The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02

and reappear yearly Ia the same places.
To Mr.. Lowell. unquestionably the best
observer OF them. they have looked decid-
edly artificial. owing to their extraordinary
s~traightness. TO the smoothness and uni
formlty Of eaoh one. and TO their radiating
from special points. But the first W OF
these three characters must be in part
illusions. due to well known and neluo
table laws Of psychology. Beyond that
the straightness must be largely due to
the small gravitation on Mars as above
explained. Since we do not see the cham
nels themselves. but only the vegetation
stimulated by the streams. and since vege-
table growth is a natural process. n
does not easily see how the apparent uni
formity Of the dimly made outmarking can
be any evidence Of a%rtiRciality. II they
radiate from special points we may natur-
ally suppose that there are mountains or
places where for some reason ice Is piled
up in winter. unless. indeed. there be evil
denoe Of design in the location Of these
centres. The appearance Of artifciality
will strike everybody; but IL will convince
different people according to the quality
Of self critioism which they apply to their
reasoning. There is another feature Of
thO Ohatihcis tndt bukSccJS dItAnOidhty, yVe
TO which / lave seen no other allusion
than three words in biologist Morse's book.
Mars and its Mystery page it2. where
he speaks Of their angles OF approach
They certainly seem to cross one another
at angles such as n does not expect to
see in natural streams. This nay ow-
ever. be partly illusion and partly the sIect
Of the Zoe masses OF little weight but great
momentum striking on certain faces Of
rock.
If these channels are artificial, how shall
we eventually be convinced that they are
80? What phenomenon will. point unequiv-
ocally to their artificial origin? The intel
ligent race. il there be one. must either be
multiplying or. more likely. dying out. In
the former case we ought to be able to
detect some subservience TO a purpose or
to a convenience in the location Of the
GASES. or vegetative spots; and the canals
should multiply as the years &c by. If on
the other hand the race is dying out. the
Gases and the channels should. some Of
them. fall into d~esuetude; and those that
remain should naturally form a clustered
collection. Nothing Of all this has, however,
yet been noticed.
IL may be that there is intelligence on
Mars without its having produced any
effects that man can as yet observe. II
may be hat there has been intelligent life
on Mars but that it is now forever extinct.
as that On this earth is going to be perhaps
before another millennium has fitted by.
Il may be there never was and never will
be In animal on that planet guided by any
thing but ineffective instinct. Is not rea-
son, by the way. for the most part a rather
futile makeshift? Mightn't a good sound
instinct answer the purpose better?
As has been minated above, a book has
lately appeared on this subject Of the hab-
liability Of Mars by a biologist-a fair OBJ
server Of the old school. a writer Of super
abundant emphasis. but very little Of a
reasoner. His book is amusing. owing to
the impertinence with which he treats
everybody who celebrates at all OF is not
cocksure that Mars is inhabited by an in
telligent race at this day. 1t is good for a
laugh, at any rate. p.