Proctor's Astronomical Lectures* 



47) 



trifs on tue right, yon can flee the Pleiades ami the elus- 

 W In the sword-hand of Perseus, and the Milky Way 

 goliiK across from the upper right baud to the left hand. 

 And then there is that dark region of which I have 

 epokeu. The next picture "will naturally bo of the 

 Twins. Yon have aain the Milky Way. Here is the 

 constellation df the Dog aud the two Twin stars, 

 and now wi- are coming to the region where 

 the stars nre fewer. In the next pic- 



ture wo b.-giu to approach the MilKy 

 Way again. \Yehavegonenearly round the heavens. 

 One other picture carries us to the richest part of the 

 Milky Way aud the constellation of the Swan. We see 

 the rich gathering of stars in that constellation. Now 

 we will have the whole picture of the northern heavens 

 again shown, not the same one, and you will see how 

 the MilUy Way is mapped out by these stars. You can 

 see the Milk}' Way carried right round that picture. 

 You begin to see the evidence we have That the Milky 

 Way is a stream of stars gathering together, large and 

 email. We see it as a spiral, as it were. Looking at ic 

 In that way, we lie-in to recognize how the 

 nebulae may have formed it; how in the very 

 beginning of tilings it was formed; how at the outside of 

 the spiral, the agglomeration gave birth to stars 

 much further apart. While we cauuot go much further 

 than the star system, that is not the end of the matter. 

 We look back into abysmal space and see these pro- 

 cesses taking phice. We look back from the formation 

 of the solar system to tho stellar system and to the 

 sidereal system*. We begin to see that there are pro- 

 cesses still further back. " Lo, these are but a portion 

 of God's works; they utter but a whisper of his glory." 



TRIBUTE TO PKOF. PROCTOR BY HIS AUDIENCE. 



At the conclusion of the lecture, Mr. Morris K. Jesup, 

 President of the Young Men'a Christian Association, 

 stepped upon the stage, and said: 



I am sure, ladies aud gentlemen, that you will not 

 desire these most interesting lectures by our friend 

 Mr. Proctor to close without some expression on your 

 part of our appreciation of their great interest. Our 

 friend Mr. Charles Butler will offer some resolutions for 

 your action. 



Mr. Butler I am sure we shall all like to have Prof. 

 Proctor know how erateful we feel to him for the en- 

 joyment and instruction his lectures have given us. I 

 have been a-dted to sav, on behalf of the audience, how 

 much we appreciate the opportunity that we have had 

 of following him, night after night, to that world of 

 thought where none but a master's hand could 

 lead us. I have to bear messages of gratitude, not 

 only from those who, like himself, had already studied 

 "other worlds than ours," but from so many of 113 as 

 have been turned away and upward from the earth, 

 which absorbs us in our daily occupations. That some 

 Of the liirht he has shed upon our hearts and minds may 

 in some form be reflected back to him, that at least he 

 may have some share In the enjoyment of his visit to 

 our country, aud that he may have a happy return to 

 his own, is the wish of many warm American friends. 



I propose the following resolutions, expressive cl the 

 onse of the audience* 



Ilesolved. That we who have at ton lied fin course of 

 lectures given by Prof. Proctor, Secretary of the Boval 

 Astronomical Society of London, desire to express oar 

 appreciation of the masterly manner in wuich the bub- 

 ject has been presented, making ulain things so ditflault, 

 ami bringing to us the latest results of the studv ( iht 

 noblest of sciences. 



Resolved, That we desire to express oiu- uumiraiion of 

 the generous spirit in which the achievements of hij 

 cotemporaries. including some of our own countrymen, 

 have heeu recognized aud described. 



Resolved, That the reverend and Christian spirit in 

 wiiu-ii lie nas unrolled tue wonders oi a>i r.Mu.uy naj 

 made us recognize more fully th;m ever but'ore that 

 ' tlie heavens declare tlie glury of God," and to declare 

 with the Psalmisr, "O Lord, how manifold arc thy 

 works! in wisdom hast thou made them all." 



Resolved. That in tendering our grateful acknowledg- 

 ments lo Prof. Proctor for this course oi lectures and for 

 t lie- pleasure and instruction we tuive darived fr.nn thorn, 

 we cannot refrain at the same time from exi>ivs<ing our 

 best wishes that his visit to our country mivprov-ii 

 source of happiness to himself, au;i th.it his e.treer in h> 

 tin ure may be' as eminently successful as it h.is .jo,-.i 

 honorable ami brilliant in the past. 



SIR. PROCTOR'S REPLY. 



Prof. Proctor replied . I thank you, ladias aim gpnM?.- 

 meu, very earn 'stly for the kindness with which yo'i 

 have expressed your thanks to me. I felt that I h;: t 

 really undertaken a task of considerable difficulty M 

 condensing into a scries of six, my lectures on so vast 

 subject. I know there was no difficulty in bringing 

 these subjects beforo an American audience, if 

 I only had Buffi lent time within which to deal 

 with them; but to deal with the whole sub- 

 ject of astronomy in six lectures was really a very 

 great strain upon tho endurance of an audience. But 

 for tlie way in which tLey have been received, and tho 

 way they have been followed, and the close attention 

 with which they have been listened to, I am very grate- 

 ful to you indeed. Tho only feeling of regret I have had 

 has been that 1 could not transfer some of your enthu- 

 siasm lor science, esp:' -lally as it is represented in tha 

 numbers that come to hear of those things, to my own 

 people at home. . 



In regard to the lo-oimions. -which are so kind and 

 complimentary, I can assure you, speakinar troni my 

 heart, that during my whole stay in America more 

 than three mouths I have not had one experience that 

 has not been altogether pleasing. Everything has been 

 more than gratifying. The kindness I have received ou 

 all hands has been very grateful to me. indeed, add very 

 remarkable, too. I had no thought when I came over 

 here of meeting with anything like that kindness. 



There is one thing I would like to mention. Many 

 have addressed letter.- to me, have proposed to call upon 

 ine, and invited me to call upon them. I wish to say 

 that I have felt unable in many cases to do so, however 

 much I desired it, or cvr-i. to return an answer to some 

 of tin- letters, unless a sin t answer, which is worse than 

 no letter atalL I trust t! t;my of these some of whom 

 may bo here present, wi 1 i-colicct tue difficulties under 

 which I have laborel. I feel that it is well thesa 

 difficulties should bo ku,\u; and I now thank you 

 heartily, not only lor the resolutions that have been 

 passed, but for that greatest Kindness that can be shown 

 bv audiences to a lecturer a ttentlou to aud considera 

 (ion of what he has to briny before theuj. [Great aj> 



The audience then slowlv dispersed, mnny remaining 

 o exchange pleasant greet ii.jfs with the lecturer. 



