The Washington herald., 1906-11-18
MARS now INHABITED
Prof. Lowell Says Circum-
stantial Evidence Proves 1t.
CANALS FOR WATER SUPPLY
Considered to BE Evidences Of De-
sign. and Their ArtiAciaIIty Proves
Existence OF Intelligent Life-Ef-
forts of "A Planetary Race for Self
Preservation with Little Moisture.

Boston. Nov. 17.-Baslng his deductions
on the material that he had expounded
during the first seven lectures of his
Lowell Institute course on Mars as the
Abode of Life" Prof Lowell, In his final
lecture, said that Mars is an inhabited
planet. He said that astronomical dis
covery is of two kinds. First, there is
the kind that consists Of the discovery Of
another asteroid. for instance, on mathe-
matical considerations alone; and the
second is that that goes 10 the bottom OF
the affairs Of a planet and makes discov-
cries on a planet already well known. The
discovery Of truthin the heavens differs
but little from the discovery Of criminals
on earth. Il is simply piece OF detec-
tive work, employing similar methods
The solution OF the truth Of "a discovery
is based on two things, ciTcumstandal
evidence and motive. Motive Is as much
Of necessity IN the determination Of
truths in COsmic as In human affairs.
Prof. Lowell attacked his problem from
these two points, Uslng as his circum-
stantial evidence the facts concerning the
planet that he had enunciated in the
other seven lectures.
Mars Is Of a much smaller mass than
IS the earth. and, consequently, it should
differ from the earth ln some principal
respects. The surface should be smooth
er, oceans should not be present, and the
air should be comparatively thin.
The telescope shows all these facts TO be
true concerning Mars. Also. the planet
should have aged quicker than has the
earth. and this fact is shown Dy the wide
expanse OF deserts and the absence Of
water on the surface. for il is known that
all planets, including The earth. slowly
but surely lose their water.
Warmth and water are absolute necessi-
ties 70 life. on Mars the polar caps.
which contain the only moisture left on
the planet. furnish through their annual
melting by the sun the only moisture
that the surface Of the globe ever receives.
Il never rains on Mars, and every win
ter the moisture is again deposited in the
form Of snow around the poles.
Never Rains on MARS.
The temperature Of Mars was shown by
Prof. Lowell in one Of the earlier lectures
10 be ample for the existence Of life. It is
a climate of extremes, the winters being
very cold and the summers very hot The
mean is so degrees. the same IS the mean
temperature Of the earth. Experiments on
the earth have shown that If an animal is
warm enough during the productive sea
son. Il can stand any amount Of cold al
any other season.
An animal on a planet so far distant
from the earth would only make itself
known 10 persons on the earth by the
work that it had produced on the surface
Of it's planet. On Mars there are just such
markings as intelligence might have made
These markings are tEe so-called canals.
They are not optical Illusions. for they
have existed IN the same places for years
and have been photographed. There are
two spots on the planet. q miles IN diam
eter and 80 miles apart, that have n guam
tly Of canals leading TO them Three Of
the double canals embrace them; that IS.
just touch their outer edges. Four other
doubles send their arms each TO a sep
arate spot, and a large number OF single
canals also run into the spots.
The lines are not rivers. for rivers are
never so straight and Sd uniformly wide.
They are not cracks. for again cracks are
not straight and usually end before fin
ishing' Another theory Is that meteors
have raised welts across the surface; bur
this is easily met By the fact that a welt
would never change color so as 20 be per
fectly visible at one time and nearly in
visible at another.
The systematiZed arrangement OF the
canals 20 form a network over the surface
Is also inexplicable. The way that large
number will come together at one point
from great distances over the planet, all
coming as straight as it is possible for
them to do. Is not natural All these
things are not natural objects, but are
the work Of an Intelligence comparable TO
the human intelligence Of the earth.
Canals Almost Invisible.
In winter the canals become almost il
visible but at the beginning OF summer.
when the ice cap around the pole begins
to melt, those canals nearest the pole
viii become darker, then those a little
further along will darken, and the proc
ess Will be passed along the whole sys-
tenn. even beyond the equator. This pass
ing Of the water over the surface is the
clew that leads TO the solution OF the
problem. The unnatural movement, which
is so slow and regular along the whole
journey, being ffty-One miles day, must
be due 10 some artificial locomotion. The
head Of the water created by the melting
would only push It few miles
What we see on Mars is not only the
water, but the things that water pro-
duces. vegetation. Across space it is not
the Nile River that would be seen, but
the vegetation along the narrow valley
that it irrigates. The canals typify the
means Of securing the water. They are
straight, as II is supposed they would be-
There are no mountains to hinder the
construction, and the terror Of losing the
water supply altogether would lead to
greater efforts TO get what little there is.
The oases seem 10 be the centers of
population. Thy change in size and col
or from time to time. although the core
always remains dark At the largest they
are seventy-fve miles across, and this
seems readily possible when one stops to
consider that each community has 10 de-
pend on its own products for sustenance.
Life of No Mean Order.
In the main exposition of what we
have thus CLEANED about Mars" contin-
ued Mr. Lowell, we have been careful
to indulge in no speculation. The laws
of physics and the present knowledge Of
geology and biology. affected by what
astronomy has TO say on the former sub
ject, have conducted US to the recognition
Of other intelligent life. We have then
searched for a motive and cave lighted
on one which thoroughly explains the evi-
dence observation offers. We are justified,
therefore, In believing that we have un-
earthed the cause. and Cur conclusion is