[Ads-l] Jovians and Martians

[Jonathan Lighter]

The passage appeared in Once a Week (Ser. 3), IV (Aug. 28, 1869), p. 87.
The original has "peoples" and "cases" rather than the singulars given
above.

The brief article goes on to say that "This idea of planetary signalling is
an old one. ...My object in alluding to its present revival, is to give an
instance of the absurdities tolerated by the Paris Academy of Sciences."


JL

On Mon, Oct 19, 2015 at 10:35 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Jovians and Martians
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Great citations, Bill! Apparently, the "Martians" displaced the
> "Martialites". I think there was a typo in your message the Henderson,
> NC citation was dated September 26, 1869 and not 1962.
>
> Following your lead I located a citation dated September 2, 1869 which
> acknowledged a periodical called "Once a Week". (The word "evidently"
> is misspelled "evidenty".)
>
> Date: September 02, 1869
> Newspaper: The Dundee Courier & Argus
> Newspaper Location: Dundee, Scotland
> Short Item: Signalling the Planets
> Quote Page 3, Column 3
> Issue 5019
> Database: 19th Century British Library Newspapers: Part II.
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> SIGNALLING THE PLANETS.--A French idealist,
> evidenty suffering from telegraphy on the brain,
> proposes to the Academy of Sciences to establish
> communication with the people of the planets, if any
> such there be. His notion is to mount a great
> mirror upon the earth, and give flashing signals to
> Mars and Jupiter. He thinks that if these are
> repeated regularly, in batches of a certain number, the
> Martians or the Jovians, as the case may be, will
> come to discern that they mean something, and will
> return them; and that thus a code will be eventually
> agreed upon, so that we may talk across the solar
> system just as we do across a field.--Once a Week.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Sun, Oct 18, 2015 at 9:49 PM, Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Bill Mullins <amcombill at HOTMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Jovians and Martians
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Possible bracketed cites?
> > _The Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald_ 26 Sep 1862 p 3 col 4"But much
> as w=
> > e may yet discover of distant worlds by the organ of sight -- not
> absolutel=
> > y impossible as itis that our posterity might yet=2C some centuries
> hence=
> > =2C learn a good deal of the external characteristics of Martial or even
> Jo=
> > vian races -- while human nature and terrestrial laws remain what they
> are =
> > we must becontent to creep about at best very near to the bottom of our
> aer=
> > ial ocean=2C and waive all notion of reaching the surface=2C or getting
> a g=
> > ood look-out into the infinitudes of interstellar space."
> > _South Australian Register_ [Adelaide] 21 Apr 1863 p 3 col 2"Finally=2C
> the=
> >  Martialites (if Martialites there be) have probably no moon=2C but get
> an =
> > additionalhalf-hour in every diurnal revolution to make up for this
> disadva=
> > ntage=2C and their year is twice as longas ours=2C so that their
> thoughts a=
> > nd actions have probably a longer stroke=2C as we may say -- that
> is=2Cthey=
> >  have less temptation to be constantly taking stock of their progress."
> >
> > The following two cites are probably inspired by the same French journal
> ar=
> > ticle mentioned by Garson:
> > _The Henderson [NC] Index_ 26 Sep 1862 p 2 col 3"It is unreasonable to
> supp=
> > ose that we poor terrestrials are to construct single-handed the signal
> boo=
> > kfor the whole solar system.  But perhaps the Martians or Jovians will
> come=
> >  to the rescue."
> > _The Daily Journal_ [Wilmington=2C NC] 6 Oct 1869 p 2 col 3"He thinks
> that =
> > if these are repeated regularly=2C in batches of a certain number=2C the
> Ma=
> > rtians or the Jovians=2C as the case may be=2C will come to discern
> them=3B=
> >  and that thus a code will be eventually agreedupon=2C so that we may
> talk =
> > across the solar system just as we do across a field."
> > (I see a snippet of this Oct 1869 quote in
> Britishnewspaperarchive.com=2C i=
> > n the _Dundee Courier_ 2 Sept1869 p 3.  Someone with a subscription to
> that=
> >  database can likely antedate the American cites.)
> >                                           =
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org