Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-22
A Staggering Feat


TO overcome the obvious physical impossible
ties of such system, Lowell is forced to the
conclusion, No natural force propels it
(water), and the Inference is forthwith and in
evitable that it is artifcially helped to its end.
As Professor {. l.. Poor remarks in his recent
book The Solar SYSTEM The engineer
ing feat here proclaimed staggers the magma
ton"
This is certainly powerful if not overwhelrn-
ing argument IN support OF the existence OF IN
telllgent people on Mars. If, as Lowell sug-
gests, the Martians can accomplish the stupen-
dous feat OF pumping water through the canals
up HILL then it would seem a comparatively
easy task for beings possessed of such intelli
gence to invent some means of holding COM
muncation with us, at the coming near APP
proaCh OF their planet to our earth, next Sep
TENDER. We shall see.
But the main interest of the book centers not
so much as to the problem whether life exists
on Mars on the fact that we read there the
future of our own earth, For us, it is the
writing on the wall, grim, pitiless, remorse-
less writing which tells of terrors to come, pic
lures painful end. Already the deserts have
their death grip on us, a grip that IS surely
spreading. Facts that tend to show that the
waters on the earth's surface are slowly with
drawing to the interior have been presented
from time to time by noted scientists.
The polar ice fields are contracting. The
great ice barrier that once barred the way OF
James Ross has retreated nearly nineteen
miles. The glaciers of Victoria Land are also in
full retreat and no longer reach to the sea.
Travellers tell us that the glaciers of the snow
mountains of equatorial countries, as Ecuador
and Eastern Africa, shrinking If we COM
pare these facts with the observations that have
been made in late years in connection with the
desert regions of Africa and Central Asia we
must admit that we have to deal with problem
of physical geography quite exceptional in its
bearings.
Mars would seem to be a warning OF our i'm
pending fate. but whether shall be able to
cope with the difficulties that will then con-
front us in the sklful manner Lowell claims
for the Martians, is beyond us to determine
The probabilities are that life will have long
ceased to exist on our planet by the time it ar
rives at the conditions that now exist on Mars
Earth's Ghastly Future
IN recent number of "rIlustration Able
TIL Moreux depicts the future of our earth
CHASTITY spectacle He assumes that earth
quakes have caused its surface to contract in
such fashion that in course of time IT will
take a shape of pyramidal form, with four
faces and three SUBMITS peaks. The faces
the great ocean basins, those of the Allan
tic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and one in the
Arctic Circle. He places the peaks in Canada
the Baltic, and Siberia.
According to the Able, earthquake shocks
number about thirty thousand year. They
seem to occur with some regularity, being
more numerous IN winter than in spring and
more frequently happen at night than by day
As volcanic and earthquake shocks indicate
the internal heat OF the earth, and as terrestrial
electricity is due to the sun the Able concludes
that the earth is at the mercy of the great orb
of day. According to his theory, the outlook is
anything but bright for our planet Fearful
earthquake throcs will cause upheavas and
disasters, causing worldwide devastation.
With regret, the Able predicts that la belle
France will suffer greatly, it lies directly in
the track of likely disturbance, and will prac-
ticaliy disappear, while the British Isles will be
oblitcrated from the face of the earth. As for
caused by the sun combined with solar cleo
tricltv.