Mars and its Canals (Illustrated)

Eleven years have elapsed since the writer’s first work on Mars was published in which were recorded the facts gleaned in his research up to that time and in which was set forth a theory of their explanation. Continued work in the interval has confirmed the conclusions there stated; sometimes in quite unexpected ways. Five times during that period Mars has approached the earth within suitable scanning distance and been subjected to careful and prolonged scrutiny. Familiarity with the subject, improved telescopic means, and long-continued training have all combined to increased efficiency in the procuring of data and to results which have been proportionate. A mass of new material has thus been collected,—some of it along old lines, some of it in lines that are themselves new,—and both have led to the same outcome. In addition to thus pushing inquiry into advanced portions of the subject, study has been spent in investigation of the reality of the phenomena upon which so much is based, and in testing every theory which has been suggested to account for them. From diplopia to optical interference, each of these has been examined and found incompatible with the observations. The phenomena are all they have been stated to be, and more. Each step forward in observation has confirmed the genuineness of those that went before.