The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-05-15


make the forms Of me Marian animal
kingdom laxer and iimsier, and either
larger or else slenderer than earthly
types
Since the Martian vegetation has
become adapted to seasoned food con
ditions, there win be not only fiiers
and climbers, but waders-lO -lOng-legged
forms Well, here we get something
-niers, climbers, and wadeTs, with a
sort of backbone. Now let us bring
In another fact, the fact that the Mar
tian year is just twice the length Of
ours, and alternates between hot sum
mer sunshine-like the sunshine we
experience on high mountains--and
long, frost-bitten winter. The day,
too, has the length Of a terrestrial
day and because Of the thin air will
have just the quick changes from heat
to cold we find on this planet upon
the higher mountains.
This means that all these birds and
beasts must be adapted to great
changes OF temperature. To meet
that they must be covered by some
thick, airholding, non-conducting Gov
ering, something analogous to fur or
feathers, which they can thin out In
sumner and renew for the winters
bitterness.
And now as to the ruling inhabitants
who made the gigantic canal system
Of Mars. those creatures of human or
superhuman intelligence who, unless
Mr., Lowell is no more than fantas.
tic visionary, have taken Mars in hand
to rule and order and cultivate sys.
tematically and completely, as be.
lieve some day man will take this
earth.
How tar are these ruling beings
likely to resemble terrestrial human.
ity?
We'll, there are certain features in
which they are likely to resemble us.
The quasi-mammalian origins we have
supposed for them imply quasi
human appearance They will prob
ably have heads and eyes and back
boned bodies; and since they must
have big brains because of their high
intelligence, and since almost all crea-
lures with big brains tend to have
them forward in their heads near
their eyes, these Martians will prob
ably have big, shapely skulls But
their bodies will in all likelihood be
larger in size than humanity, two and
two-third times, perhaps the mass Of
a man. That does not mean, how
ever, that they viii be two and two
thirds as tan; but allowing for the
laxer texture Of things on. Mars It
may be that they win be half as tall
again when standing up. And as like
ly as not they viii be covered with
feathers or fur.
There can be no doubt Of the INF
mense part the development Of the
hand has played in the education OF
the human intelligence. SO that it
would be quite natural to imagine the
Martians as bigheaded, deepchested
bipeds, grotesquey caricaturing hu-
manity with arms and hands.
But that is only one of several al
most equally plausible possibilities.
One thing we may rely upon: that
the Martians must have some pre-
hensile organ, primarily because the
Development of intelligence Is almost
unthlnkable without it; and secondly.
because in no other way could they
get their engineering done It is
stranger 10 our imaginatiOns, but DO
less reasonable, TO suppose, instead
Of hand, an elephantlike proboscis.
or group of tentaeles or probosCis-
Ike organs.
Finally, here Is thought that may
be reassurIng 10 any reader who sinds
these Martians alarming. II a man
was transferred suddenly TO the sur
face Of Mars, be wo0l0 nad himsolf
immensely exhifnated- so soon a. hs
had got over a slight nlonntaln.ack.
ness. He would weigh not haIf
what he does upon earth. He would
pranee and leap; he would llfs twice
his utmost earthly burden With easa.
But II a Marsian came to earth hls
weight would bear him down ike D
cope Of lead He would weigh two ana
two-thirds Of his Martian weight. and
probably he would md existence n
suiforable. His limbs would not sap
port him. Perhaps he would die. self
crunhed, st once.
H. @ WELLS.