Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-16

trOnOmer OF after ages
star planet on which will be created life; perhaps
it is drawn by the to its bosom to feed the eternal
fires that give life to the universe. What greater
glory what Fighter memoa 1 could man man ASK envy
would l exchange with them my humble fame as the
who reached Mars"
THE great auditorium silent. The speaker
paused his face flushed, his eyes brilliant, his body
tense. Then:
aThe days that followed were Dreams Mechanically
kept the daily journals that short while ago were
kept by three. Mechanically l made the daily tests
that three had made The scientific thoroughneSS that
had marked the labors of my colleagues of course,
could not maintain Only those details made necessary
for the maintenance of life in this little oneman world
and it is inconceivabe until one has tried 1T how
MANY essential details there when atmosphere
must be manufactured,-only these details were at
tended to, together with such of the supplementary
work made necessary the trip was to be more than
simply there and back
Nineteen months out from Earth the first signif-
cant changes in that monotonousy meteorc fight were
noticed The first fotsam of seaweed, the first
hausted bird by Columbus his westward voyage
were not more portentous. The meter showed sacken
ing speed The Skyark seemed to sag like bird wearied
of its flight. This alarming. fall not
matter of feet miles 1t was matter of time of
months. In nineteen months l must have traversed
beyond the magnetic influence of Earth l seriously
suspected that for several days, perhaps weeks the
Skylark had travelled merely on her previous momen-
tu. tried my propelers. The ether was too for
the blades to grp: AS usual you see IN the tace OF
The final answer to the most complicated question is
as simple as that to plus There was but
thing to do, and finally it occurred to to do it. The
repelent magnetos in the stern had failed So threw
on the attractive magnetos in the bow.
@The effect magical. l felt the thrill of renewed
flight, though the motion imperceptble as be-
fore. From then on felt that might have lived, had
the artificial atmosphere vanished the sheer triumph
of my achievement. From without the influence of
sphere had brought the ship into the influence of
other. That other, l knew from course must be
Mars!
"Alowing for the undetermined period of my swoons
had been absent from Earth for twentyseven months
when first Mars not a star, but world
Three months away shadow
"Aas that in such an hour should have been af1ict
ed with mortality! Why, in such epoch, should
have had to attend to such abhorrent commences
lving-eatng, sleeping performing such distracting
duties necessary for existence-when wanted
not life but omnipotence9
"A world was growing before my eyes, world hither-
to by eyes of man. My powerful glass disclosed
a cloudless realm No meteoric belt obstructed the
way; vapors obscured the wondrous view The
shadow became an outline, the outline FORM the form
a world. Then, the climax!
"Above this world saw speck The speck became
a shape. The shape became airship The theory of
Mars fact! Mars world inhabited!
THE of gazing upon the physical proof of the life of
people that not Of
Earth dispelled all othersensation.
l1auy Y,(fh 0u fhoS lInr