Evening star., 1933-06-20

Earthly affection for the planet
Mars and its legendary inhabitants. it
is indicated, received a shock from the
announcement that the neighboring
heavenly body hasn't enough atmos-
phere to support people Of our type.
Drs. Walter S. Adams and Theodore
Dunham. jr. Of Mount Wilson Observa-
tory conclude that Mars has less than
/ per cent of oxygen, but Americans,
ct least are reluctant to give up their
neighbors of the universe. even though
their existence was hypothetical.
1.-THE man from Mars, everything
considered" advises the st. Louis Post
Dispatch, "has been a rather helpful
bimbo, but jeers will be his portion,
we fear, on his next appearance. He
is a myth. That, surely. Is the i'm
plication of two eminent astronomers
who have been giving Mars a fairly
scrutinizing once-over. They were In
terested in the amount Of oxygen on
that planet They found it decidedly
inadequate. At the most, less than l
per cent. In such an atmosphere the
man from Mars would not only not
get anywhere, but he wouldn't even get
started"
Speculation may be indulged," in
the Judgment of the Buffalo Evening
News, "as to the possibility that the
universe may contain millions OF living
and intelligent beings entirely differ
ent from the inhabitants of Earth. but
that would be carrying the subject into
a field vastly wider than our humble
little solar system" The Evening News
says as to the evidence offered at
Mount Wilson: "If there is SO little
oxygen on Mars. all the visions which
have pictured that planet as world
populated by human beings much like
ourselves must disappear. These be-
liefs have not been the mere phan-
tastes of imaginative minds. Many
professional astronomers of high stand
ing have clung to them. More than
one skeptic has become tentative
convert, at least, on seeing the canals
of Mars through strong telescope and
under the favorable atmospheric con-
ditions Of such places as Arizona or
the Chilean deserts: The lines OF sup
posed vegetation bordering apparent
waterways extending from the poles
have appeared too regular and sys-
tematic not to represent the careful
planning of brilliant engineers"
Nevertheless. we can't escape the
haunting idea that Mars is inhabited,
declares the Atlanta Journal offering
the opinion as to the latest discovery
by observers of the solar system: III
this be true. 1t is challenge to those
of us who like to think of that star as
peopled by beings somewhat akin 10
ourselves. For while some bacteria
might get along without oxygen, no
lady or gentleman would do so. We
can live without poetry, music and art:
we NAV live without conscience and
live without heart, as a certain son OF
certain lord reminded us long ago.
But civilized man can no more live
without oxygen than he could live with
out cooks, nor could the sturdieSt saw
age. Therefore. we hope that the emf
nent astronomers are mistaken, but We
shall not argue the matter. Their
method of exploring the atmosphere OF
the planet would have interested the
old lady who said that. although she
could conceive of an astronomer meas
uring the distance of the stars, 1t ut
terly passed her understanding how he
ever found out their names"
As to the quality and quantity OF
life on Mars" the Danbury News-Times
holds that nobody knows" but that lit
may be reasonable to infer that there
is no life precisely like man." The
paper concludes, however, that prob
ably there is no part of the universe
without life" while man assumes that
his life has resemblance in some de-
gree to all Ke Of every sort"
I'VE shall Pave to cQncede." thinks