New-York tribune., 1906-12-30

The explorer is necessarily person OF imagt-
nation and to seek to discredit him because he
makes OF this faculty is in reality 10 give
him credit for possessing essential quaIihca-
ton for his work The amount OF credit TO-
which he is entitled. however. depends not so
much upon the extent OF his imagination
upon the use he makes of IT. 1t is important to
keep these principles in view when passing
Judgment upon the work accomplished by Mr..
PercivaI Lowell In his many years OF observa-
ton OF Mars as recounted in his recent volume
describing his discoveries and presenting the
conclusions that he has drawn from them
Without the imagination which peOpled the
planet with sentient and reasoning beings as
the result Of the observations OF Schiapareli,
and confirmed by his later scrutiny. the
world would have been deprived OF the i'm
portant data concerning sister world OBJ
tanned at the observatory at Flagstaff If. in
the mind of the author. the observed facts serve
to substantiate his impulsive hypothesis, It
seems only fair TO treat his theories with re-
spect. at least until some equally well
equipped to discuss the subject undertakes 70
refute them by substituting something more
reasonable.
1t is of course, likely to be a long while be-
fore such an astronomer-or, rather. areographe-
presents himself. unless it be in the person OF
one of MIR. Lowen's own assistants. for the neg
ative impulse is never SO strong as the positive.
and the doubter has always less initiative than
the believer. 1t would require a motive far
greater than 4 merely contradictory one 70 lead
a person to devote much time. energy and
money to the study of Mars as has been
pended by MIR. Lowell In the mean time il
would appear to be both unjust and perverseiy
obstructive to refuse TO accept the results OF
the observations at the Arizona observatory, as
4t-o.2o
bear evidence Of being strictly in accord with
scientific requirements, and his observations
have been checked again and again
Whether or not We choose to follow the author
OF this book to his ultimate differences. he at
least opens up a field OF fascinating conjecture
The work is written in a style as popular as the
precise enumeration Of the ascertained facts
permits. and if the narrative is not in all its
details enhancing q novel. it nevertheless
transports US into a region of superlatively TO
mantle interest. To quote Mr.. LOwelFs
words 1--WE are more sure of some things which
appear too strange to be true than OF others
so simple on their face to enlist belief"
Eleven years. have passed since he ventured in
his first book about the planet TO tell of what
he had already learned from his inspection OF
it's surface and to describe what he hoped 10
find there. Since that time. the Improvement in
gained from constant use OF them have been
carrying the observers steadily Marswari until
the apparent optical distance has been wOniar-
fully Iessened. Objects and phenomena. at first
vaguely perceived have taken on cIearness Of
defLitOn. and much that Invisible then IS
now plainly seen Very suggestive Of the at-
vances made is the series of maps Of Mars cz
plotted by astronomers from 1S40 TO the present
day. The impression, as We turn from one u
another. is Of a gradual growth in definition. m
experience which the author states is frequently
realized by the observer who finds the "seecS''
grow steadily better while he watches. He will
find himself recapituIating in his own person the
course taken by discovery for all those who
went before. and in the lapse OF an hour live
through the observationaI experience of sixty
years: in much the way that the embryo
logical growth of individual repeats the de-
velOpment historically of the race"
The planet as thus revealed to us shows wide
spread regions of a reddish-ochre hue. which i'm
part to it the tinge by which it is readily iIen-
titled by the naked eye There are. besides. less
tracts of blue-green tone. that were origi-
naIIy called and seas. but that now ex-
hibit characteristics incompatible with that
nomenclature. though possibly representing for
mer ocean beds Running In various directions
across the surface. but usually following the
arcs OF great circles. is network of long fine
lineS-the so-calIed Canals They are not in
fa-r, 1fala h1r