[Ads-l] P.S.

[Laurence Horn]

> On Oct 19, 2015, at 11:24 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
> 
> 
>> 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!
> 
> 

No, I see the latter was actually the Société Linguistique de Paris.   Same difference. 

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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> 

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