The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-31
AMONG MAGAZINES
AID ASTRA

| A celebrated Harvard astronomer
has recently offered a suggestion
which ought to appeal to some one of
our anxious millionaires who are in
the market for the purchase of an
Iimmortal name. This astronomer has
calculated that IL would be possible
to construct a reflector of such size
and mechanical adjustment as to en-
able us to communicate with Mars by
flashes of light The chief requisite
for the building of this apparatus is
ten million dollars. Measured by soda
crackers. this is large amount of
wealth, but valued by the glory of an
Imperishable name II shrinks to the
likeness of a punched nickel. Indeed,
the fame that turks i'm this opportun-
ity outblazes that of the greatest of
all the great men that have illumined
this world, for here lies the way to a
sparkling notoriety in two worlds.
| 1t is just possible, however, that
those individuals who have the neces-
sary millions may not at the same
time have the necessary ooldness to
assume so tremendous an honor Nor
can we hold them blameworthy. for
one must indeed feel himself of more
| than common clay to stamp upon
celestial space the name of Jones or
lSniffelbower. But, discouraging as
such modesty might be, 1t need not
necessarily prevent the consummation
tof this glorious prospect of talking to
| our Maritian cousins; for If Science
is willing to hobnob with Business II
should have no trouble in securing the
needed financial support for this un-
Idertaking. There are a hundred or
more wealthy and enterprising con-
Germs in this country, any one of which
would be more than ready to pay
ten millions for the privilege of be-
| Ing the pioneer advertiser in Mars. II
Is indeed difficult to say what 1t would
not be worth to break the silence of
the heavens for the first time in all
eternity, with the copyrighted admoni-
ton: Eat Brady's Beans!"
But let none of us be so scrubby
as to inquire what would be other
wise gained by establishing commune
cation with Mars. We must not for
Il get that there Is science for sciences
sake, precisely as there is art for arts
sake. Science Is its own end, and II il
can raise ten million dollars and build
an interplanetary telegraph by means
| of which 1t can inform the beings of
another world that we are here and
all Is well, 1t is not for us to object.
And, moreover, we should bear in
mind that after we and the Martans
have agreed upon a code of taps and
flashes by which each planet can have
an appropriate idea of what the 9TH
er is talking about, 1t may be that our
celestial neighbor will have much in
ltelligence to impart to us. II NAV
tell us that we are going to lose our
| mountains and our oceans and our
atmosphere and our heat. and that.
| II we feel like living after that, we
shall be obliged to follow the ex-
ample of its own withered people by
tapping the North Pole for moisture
and the centre of the earth for heat
and getting along as best we can on
bottled oxygen. And 1t may tell us
what its real name is. what its scien-
| lists have discovered, what its great
persons have accomplished, and what
It's philosophers have taught; and al
together we may get our moneys
worth of information and a dead of
wisdom along with It,
But after all I Is going long way
on for knowledge and understanding
Old mother earth has much yet to
tell us regarding herself and ourselves
ana with Solomon and Plato and
Paul stiil strangers to a vast congre-
cation, wherein shall we be pro6ted
by importing truth from another
planet?-Clifford Howard in August
lLippincott's.