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When means will permit, the outfit for im- 

 mediate requirements should be obtained complete 

 and as Prof. Gage says, " the best that can be 

 afforded should be obtained," and further, "even 

 when all the optical parts cannot be obtained in 

 the beginning it is wise to secure a stand upon 

 w T hich they may all be used when they are finally 

 secured." The writer agrees entirely with this 

 advice. Even though the stand be plain, it should 

 be good, with the necessary adjustments and 

 capable of receiving and fully utilizing such further 

 accessories as may be obtained later on. 



Stand. American or Continental ? First of 

 all, choice will have to be made between the two 

 types and while one's sense of the aesthetic may be 

 a factor it is mainly the practical utility which 

 must govern the decision. Whether large or small 

 must largely be determined by the future use to 

 which it is to be put. One rule may apply to all 

 however, and that is, that the instrument shall be 

 so balanced, that it will be absolutely steady dur- 

 ing manipulation in the upright or inclined position. 

 In general the low stand is preferred as it permits 

 of resting the arms upon the table while moving 

 the object and the comfort of looking through the 

 tube whether the instrument be upright or in- 

 clined. 



Tube Length. In the matter of tube length 

 the optical results are the same in both, so that a 



