POPULATION CENTERS, TEMPERATURE, CLIMATE
Although Mars is little more than half as large as your Earth, its
diameter being 4,200 miles, it contains a larger area of habitable land
than the latter, its surface area being approximately 212,000,000
square miles as against 51,000,000 miles for your Earth. Hence our
globe supports a larger population about 13,160,000,000 people. Your
population is in the neighborhood of 1,645,000,000. Your land area is
161,000,000 square miles less than the land area of Mars. This is for
the reason that your oceans occupy a vast surface of your Earth, and
Mars has no oceans, as these dried up ages ago. Consequently almost the
entire surface of our planet (with exception of some small areas
covered with swamps, remnants of ancient seas and oceans, and portions
of the extreme Northerly and Southerly Polar caps) is utilized by the
Martian inhabitants.
Our planet is gridironed with canals, many hundreds of the main ones
being observable through your telescopes, and the art of intensive
farming is practised by us to a degree of perfection never dreamed of
by the dwellers of your Earth.
Our winters, even in the Equatorial regions are severe, the
temperatures at times descending to as low as 80 degrees below zero.
However, our springs, summers, and autumns are mild and nearly twice as
long as your seasons, for the Martian year is 687 days long. We grow
and mature many crops of necessary cereals, fruits and vegetables
during the spring and summer months, so that want is never felt by our
happy people.
Our method of irrigation is somewhat different from that practised in
the arid portions of your Earth. We do not, except in a few instances,
flood our lands as you do. Owing to the fact that our atmosphere is
much lighter than yours, the normal air pressure being only about 8
pounds to the square inch as against 15 pounds on your Earth,
evaporation is very rapid, and the dewfall, as a consequence of much
moisture being in the air, is very great.
This heavy humidity also tends to prevent radiation of heat, and the
temperature at night does not drop exceedingly low, although frost is
not uncommon even in summer. As our vegetation is acclimated and
adapted to our environment no damage is done to growing crops by reason
of these frosts.
The Martians experience no difficulty in living in a rarified
atmosphere. Neither have they abnormally developed lungs. God has
made ample provision for the comfort of His creatures throughout all of
His infinite creations, and we of Mars are not excepted from this
Fatherly care and love.
Should an inhabitant of your Earth be suddenly transported to Mars he
could live but a few minutes, for the reason that his lungs could not
assimilate enough oxygen from our light atmosphere.
Economy is a science with us. Nothing is wasted. Every possible
square inch of ground produces food for man or beast. Even the north
and south Arctic regions, after their seasonal thaws blossom forth with
vegetal growth, as astronomers on your Earth have observed. These
regions produce their quota of food by being utilized as pasturage for
our cattle. Immense amounts of forage are also gathered for the long
Martian winters, when a greater portion of either the north or south
hemisphere is covered with a mantle of snow.
The equatorial regions are always pleasant. No severe wind storms are
experienced on Mars; neither do we have lightning or other magnetic
disturbances such as you experience.
As a corollary to the tranquility of our inhabitants living in peace,
Love and harmony, and the truths of God expressed in our everyday
living, the climate is equable, the atmosphere clear and beautiful, the
sky serene and sapphire-blue: the severest winds but gentle zephyrs
wafted towards the equator from the more remote portions of our globe.
Cloudy skies are rare and rainstorms few.
There is no lack of God's gifts on Mars. As intensive farming is a
necessity on our planet, plant food or fertilizing elements are
plentiful. One of the large white circular spots observed by your
astronomers, located in a region on Mars named by them Elysium, and
which has been a puzzle to all observers, is an immense deposit of
fertilizing chemicals. An immense well is located in this particular
spot which gushes forth a never-ending saline solution, highly
impregnated with sodium nitrate, potash and other salts. The country
for many miles around is covered with a white precipitate which has
been carried by the moist air and deposited on the Martian earth.
These chemical compounds are refined and used to replenish the soil
with plant food.
There are 153,000 centers of population on Mars, but these centers are
not congested cities similar to those on your Earth. Every individual
has plenty of room to thrive and develop the best within him.
Our cities are not crowded and our buildings are beautiful in their
simplicity: large and roomy, with an abundance of sunlight and ample
ventilation. White marble and metals are employed for building
purposes.
The inhabitants congregate in centers and, owing to our more perfect
methods of transportation, go forth daily to their tasks in field or
factory, to return at the end of their allotted period to home and
fireside.