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Other documents randomly have
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mars and Its
Mystery
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
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you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Mars and Its Mystery

Author: Edward Sylvester Morse

Release date: November 24, 2013 [eBook #44270]

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Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARS AND ITS

MYSTERY ***
MARS AND ITS MYSTERY
LOWELL'S GLOBE OF MARS, 1903. Frontispiece
 MARS
AND ITS MYSTERY

BY

EDWARD S. MORSE
Member National Academy of Sciences

Author of "Japanese Homes and their Surroundings,"

"Glimpses of China and Chinese Homes," etc.

ILLUSTRATED

BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
1906

Copyright, 1906,
By Little, Brown, and Company.

All rights reserved

 Published October, 1906

THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.

To
PERCIVAL LOWELL
WHO HAS BY HIS ENERGY AND SCIENTIFIC SPIRIT
ESTABLISHED A NEW STANDARD FOR
THE STUDY OF MARS
THIS BOOK
IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
 PREFACE
The following pages have been written for the general reader.
The controversies over the interpretation of the curious markings of
Mars and the wide divergence of opinion as to their nature first
turned my attention to the matter. The question of intelligence in
other worlds is of perennial interest to everyone, and that question
may possibly be settled by an unprejudiced study of our neighboring
planet Mars. Knowing the many analogies between Mars and the
Earth, we are justified in asking what conditions really exist in Mars.
Instead of flouting at every attempt to interpret the various and
complicated markings of its surface, we should soberly consider any
rational explanation of these enigmas from the postulate that the
two spheres, so near together in space, cannot be so far apart
physically, and from the fact that as intelligence is broadly modifying
the appearance of the surface of the Earth, a similar intelligence may
also be marking the face of Mars.
A student familiar with a general knowledge of the heavens, a
fair acquaintance with the surface features of the Earth, with an
appreciation of the doctrine of probabilities, and capable of
estimating the value of evidence, is quite as well equipped to
examine and discuss the nature of the markings of Mars as the
astronomer. If, furthermore, he is gifted with imagination and is free
from all prejudice in the matter, he may have a slight advantage.
Astronomers are probably the most exact of all students as to their
facts, and in this discussion there is no attempt to introduce
evidence they do not supply, as the frequent quotations from their
writings will show.
 Having studied Mars through nearly one presentation of the
planet with the great refractor at the Lowell Observatory, what I saw
with my own eyes, uninfluenced by what others saw, will be
presented in a short chapter at the end of this book.
I wish to express my obligations to Professor Percival Lowell for
the privileges of his observatory, for many of the illustrations in this
book, and for his unbounded hospitality during my visit to Flagstaff. I
am also deeply indebted to Mr. Russell Robb for valuable assistance
during the preparation of the manuscript.
E. S. M.
Salem, Massachusetts,
October, 1906.
 CONTENTS
Page
I. Introduction 1
II. Immeasurable Distances of Space 7
III. Other Worlds Inhabited 14
IV. Lowell's Book on Mars 31
V. Testimony of Astronomers 51
VI. The Study of Planetary Markings 70
VII. Difficulties of Seeing 79
VIII. Variation in Drawing 94
IX. Theories Regarding the Canals 100
X. Comments and Criticism 125
XI. Atmosphere and Moisture 134
XII. Notes on Irrigation 141
XIII. Variety of Conditions under which Life Exists 147
XIV. My Own Work 158
XV. What the Martians Might Say of Us 166
XVI. Schiaparelli, Lowell, Perrotin, Thollon 172
XVII. Last Words 180
Index 189
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Lowell's Globe of Mars Frontispiece
Fig. 1. Planisphere of Earth Page 61
PLATES
I. Tobacco Cultivation under Cloth, Porto Rico Page 50
II. Drawings of Solar Corona " 96
III. Chinese Bowl, showing Crackle " 107
IV. Mud Cracks on Shore of Roger's Lake, Arizona " 108
V. Natural Lines, Cracks, Fissures, etc. " 112
VI. Artificial Lines, Railways, Streets, Canals, etc. " 113
VII. Dome of Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona " 158
VIII. Twenty-four Inch Telescope, Lowell Observatory " 160
IX. Drawings of Canals of Mars by the Author " 162
PORTRAITS
Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli Page 172
Percival Lowell " 174
Henri Perrotin " 176
M. Thollon " 178
 Life not wholly unlike that on the earth may therefore exist upon
Mars for anything we know to the contrary.
Simon Newcomb.
MARS AND ITS MYSTERY
 I

INTRODUCTION

Had some one asked, fifty years ago, Is the Sun composed of
chemical elements with which we are familiar? Shall we ever know?
the question would not have been deemed worthy of a second
thought. Realizing what has been accomplished, not only regarding
the constitution of the Sun, but of the most remote stars, we are
encouraged to ask: Is Mars inhabited? Shall we ever know? To what
groups of students are we to appeal for an answer? If we want to
know the diameter of Mars, its weight, the form of its orbit, the
inclination of its axis, the period of its revolution around the Sun,
and its rotation period, its ephemeris and its albedo, we ask the
astronomer, for he has the instruments with which to observe and
measure, and the mathematical knowledge necessary to reduce the
measurements. If Mars were incandescent, we should appeal to the
astrophysicist for information regarding its chemical composition. If,
however, we want to know the probability of Mars being the abode
of life, we should appeal to one who is familiar with the conditions of
life upon our own globe. If the question is asked as to the existence
of intelligence on the planet, we endeavor to trace evidences of its
surface markings, and their character, whether natural or artificial.
Knowing how profoundly man has changed the appearance of the
surface features of our own globe in the removal of vast forests, in
the irrigation of enormous tracts of sterile plain, the filling up of
certain areas, like Peking, Tokio, London, with material having a
different reflecting surface, we are to scan the surface of Mars for
similar modifications, and for an answer ask those who are familiar
with physical geography, with meteorology, with geology, including
the character of natural cracks or crannies, deep cañon, or range of
mountains, or any of the great cataclysms which have scarred the
face of the Earth. Taking the great mass of facts as they are
presented to us by astronomers, to what class are we to appeal as
to the probability of life in other worlds? What class will form the
most rational conclusions? Will it be the circle-squarers, perpetual-
motion cranks, spiritualists, survivals of a past who believe the world
is flat, those who have "anthropomorphic conceptions of the
Supreme" and Hebraic conceptions of the origin of things, or will it
be those who value observation and experiment, who appreciate the
importance of large numbers, and who are endowed with a tithe of
imagination? Most certainly the latter class.
In approaching the interpretation of the markings of Mars we
should first glance at a brief historical summary of what has already
been done. We should examine the testimony of those who have
seen and drawn the canals; we are then better prepared to examine
the records of the latest observations and the explanation of their
nature. In the meantime an inquiry must be made as to whether the
mathematical astronomer, after all, is best fitted to judge of the
surface features of a planet. Next we should take up in the following
order the evidences, which are overwhelming, that a network of
lines, geodetic in their character, mark the surface of Mars. It has
been claimed that these lines show the result of irrigation, and,
therefore, the irrigation features of our own planet should be
examined. It has been objected that many astronomers have not
been able to see the markings, and consequently their existence has
been doubted. It will then be proper to point out that the difficulties
of seeing are very great, and that the acutest eyesight, coupled with
long practice, is necessary to recognize the markings. It has been
objected that the drawings of the minuter details of Mars vary with
different observers. It will be necessary to show that every kind of
research employing graphic representation labors under the same
difficulty, and none more so than astronomy. It has been objected
that there is not sufficient moisture and atmosphere in Mars to
sustain life, and this must be answered by those only who are
familiar with conditions affecting life on our own planet.
Various theories have been advanced, some of them physical, to
explain the markings of Mars, and these must be considered, and, if
possible, answered. Comments and criticism are difficult to repress,
as the discoveries of Schiaparelli and the additional discoveries and
deductions of Lowell have evoked discussions, which, in some
instances, have been harsh and unreasonable, and, in one case,
positively ridiculous. Schiaparelli has been called an impostor, and
Lowell has come in for his full share of vituperation and innuendo. If
this portion of the discussion is considered unparliamentary, the
attitude and language of certain astronomers have provoked it.
A brief account is presented of what the author was enabled to
draw of the Martian details, with a transcript of his notes made at
the time of observation, and finally a little imaginary sketch is given
as to how the world would look from Mars; and if similar kinds of
astronomers existed there, what comments and objections they
might offer as to the inhabitability of the Earth.
Such flights of the imagination are justified in that it gives one a
chance to appreciate the weakness of some of the arguments urged
against the idea of intelligence in Mars.
It will be objected that some of the names herein quoted are not
recognized as astronomers. I can only say that in every instance I
have found references to the writings and essays of those that might
be objected to in the pages of the "Observatory," and other
reputable astronomical journals, and in no instances accompanied by
adverse comment or criticism. If astronomers​—​even the
distinguished Schiaparelli​—​quote these names in scientific memoirs,
I may venture to do the same in a book written for the general
reader. The objection, however, has always presented itself with
every controversy; it was conspicuously marked in the passionate
discussions over Darwin's "Origin of Species." The intelligent laity
recognized the truth of Darwin's proposition long before the
zoölogist began to waver. Essays by the unprofessional supporting
Darwin's contention were discredited because the writers were not
trained naturalists. The history of invention is crowded with
instances where devices and processes have been invented by men
whose trades or professions were the least likely to enable them to
originate such ideas.
 II

IMMEASURABLE DISTANCES OF SPACE

It is therefore perfectly reasonable to suppose

that beings not only animated but endowed
with reason inhabit countless worlds in space.
Simon Newcomb.

Until within recent centuries, man has not only believed that he
and his kind were the only intelligent creatures in the universe, but
that the little round ball on which he lived was the dominant part
thereof. So rooted for ages was this conviction that it became fixed
in man's mental structure, and hence the survival of the idea that
still lingers in the minds of a few to-day. The conclusion was natural,
however, for the behavior of the starry heavens and the Sun and the
Moon seemed sufficient evidence that man, and the surface upon
which he lived, was the centre of the universe. The stars were bright
points of light, the Moon a silver disk, and the Sun a heat and light
giving ball of fire, equally diminutive and not far away. Let one
realize for a moment the experience of these early people.
Everything aerial, with the exception of feathery birds, fluffy bats
and flying insects, was composed of the lightest particles​—​cottony
seeds, reluctantly falling snow-flakes, motes in the air, smoke and
vaporous cloud, and, in contrast, the rock-foundationed and irregular
surface upon which the people dwelt, and flat as far as man had
reached. What wonder, then, that man viewed these brilliant points
and dazzling disks as objects of no great size and not far away,
hauled across the heavens by unseen spirits of some kind. The
marvel of it all is, not that they believed as they did, but that any
other views of cosmography could have been established. And yet
the successive increments of astronomical knowledge, founded
apparently on the soundest mathematics, were adopted in their turn.
What more convincing than the epicyclic theory of Ptolemy,
buttressed by figures so ingenious and convincing, that the theory
might have lasted till now except for the truer understanding of
planetary movements in relation to that of the Earth? All through this
history are found traces of the barriers erected by prejudiced
conservatives, of which the attitude of Tycho Brahe is a good
example, though in this case it was probably his belief in the Hebraic
conception of the universe which excited his opposition to Kepler's
views, a conception which, unfortunately for the progress of
astronomical research, still lingers among certain observers to-day
and places them in precisely the same category with Tycho Brahe.
With the gradual accumulation of knowledge it was found that of
all the innumerable illuminated bodies in the heavens, only one,​—​
just one,​—​the Moon, revolved around the Earth, and that the Earth
instead of being all dominant in the affairs of the universe, played a
very minor part, and, instead of being master, was a very humble
midget revolving around the Sun; that, indeed, with the exception of
the Moon, there were visible to the naked eye only three bright
points of light in the whole range of the heavens more insignificant
in size,​—​Mercury, Venus, and Mars,​—w​ hile the other planets were
vastly larger, and had many more satellites revolving around them.
Then it was found that, with the exception of the few planets, the
myriad stars had no connection with the Sun whatsoever, that the
Sun was no longer the centre of a great universe. Later it was
discovered through spectroscopic analysis that all the myriad of stars
were composed of chemical elements similar to our Sun. Here, then,
was the startling revelation that our Sun was simply a star, and that
the stars represented a "universe of Suns," and, if we could get near
any one star of the millions that sparkle in the heavens
telescopically, we should see it as a round ball emitting light and
heat. It was perhaps humiliating to find that our Sun was so
insignificant in size that from Sirius, for example, it could not be
seen with the naked eye, so small indeed that in the close
companionship of other stars it would be swallowed up by their
greater size and brilliancy.
To assume, then, that our Sun, so identical to the stars in heat
and light emitting properties, was the only Sun that had revolving
around it a few minute balls, would be as absurd as if one should go
on a pebbly beach, extending from Labrador to Florida for example,
and picking up a single pebble, should have the hardihood to assert
that this pebble was the only one, among the millions of pebbles,
upon which would be found the bits of seaweed and little snails
which it might support. The overwhelming vastness of the universe
is entirely beyond the grasp of the human mind. The mere
statement that it requires so many years for the light to reach us
from a certain star, the parallax of which has been rudely
established, affords one only a faint glimmer of the truth. The swing
of our Earth about the Sun gives us a base line of 186,000,000 of
miles, and yet, with this enormous base from which to subtend an
angle, only a very few of the myriad of stars show the slightest
displacement; the others exhibit no more signs of divergence than if
while looking at them we had simply moved our heads from one side
to the other! Fixed stars they appear to be, and are so called,
though we are told they are all drifting in various directions, as our
star-Sun is.
Only by reducing all these vast distances and dimensions to a
minute scale can the mind realize the futility of ever comprehending
the illimitable distances of space.
In order to consider the attitude of the Earth in relation to the
Sun and the nearest fixed star, we will reduce the Sun's diameter of
866,000 miles to the dimensions of a ball one inch in diameter; the
Earth reduced to the same scale would be a minute speck less than
one one-hundredth of an inch in diameter; a perforation in paper
made by the finest cambric needle would represent the size of this
minute speck, the Earth. Following this scale we should place this
speck nine feet from the inch ball, this distance representing
93,000,000 of miles, the Earth's distance from the Sun; Mars would
be a still smaller speck a step farther off. Let us now proceed to
Boston Common, for example, and on the smooth playground place
our inch ball representing the Sun; taking three good steps we
should place our minute speck, representing the Earth, upon the
ground where it would be immediately lost in the fine gravel;
another step and we would place a still smaller particle, representing
Mars. How big a circle on the Earth's surface, using the inch ball as a
centre, should we have to describe in order to include the nearest
fixed star? Such a circle would reach to Detroit, Michigan, and
Columbus, Ohio, or Wilmington, North Carolina! To find a circle
which would include eight other fixed stars next in distance, and
only eight of the thousands which render the heavens so beautiful
on a clear winter's night​—w
​ e should run such a circle through the
centre of Hudson Bay, the waters of southern Greenland, Lake
Winnipeg, and New Orleans!
In this broad way only can we form a dim conception of the
overwhelming distances of space, and, in this absolutely unthinkable
space, our little Sun, with its constant rain of meteoric dust, an
occasional comet, and its microscopic planets are literally bunched
together. To admit, as we must then, that one of these motes has
had irrigating canals on various parts of its surface since prehistoric
times, and the other mote has nothing of the sort despite the
geodetic lines that are seen marking its surface, is simply
preposterous. Their disposition, their visibility coincident with the
Martian summer, becoming apparent only when the snow caps melt,
their convergence towards centres of distribution, all go to prove by
the simplest analogy an identity of structure. Certainly the
overwhelming force of Lowell's observations and arguments baffles
any other reasonable explanation of the character and purpose of
these markings. Here are the lines, some following the arcs of great
circles, all appearing precisely when they should appear, and in
progressive strength from the north when the vivifying water from
the melting snow cap first starts the vegetation. Why certain
parallels or doublings are observed in some of the canals is about as
puzzling to us as the checkerboard townships of the West would
appear to a Martian, where some would be yellow with the ripening
grain while others, uncultivated, would appear of a different color.
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