SHALL WE TALK WITH THE MEN IN THE MOON.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3091, 7 May 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHALL WE TALK WITH THE MEN IN THE MOON.

M. Camiiae Flammabiox, in an interesting paper on il Interastral Communication," iu the New Review, states the reasonh which lc-d him to believe that wa shall before long be able to liold communication with the inhabitants of the moon aud of Mars. Ho says: The idea in itself is not at nil absurd, and it is, perhaps, less bold than those of tlio telephone, or the phonograph, or the photophone, or the kinetograph. It wis fir-t suggested with rcspcot to the moon. A triangle traced in luminous lines on the lunar' surface, each side from twelve to fifteen kilometres lonyr, would bo visible from here by the aid of telescopes. It is more likely, however, that communications "will b>' opened up with the people of Mars. Mars is only 4,000,000 leagues away. It is older than the earth, smaller, lio-hter in weight, amd more quickly cooled—it is farther advanced than wo in astral life, and everything leads us to beliovo that its intelligent races, whatever they are, are far superior to u«. He even suggests that its inhabitants have already attempted to enter into communication with us. With the aid of a powerful telescope wo ".an see anything on Mars that is not smaller than Siuilly or Iceland. There are certain geometrical triangulations on its surface, and men have sometimes observed luminous points which appear placed very regularly. It is possible these points represents mouu • tains covered with snow. However, if our neighbours want to address us they could not do better than to trace lines of this kind. The supposition is a. bold one, I confess; doubtless those cousins of the skv concern themselves about in 110 more than we concern ourselves about them; but, in a word, if they should do so, they could go about it in this way. M. Flammarion is an astronomer who does not flinch from putting questions, from which scientific men recoil iu horror. For instance, he says : " May there 'not exist between the planetary humanities psychic lives that we do not know of yet; We stand .but at the vestibule of knowledge of tho universe."