The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-05

Washington, Jan. 5.-Af1 of the
latest scientific dope on the most
interesting of all planets, Mars. is
conveniently gathered together in a
recent publication on the subject by
Professor William H. Pickering.
who has charge of the Harvard
astronomical station il Jamaica,
and who has devoted much of his
time to looking at Mars through 3
telescope and specializing about
copditions on the sister planet.
Like most strictly scientific rev.
Citations, what Professor Pickering
has to say is somewhat disillusion-
ing to the 1ayman. Mars has held
high place in the popular magma
ton for a long time. 1t has been
generally assumed that Mars is in
habited by intelligent beings, some
thing like men. How these beings
differ from us and how they resem-
Bile us, whether we can hope ever
to communicate with them-theSe
questions fire even the dullest
have been based on imagined visits
of Martians to. the world, or of in
habitants of the world to Mars.
Whether Mars is inhabited by in
tel1igent beings is highly debat-
able question, as Professor Picker
ing shows, but it is extremely prob
able that life in some form exists
on Mars. That alone is enough to
keep human curiosity about it at
the highest pitch. Men have been
squirting at Mars for centuries,
finding out more and more about it
as their instruments improved.
There is now an association of
Marian observers who look at the
plant from all different parts of
the earth and exchange observa-
tions and opinions. Professor Pick
ering himself has worked out in
theory a giant heliograph by means
of which is would be possible to
signal the Inhabitants of Mars, pro
vided they are intelligent beings
with as much power of sight as we
have.
A Trip To Mars.
The time may yet come when we
will get daily communications from
Mars. After all, at times it is only
81, 100000 miles away. Should a
means Of travelling through inter
stellar space with supply of can
ned oxygen ever be, perfected, as it
well might, an expedition to Mars
would doubtless be launched. An
aeroplane travelling at the rate of
&c j.. SrxHf h
Mars in about forty years. provided
1T set out at the right time. The
chief of the expedition, youth of
20. would carry with him a few
promising infants of both sexes,
aged about one year These would
be men and women at the height of
their maturity when Mars was
reached. They would do the OBJ
serving, and their progeny would
carry the dope back to earth, along
with a delegation of Martians. The
entire operation need not consume
more than three generations.
1t is only fair to add that Pro-
fessor Pickering is not responsible
for any of the above specuIations.
He did invent the signal system, it
is true, but he does not seem to be
at all sure that there is anyone on
Mars worth corresponding with.
Although the scientists have the
greatest difficulty in ascertaining
what kind of life there is on Mars.
they are able to supply a surprising
amount of information as to living
conditions there. When the Mar
will probably not be able to tell
the members what sort of crea-
lures they will encounter, but they
will be able TO tell them all about
the climate in Mars, what kind of