The Washington times., 1920-02-19
If You Could Send the First
Message to Mars What
Would You Say?
The Day Is Not Far OFF When That Message Will BE
Sent and an Answer Received-On That Day
We Shall Get Some Real News.

Il
Remarkably interesting is the suggestion of the great
Marcon that disturbances noted in the action Of wireless
apparatus may caused by the attempts OF inhabitants OF
some other planet to communicate with us.
These disturbances he reports are noted only when the
receiving instruments atuned to electricity travelling In
great enghshat u.s. atuned to respond to cleo
tc impulses which have power to travel much greater
distances than any impulses ever used In communicating
between points on this earth.
The whole wireless world is listening to these strange
sounds keeping accurate account OF what they are like and
Of the hour they are heard
If the same sounds are registered repeatedly and at the
same hour for continuing number of days weeks
months it will be reasonable and logical conclusion that
they not the result of natural disturbances for they
would not always be the same nor occur at specific times
will be almost certain proof that other ntegences
seeking attract attention and open up communica
ton with U.S.
For centuries people of this earth have had the idea Of
communicating with people of other worlds
The savage worshipng the the moon has sought
to do it by prayer or by the Offering of sacrifices
He expected in better crops in more game
for his bow and His communication was spiritual
Science and religion have taught better than to waste
our time that way
When Calico pointed his first crude telescope about as
efficient opera glasses toward the heavens he helped
in first babyhood step toward actual communication
with inhabitants of other worlds.
With the development of that instrument and with the
invention of the specroscope have been enabled to find
We know there is heat and moisture on Mars There
is probably vegetation although of course cannot
and almost certainly there intelligent beings there
We know that Mercury and Venus younger than the
earth We know that Mars is older and its people, having
millions of years advantage of in experience
probably much intelligent and wiser.
It has been only hundred million years since the
human born this planet We still in
babyhood playing with toes and wondering what every
thing is all about
You may ask why the people of Mars tried
talk with before
Perhaps they have and given it up as useless task
saying to themselves Those people down there Tor up
there too ignorant to know when they spoken to-
only three hundred years since have Mars
anything more than star, point of light in the
heavens Thousands of years before that the rans may
have had astronomical instruments that surpassed anything
we have yet thought Of
Electricity is most likely to be the means by which
communication will be established The immense distances
to be traversed make improbable that other
will be effective.
The that light travels IS 900 miles to us from
the has led many to hope that might attract atten
ton of men in Mars by great bonres by powerful electric
lights.
Vision diminishes very rapidly as distance increases
you double your distance from object the apparent
size is reduced to quarter You therefore, that
however brilliant light. might make the earth
100000 miles away from it, which is the nearest that
Mars and the earth get to each other the light would
have faded to nothing more than pin point.
But electricity has of the disadvantages of having
to be It be detected and registered only
WHOLE but in its variations of intensity Moreover it will
travel in any direction through air which surrounds the
earth and through ether which is outside amos
phere.
Its speed is the greatest of any known force Light
travels 10000 miles second Electricity travels 100000
miles in the same time. So that when we are physically
Mars electrically only about and half
minutes away Distance disappears when have enough
speed.
you to be the first to speak to the people on
Mars what would you say? Would you be polite and say
"Good EVENING"? Or would you ask important ques
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