 miles
closer than today. Then this planet
will attract attention not only from
astronomers, but from the general
public, so striking will it appear IN
in the heavens. Mars will then rise
in the skies early in the night and be
visible until morning. 1t will incite
wonder, not only because OF Its siHe'
but because of the color OF its light.
We will then behold Mars glowing
blood-red high overhead.
Two years later-in September
ls09-Mars will be only 36,OOO,O 900
miles from us, and then we will have
the best opportunity we have ever
had of studying the planet. There
are times when the earth appears to
| the Martians-if there are Martians-
much larger than Mars has ever ap'
peared to the inhabitants OF the
earth, for our planet is just about
twice as larger as Mars"
When asked if he believed the plan
ct inhabited the scientist replied that
he did.
Perhaps one should not base such
\ belief upon inferences, ne said,
"but cannot help thinking that other
worlds than our own are inhabited. l.
That God in His infinite wisdom
should have created millions of worlds
and suns and stars scattered through
ont the lmitless universe at distances
apart 20 great .as to stagger the mind;
that he should have created all this
ipconceivably vast realm and made 1t
/ as a desert is to zoe incredible.
1 While l hold Alfred Russell Wallace
\ a great scientist, most emphatcally
7 disagree with him that our little plan
ct is the only world inhabited.
Take the great sun Arcturus tha'
is mentioned In the Book of Job. U.s.
ing the earth's orbit as base line ant
taking observations from ditferen
} points on it, we get the distance, vas
as il IS to this star. Then KNOWING
the simple principle that the hgh
from an object varies lnversely as Tn
square of the distance, and knowlnj
how much light Arcturus does CIV
us from it's remote corner OF the uni
yerpe. we discover that this glgantl
3 star Is at least 1000 times larger tina
Z onr sun Were Arcturus in the pos
!: t;on of our sun it would blaze upo
{. us with more than 1000 times the IL
!. teusity of that orb This, even to tn
5 trained mind, is overwhelming.
8 cannot believe that this star, and ott
. er suas with planets revolving aroun
8 them. were created for absolutely Z
3 purpose. l feel that under the ligt
gl,of Arcturus perhaps higher form
s life is developed than under the hgt
of our sun.
ave know pretty well that Il
whole universe is composed mostly
the same1elements, and hold to Il
theory that our world is simply 10th
= universe az an ion to an atom or TO
molecule. Chemists tell US that Z
ions in a molecp,e are constantly
motion, and thus.N is with the III
!! verse. The planetary systems tn
we know are moving through spa
s, perhaps at speed we DO not reali'
" " That the movement of the planeta
Id systems. of which ours is only o
p among many visible to the naked 9
one among thousands visible w
the aid of the telescope, and Q
among countless millions that we ca
NOT see-that all this is for nauf
stands contrary to our reason ana
N our experience that everything has
Il nurpose. ."-Bahimore Sun