838 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



air, and has always taken exercise. So, in spite of his long years 

 of hard work, he is now in perfect health. His success has not 

 changed him in the least. He is always ready to help those who 

 want to learn anything from him. 



His writings have appeared mainly in astronomical magazines 

 and in the Government reports of the work done in the Naval 

 Observatory. They are all the results of practical astronomical 

 work, and are mostly of a technical character. Consequently, they 

 are of little interest to general readers. He has often been asked 

 to write something for popular reading, but up to this time he 

 has never consented to do so, thinking that there is already enough 

 of such literature. 



Prof. Hall is a self-made man. His life has not been an easy 

 one. Every bit of his education, every one of his successes, has 

 been gained by his own hard work. It was a steady uphill pull 

 from the time he was thirteen years old until his appointment at 

 Washington. In his younger days he saw many hard times. 

 During a large share of that part of his life he had only one good 

 suit of clothes in his possession. He and his wife were obliged to 

 save every penny. From his early training and from such experi- 

 ence his habits were formed. Naturally they are of the simplest 

 kind. He does not care for the luxuries of modern life. The 

 comforts of a plain home are all he wants. He still lives almost 

 as simply as when he was earning three dollars a week under 

 Prof. Bond. He has never cared for society merely for its own 

 sake, but he has been prominent in scientific circles. He is a 

 quiet man who never pushes himself forward ; yet, when he has 

 anything to say, people are glad to listen to it. 



In his ideas on politics, science, and religion he is liberal and 

 yet conservative that is to say, he has no objection to letting 

 other people have their own thoughts and live their own lives. 

 He can see no reason why science and real religion can not be 

 reconciled. His views on religion and politics are sound. He 

 does not care, however, to have anything to do with politics. He 

 hates its corruption, meanness, and party quarreling. He has 

 always been a little conservative in his scientific life. He has 

 never been led into wild theories of no value. His work has been 

 solid, earnest, and thorough, and will last forever. He is a widely 

 read man, fond of study. He loves his work ; so now, since his 

 retirement in 1891, he continues his studies and investigations. 

 He lives a quiet, simple life at his home in Washington, still ad- 

 vancing the cause of astronomy. 



