Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-03-06
The Mystery Of Mars

| A RE- they dirging Mars Is there nobody there
"A 10 dg9 The whole question OF the existence and
OF the activities Of those Marian giants Is again
/ thrown into the melting pot BY recent report OF
the director OF the British Astronomical association.
who expresses tire heller that the 'eansls Of Mars
optical illusions.
And this report comes exactly at the moment when
Percival lowell at the Flagstaff observatory, an
nounces that the canals the northern hemisphere
% the planet developing precisely In accordance
with expectations based the theory that & Il water
supplied by the melting Of the polar SHOWS which
causes their visibility.
This "a really one of the most interesting deba
OF line. II IL intellectual duty for every In
teliigent human being 20 attention 20 it. There
s that other world HANGING above us in the sky cir
cling with US around the sun, with day and night
fitting its surface 81 spins its axis just
as they do the surface Of our globe and In
almost exactly the same period Of time twenty -four
hoursD It's alternating like though
each nearly twice ong its surface Is divided Into
permanently marked regions which make It resemble
except in the detail Of outlines school globe OF the
earth. Its snowy caps alternately expand and con-
tract about each Of the poles, the same Phenomenon
that about the poles OF the earth though here
the melting IL extensive. because apparently
the quantity OF snow Is vastly greater with us than
Mars. All these facts about which there Is
virtually dispubA
The great question then Is: rs that esrthiike
planet inhabited or notr Not 20 take interest IN
that question would be simply stupid Granted that
80 60 Mars-et present granted that'we
cannot communicate with Mars-at present;
those sood reasons for feeling no interest IN the ques
ton whether Il IL inhabited world like ours?
And a. TO communication. we have made prosrsss
in the last twenty years which should make
chaSy about denying the possibility Of extending
munication anywhere We know that the waves OF
light easily traverse the gulf OF space. and
that electric everywhere and light and elsc
triety have proved themselves marvellous Ariels for
us. the other Of them going at bidding
wherever have tried TO send them.
But this branch OF the question for the future.
whether ever communicate with intelligent beings
another shore Of the ethereal not for
the satisfaction OF intellectual curiosity which is
Of the indicee of semi-divnity, want to know
whether such beings there are not there. Life
IL what interests and wherever the slightest
indications OF Its existence thrill OF curiosity must
through together with desire to find out all
about t. Suppose that Columbus. after thor
oushy exploring America, had returned with proof
that It entirely lifeess Europe would have turned
It's back the new world and. not being able to see
It. ~ we the nfsIess moon. would in ten years
have virtually forgotten it's existence
But suppose on the other hand that Columbus
had come back reporting that he had discovered
simply indications Of life in America then Europe
would rested until II had found out whether
that life actually existed and what Il was ike.
There we sSe the reason why Mars Il vastly more
interesting than the moon We find indications OF
life the moon whatever life may have adorned
IT, but Marv shows many features which know.
from experience associated with the
presence OF ufA
The "cansis" are by no means tho only features
OF this kind They. IN fact. more less myster.
and doubtfui objects II IL usually supposed by
those who not familiar with the subject that the
visible ''canais' the rrigatng channels in
whose artificial construction Mr. Lowell believes.
In fact. Mr.. LoweIls idea is that those channels
too small 10 BE- with telescope. and that
the "canas' simply long. bands of irri-
rated land which become visible certain seasons
through the growth OF vegetation. stimulated by
supply Of water brought the melting polar SHOWS
II is fascinating theory for II fills the lima gina-
ton with pictures OF gigantic engineering operations
going there. by Of which the irrigation is
maintained ana extended.
Nov Mr. Antoniadl Of the British association AYERS
that the ''eanals' not. Lowell asserts,
broken lines extending thousands Of miles in
network but that the appearance OF such lines is
produced by visual illusion which combines large
number Of separated spots and the edges OF shaded
regions. into the semblsnce OF linear objects
But even II this be It does not contravene the
assertion that these Hpots make their appear
until the polar have begun to dissolve and
disappear In the hemisphere corresponding to that in
which the spots
Mr.. Lowell TO have we'll established the fact
that these things phenomena depending upon the
seasonal changes which upon Mars Just as they
do upon the earth. Even IL be proved
than that there water and air upon Mars enough
is thereby established 70 warrant the hypothesis
there may be life.
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