232 



SGIENGK 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 86. 



ture, "the most self-evident explanation from 

 the markings [canals] themselves is probably 

 the true one; namely, that in them we are 

 looking upon the result of the work of some 

 sort of intelligent beings. * * * The amazing 

 blue network on Mars hints that one planet be- 

 sides our own is actually inhabited now. * * * 

 We stand upon the threshold of a knowledge of 

 our closest of kin in the world of space, of the 

 the most important character. ' ' 



Mr. Lowell went direct from the lecture hall 

 to his observatory in Arizona, and how well 

 his observations established his pre-observa- 

 tional views is told in his book. In outline his 

 conclusion is that there is a scarcity of water 

 on Mars ; that the melting of the polar snows 

 is the source of water supply for the planet ; 

 that a network of straight canals conducts the 

 water from the poles over the planet ; that 

 what we see and call canals are not water, but 

 vegetation along the banks — a suggestion made 

 several years ago by Schiapparelli and by Prof, 

 Pickering ; that since the canals are all straight, 

 i. e., run on great circles, and are of uniform 

 width, and in general several of them intersect 

 in one point, then they probably are the handi- 

 work of the Martian inhabitants ; that the 

 planet is probably inhabited by highly intelli- 

 gent beings ; and that the irrigation problem is 

 their chief concern. 



It will be seen that Mr. Lowell's results agree 

 perfectly with his pre-observational views 

 quoted above; but in justice to him it must be 

 said that he has written vigorously and at 

 length (pp. 158-161) of the dangers of bias on 

 the part of those having preconceived notions, 

 and in numerous paragraphs throughout the 

 book severely criticises those who write on the 

 subject without having made the observations. 

 So I suppose we shall have to forget his re- 

 markable preliminary lecture. 



Before examining Mr. Lowell's evidences of 

 intelligent beings on Mars, let us look at his 

 idea of how the world would receive such a dis- 

 covery. He believes the world would not 

 welcome it. "To be shy of anything resem- 

 bling himself is part and parcel of man's own 

 individuality. * * * The civilized thinker 

 instinctively turns from the thought of mind 

 other than the one he knows." Various as- 



tounding hypotheses ' ' commend themselves to 

 man, if only by such means he may escape the 

 admission of anything approaching his kind. 

 * * * It is simply an instinct like any other, 

 the projection of the instinct of self-preserva- 

 tion." 



Here Mr. Lowell is certainly wrong. In my 

 opinion, he has taken the popular side of the 

 most popular scientific question afloat. The 

 world at large is anxious for the discovery of 

 intelligent life on Mars, and every advocate 

 gets an instant and large audience. Scientific 

 men are quite ready to admit the possibility of 

 life wherever the environment is shown to be 

 suitable. While we can safely say that other 

 suns than ours have their planets and some of 

 those planets probably support life, yet only 

 two cases have come under satisfactory obser- 

 vations : the Earth and the Moon. The former 

 is inhabited ; we may safely say the latter is 

 not. In size certainly, and in physical condi- 

 tion probably. Mars is somewhat nearer the 

 Moon that the Earth; and while the affirmative 

 side of the question, ' Is Mars inhabited ?' will 

 get at least a just hearing, those who advocate 

 that side must prepare the burden of proof. 



Speaking of the melting of the northern 

 polar cap of Mars, Schiaparelli wrote in 1892: 

 ' ' From this arises a singular phenomenon which 

 has no analogy upon the Earth. At the melt- 

 ing of the snows, accumulated at that pole dur- 

 ing the long night of ten months or more, the 

 liquid mass produced in that operation is dif- ■lj| 

 fused around the circumference of the snowy 

 region, converting a large zone of surrounding 

 land into a temporary sea and filling all the 

 lower regions. This produces a gigantic inun- 

 dation. * * * The white spot of snow is sur- 

 rounded by a dark zone, which follows its pe- 

 rimeter in its progressive diminution, upon a 

 circumference ever more and more narrow. 

 The outer part of this zone branches out into 

 dark lines, which occupy all the surrounding 

 region, and seem to be distributary canals by 

 which the liquid mass may return to its natural 

 position. This produces in these regions very 

 extensive lakes. * * * This inundation is spread 

 out to a great distance by means of a network 

 of canals, perhaps constituting the principal 

 mechanism (if not the only one) by which water 



