Astronomers Differ Widely About Mars

Is Mars peopled? A year or so ago Nikola Tesla averred that some one on the planet Mars was trying to communicate with him while he was experimenting on Pike's Peak, basing this opinion on the curious action of his delicate instruments of observation. But nothing came of Tesla's impression. Now. Prof. G. W. Hough of Northwestern university declares his belief that Mars is inhabited by a race of people much superior to the inhabitants of earth, which would be likely if any people are there, in as much as Mars is a million years older than the earth. Under the law of evolution, the learned professor concludes, the Martians have advanced Intellectually and morally more than we have. Just here Professor Pickering of Harvard and Professor Doolittle of the University of Pennsylvania step in to say that Professor Hough has no ground for his statement. Professor Pickering, who is high authority, says: "For Mars and the other planets (except the moon and the sun) our knowledge is insufficient to enable us to place our Impressions on a scientific basis." This is the conclusion of all conservative astronomers. Professor Doolittle is of the opinion that no human race exists on Mars for the reason that the planet is "a solid, frozen body, without air or water." If there be Martians certainly they must be far different from the people of the earth.