New-York tribune., 1907-09-15
SIGNALS FROM MARS.
WOman Who Sees Them Thinks ne
Ought to Anszcer.

OUght TO AnSICer.
Have you seen the signals from Mars?" Mr..
Lickscope asked me last night
What kind Of sgnals?" hedged. not willing
TO admit that knew less about anything than
did Mrs Lickscope my neighbor in Harlem
Why. the wigwag light signals. Of course
she replied. Come out and I'll show YOU
There" she exclaimed. You see that long
beam of light shooting out from the left side ot
Mars?'
Mars has curves not Sides reminded her
Well. I'm on 10 them she asserted posi-
lively. And there. Therer' excttedly- see
that star-shaped light that a1ternates with the
beam? They must fire that beam through a
powerful mortar. and the star that follows is the
explosion Of the shell. Sometimes plain prac-
ticaI people like me know more than good
I wondered at her Plain she certainly vas
but practical.
Now. there's Professor Lowell w:1o says that
Mars is Inhabited OF course it is. 1t takes
smart people to invent a gun that can shoot a
beam and explode a shell that size-and noise-
IT'S good ways of Cor US to hear the
sound I suggested.
OH" said Mrs. Lickscope. The idea had not
occurred TO her. There's another fash and an
other bursting she'll You see it?'
I did.
At first the neighbors laughed at the idea Of
signals from Mars, but now they are Just a.
certain as I am that the Nartians are talking
TO Us for all they're worth and don't under
stand Their sf code t Of frs signs xact @ e pon
How I wish knew their code. OF course, EOu
believe Mars is inhabtted?
oh yes: 7 always thought cold-blOoded pe0-
pie went there when they got tired Of earth
The rest OF us couldn't stand the cold up there
They're too far away rom tne & SUM -,
was proud 10 furnish a bit OF astral lhIorIld-
tiou. - ,ss
rhpOTiZed Mrs LlCkScc-e
Why Professor Lowell says he has counted
hfty-six canals. and there's no teIilne no"
many he hasn't counted. There must oe
place like Venice up there He says there's tne
Fons Juvenile. with a whole lot or little cardis
leading into It, Can't you Just see the Mar rai5 I
Viennese gondoliering about in tnelr turs an8
feeCe-lined boots gazing az their IouF Hloo-l7'
What a place for lovers.
Mrs Lickscope looked sentimental
They hardly miss a night making signals
she continued Just wait Till they get RIO
fessor KOehler's quartz lenses and ultra-vloiet
light turned on Mars. and some OF those JetlouS
scoffers will get far to their Self-cOncelt why
that machine Of Professor koehier can FOCUS
on what has never aPpedIed a1S =. 5,l.-s - ,,,sa5
single object before. and show II te oe CoIlpose.
OF ever So many different parts Now WoIder
why Professor Lowell did not tell no" ~
those canals are The MartlanS must WoEa
y-arv fast and il must have taken hundreds or
wears 10 dig those watercourses- why. we
80 rftcbiTg up mud down the isthuus of
@ Deeh " ~ - tvrentv-fve years and we've
scarcely anything to show for IL.
..There's a lot OF live poems 70 show VINO
would otherwise have put IN thelr IIiIle A1-i---
one another I rejotned-
Vow. when that beam OF light flares out at
us and the twtukling she'll bursts oenlna s., y,
said Mrs LickscOpe. L can Just see TAIL HIS
looking fellow sighting the gun .-.,,
..IIa NAV look like fish" interjected- ooil7
claim the MartianS are amphiolous 1 o
Mrs Iickscope looked hard at me Of
you're as sceptical as the Enslish Royal ~ ~
eervatOrv" she remarked 'Ehey thinA tla %
Mars has shrunk in regular pattern. hke a..
aiI-wooI tartan in the wash. and that those
cIeverlv engineered canals are every one nSt4
And then. after all Of, them have calnleg .Ia, .L
Mars has thrown dust in our eyes anu 80 -
there's no intelligent life there, they ADMIT uITs
can't see Mars. anyway. in England sgf1lcleil.sE nee &
to make any acquaintance with IL s 81
tronomers are certainly odd-but they e .9 a..
men, Professor Lovett. of Princeton I~,lnNs ~
that II is utter folly to dream OF LIE on ~ MaLS
and Professor EddngtOn, the EngilSn roy 80
tronOmer. says that there may nave oee.I ~ ~ ~,
Iigent life Mars millions OF years 90. - 80
he doesn't believe there ever was. an anu Cfs- H,I,
there isn't now How does he know ~ o'I,-0
And this Professor Pickering. OF Harvard CO'i-1'
along with his shrinking theory - -,-t,l-
You mean the theory that Mars - SUI ''N
ing2" asked. ..,
yes shrinking from the suggestion OF intel
ligent life. But Alfred Russell wallace - CtdpS1,,
inhabited planet in the universe Now. l NU -
der what he suppOses all the rest OF Tie "--
verse created for ...Ir.
"Its pleasant to think that you are IL spe. 1e
iofned "Doesn't YOUR neck ache watching those
81 don't see why we can't signal 20 them.
n
OF Sahara all going to waste Now why e1uf 4-sf
M some man donate enough money 10 SlsL
10 Mars lThev give millions 10 dig up - inun.
mics and bring them here TO scatter tuoeIG 49,,
IosiS from, the dust Of their Crumbllns WI. WIi -
sbests and for every other fool thihS ti'9's- ti'9'
NO Dleasant place in society Now WY 9iI,s
tho danate money for real live proJeCt,
sirnaIIfnc to Mars? regular system OF go -
.rd oases could be laid out on the desSi :. al
Mars would know human beings arranseu e.tb,re,
axe nv word for it, they know theIe ; nI nsraIs
shrinking about us. When they see thesg tn syeu
and green grass and groves they VII -, n,
Know some rfch American put UP the H''0'
furnish them 5,,,s eiec-
tric tower at Niagara" 1 suggested NV
water power enough at Niagara 10 T21SJSPo,td
v,unber of electric lights sparkling vs. .5chr
bniId a tower that would stick out IKE - s,5sr
noint and let Mars know we mad an iuucN - -.
nointinc their way. We might even tOP @
tower with flashlight OF unusual poWeI.
"Thev might take us for an unsuSRl unLsRles N
comet . objected Mrs. Telescope pi,b a
fsn't polite to point. and we are deanns s WI Mis-
yvarlike race Now. I suggest utiiizihs H-h tn a
sissfpnI River as a signal IL runs 'n.L '.1L7 RS
sresn vaIley-dark to Mars-and az - o1sr-
Sborcs are splashed with great patches So. "a Ts
80 iI1,,mtnation where its strings OF = a.
Vovv If We lust made an unbroken chsl'n @ tb.s
t',,,,,,,ation between those cities ldI'cS
l,,,it T,,akf. the Niarrrans take notice- ,,-
..I think the moons of Mars are 700 !. ,siuoN
ei,'- ,N-r.,5a,t WED better go n