Tesla "Scoops" the World

Nikola Tesla is undoubtedly (a remarkable man, and it is admitted that he has made some wonderful discoveries in the field of electrical research, but his statement that he has received a message from the planet Mars is calculated to tax the credulity of even the American people.

It may be true, as many suppose, that Mars is inhabited, and it might be possible, by means of the most recent electrical discoveries, to flash a message from the earth to that planet. Some day, perhaps, communication with Mars may be established.

But if Tesla has received a message from the Martians, as he intimates, does not that announcement presuppose a knowledge on the part of the people of Mars — if there are really people there — of the latest devices for the transmission of electrical messages, as well as a familiarity with the operations of such devices? If that is the case how will Tesla explain the possession of such knowledge by the Martians?

Tesla should not draw upon his resources of wisdom and discovery for contributions to cheap sensationalism. Camille Flammarion wrote many entertaining articles on astronomy, but astronomers would not accept what he wrote as authoritative. Jules Verne gave his stories a strongly scientific flavor, but his readers never supposed that he was dealing in sound and well-established facts.

The people will only believe that Tesla has received a message from Mans when he translates the message into English and proves that it came to him from space.