THE RECENT ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 17 



that, even less in this class than in other classes, are conclusions to 

 be drawn and action to be taken without prolonged and critical inves- 

 tigation. 



Still there will recur the same plea under other forms. " Political 

 conduct must be matter of compromise." " We must adapt our meas- 

 ures to immediate exigencies, and cannot be deterred by remote con- 

 siderations." " The data for forming scientific judgments are not to 

 be had : most of them are unrecorded, and those which are recorded 

 are difficult to find as well as doubtful when found." " Life is too 

 short, and the demands upon our energies too great, to permit any 

 such elaborate study as seems required. We must, therefore, guide 

 ourselves by common-sense as best we may." 



And then, behind the more scientifically-minded who give this 

 answer, there are those who hold, tacitly or overtly, that guidance of 

 the kind indicated is not possible, even after any amount of inquiry. 

 They do not believe in any ascertainable order among social phe- 

 nomena there is no such thing as a social science. This proposition 

 we will discuss in the next chapter. 



-- 



THE RECENT ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. 



By R. A. PEOCTOE, B.A., F. E. A. S. 



THE eclipse of the sun which took place on December 12th last 

 was looked forward to by astronomers with some anxiety, because 

 many months must pass before they will have any similar opportunity 

 of studying the sun's surroundings. Year after year, for four years in 

 succession, there have been total eclipses of the sun in each year one 

 and each eclipse has taught us much that has been worth knowing ; 

 but during the present year there will be no total solar eclipse worth 

 observing; there will be none in 18*73, only one (and not a very im- 

 portant one) in 1874, while during the total eclipse of 1875 the moon's 

 shadow will traverse a path very inconveniently situated for intending 

 observers. 



Besides, the inquiries and discussions of astronomers had reached a 

 very interesting stage before the recent eclipse occurred. A sort of 

 contest though, of course, a friendly and philosophic contest had 

 been waged over the sun's corona, the halo or glory which is seen 

 around the black disk of the moon when the sun is totally concealed ; 

 and, though, in the opinion of most astronomers, the contest had really 

 been decided by the observations made during the total eclipse of De- 

 cember, 1870, some slight doubts still existed in the minds of a few. 

 2 



