[Ads-l] Jovians and Martians

[Laurence Horn]

> On Oct 19, 2015, at 11:04 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> 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

Is that the same group that banned papers on the origin of language after the all those bow-wow, pooh-pooh, and  ding-dong theories had been promulgated?  Talk about a bunch of sourpuss killjoys!

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