The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-03-19

rays of light, which could much more easily be
controlled
Are there inhabitants on Mars? That's a ques-
ton which scientists differ.
Among scientists who have won the right to
speak with authority the foremost was the late
Professor Lowell, director of the observatory at
Flagstaff, Ariz. Not only was Professor Lowell
convinced that Mars was inhabited but he be-
lieyed the people had much higher degree of
intelligence than those on earth. He dWeIt par
ticularly on their inventive genius.
In 1914 he found a new opportunity for strength
ening his pet belief by announcing that instead Of
losing any of their canals the Martians had built
two new Ones which could be seen plainly through
the telescope.
"We have actually seen them formed dnder our
eyes," Professor Lowell said at the time, "and the
importance of it can hardly be overestimated. The
phenomenon transcends any natural law, and is
only explicable so far as be seen by the pres
ence Out yonder of animate will"
Professor Lowell had little to say about the
appearance of the beings Mars. Edmond Per-
rier, director of the museum of the Jardin des
Plantes, in Paris constructed the first picture OF
the Martians as he conceived them. He said in
part
"The men on Mars are tall because the force
of gravity is slight They are blond because the
daylight is less intense. They have less powerful
limbs. Their large blue eyes, their strong noses,
their large ears constitute type of beauty which
we doubtless would not appreciate except as sug-
costing superhuman intelligence"
On the other hand, DIR. &C. Abbott holds that
if wireless messages are being received, it is not
Mars sending the signals but most probably
Venus Abbott is director of the Smithsonian
astrophysical observatory and assistant secretary
OF the Smithsonian institution. He says Mars
is eliminated as possibility because known con-
ditions on that planet would not permit the ex-
istence of any form of living creature. 1t Is too
cold there and there is practically no water vapor
in its atmosphere.
Assuming that Mars or some oth,r planet is
signaling u.s. what can do in the circum-
stances? Apparently we can do much.
Dr. James Harris Rogers of Eyattsvllle, Md,
who has devoted his life to the study of electric
waves and invented the underground and under
seas wireless used during the war, declares he is
going to undertake to teach the inhabitants of
Mars the rudiments Of intelligence of this planet.
Within year wireless communication will be es-
tablished with Mars DIR. Rogers believes.
L. j. Lesh a New York radio engineer, suggests
that one of the methods of constructing gigantic
station would be to erect huge antennae suspend
ed by balloons like the British dirigibe R-34. He
asserts however, that a still better way would
be to use huge and brilliant shafts OF light as
antennae for the system. He thinks that pro-
ectors could be grouped around spot where
He suggests Niagara Falls or some other spot
with an enormous amount of water power.
Elmer A. Sperry has q searchlight capable of
producing a beam having the Illuminating in
tensity of 12SO000O0O candle power. He would
form group of $50 to 200 of his -searchlights and
direct their combined beams in the direction of
Mars An aggregation of that sort would possess
the luminous equivalent of star of the seventh
magnitude such as our telescopes are able to pick
I'D readily Therefore assuming that the 1Iartians
had glasses of equal power, they should have
trouble in catching that dot of light from a dis
lance of 35,00OO00 to 100000 miles.
1t would be possible doubt, to operate these
lights SO that they could give slow signals which
would fill all the requirements of a system of
communication. However an array of lights of
this character and the needful energzing plant
would cost pretty sum.
The outlay might be warranted some day, but
certainly not until it is certain that we are being
called by ore Of our neighbors out in space.