Evening star., 1911-06-04
Inhabitation Of Other Worlds.

To tho scientific mind there Is nothing
abhorrent in the speculation Of fnhabita-
ton Of other worlds than ours in our
own solar system and. applying ordinary
common sense to the subject. 1t seems not
that 1t is highly improbable that the hum
dreds Of million Of other star-suns have
no inhabited planets in their systems,
but that it would be highly improbable
that they did not have such planets. To
assume that our own sun is the only
star SO favored and that our own earth
is possessed by the only form OF high
physical life endowed with intelligence Is
to place q Limitation on the power Of the
Creator that is absurd In its arrogance.
Our telescopes and spectroscopes have
taken us far afield in the universe, and
yet we really know surprisingly little
about our two nearest neighbors In our
own system-Venus and Mars. If 1t were
only possible to devise some means OF
bridging the space between our earth
and them an exchange Of Intelligence be-
tween the three planets would help solve
many questions. There have been many
plans for such communications, mostly
impracticable, but in this as in all lines
elimination Of the futile and impossible
until the right means are found. 1t Is
always the simple way that proves effec-
tive and the simple way here is by radio
graphic impulses or wireless.
Over the entrance to the Union station
in this city is this inscription-at once
quotation and a prophecy: "The old
mechanic arts, controlling new forces.
build new highways-and make the very
ether carry human thought"
The electrical impulses used in WIRE
less communication are thrown off in
spherical waves" which increase in size
as they progress from the point OF In1tla-
ton. By using the commercial form OF
tile to hope for impulses strong enough
to reach our distant neighbor. But If the
energy now wasted in the spherical
waves, which diffuse themselves over
large areas. could be brought to a focal
stream and directed toward a given point
it is not too much to say that they would
progress as far in a straight line aS do
the rays of light that come to us from
the sun. have devised means for such
focalization. SO that instead of throwing
up a futile spray Of electrical energy
can direct this energy in solid stream
toward any point.
Difficulty Of Interpretation.
1t is quite certain that wireless waves
WIFI travel as far as light will. If proc
essed In linear impulses. and this would
enable us to send messages to the planets
Of the faintest sixth magnitude star at
least 1t Is not so much the difficulty of
sending these impulses beyond the earth
or of receiving them from Venus or from
Mars, If such were sent, as 1t Is the diff
Guilty of interpreting their meaning when
sent. It is manifestly improbable that
a message sent in any language OF the
earth would be understood In Mars or
Venus. and If some experimenter on
either Of these two planets tried to COM
municate with us by means of any
should not understand. But there is one
language that must be universal In its
scope and that is numbers. unit
and multiples Of a unit or even the
onIn Of dnto IN n
would suffice to bridge the chasm Of
space.
Let us suppose that the Venusians are
as intelligent as We are. and it is always
fair to assume equal intelligence in the
other fellow, and that they. too, have
found out the uses of the impulses of
energy that we use in wireless. Suppose
that some Venusian has also discovered
q way to concentrate these impulses into
q stream, and further suppose that he has
Intelligence enough to realize, as We DO.
that he could not talk to us In any
language except that of figures. Now
let us assume that he has established a
station on some suitable place on Venus
and that as that planet approaches the
earth this summer he sends toward the
earth q constant repetition of some arbi-
trary signal that could not be mistaken
for erratic natural impulses. such as one
short impulse, succeeded by two, then by
three and so on up to nine. Let these
be succeeded by a series OF long i'm
pulses from one TO IilUc anu let tIcTc US
a fixed interval of time between the send
ing equal. in each case. to the time re-
uuired for the sending. Now let us
further suppose that these signals are
sent one hour apart. on the beginning
of a division of the Venusian day, and
that they were continued for period Of
days equal to the number Of signals sent
and that an interval Of no sendings were
allowed to intervene.
If such a system or any system OF
electrical impulses based on the uni
versatility Of numbers were used by some
q astronomer-inventor Of Venus or Mars 1t
would not be long before some bright
mind behind some wireless receiver on
this earth would note the regularity of
the signals, conclude that they could not
be due to static" and start an investiga-