THE STARRY HEAVENS IN APRIL 



377 



see such objects as are visible that even- 

 ing'. This is the plan of the large ob- 

 servatories. 



I will freely give my time to plan and 

 care for the construction, and will even 

 "sit u > nights" all the rest of my life to 

 show it to those who want to know, yes, 

 even to those who have at first only idle 

 curiosity. 



Cordially yours. 



Edwakd F. Bigelow. 



realization life becomes empty and un- 

 satisfied. — The National Humane Re- 

 view. 



The Pursuit of Happiness. 



In the pursuit of happiness mankind 

 follows many ideals. To some finan- 

 cial success presents the chief end of 



Chicken Houses and Observatories. 



So far as information has reached 

 this office, chicken houses and astro- 

 nomical observatories are equal. Plach 

 has had an inning and scored about 

 equally, it comes about in this way. 

 Eighteen years ago the editor of this 

 magazine bad an astronomical obser- 

 vatory at Portland. Connecticut. The 

 telescope was sold when the residence 

 of the user was changed to Stamford. 

 The next occupant of the Portland 



A SIMPLE FORM OF OBSERVATORY THAT BECAME A CHICKEN HOUSE. 



life. For others, fame and power rep- 

 resent the most sought for ambition. 

 With others, it is luxury and ease 

 which most attract. As a rule these 

 represent the average ideals which rule 

 the human heart. 



Everyone desires happiness, each in 

 his own way. Those ideals which are 

 based on selfish gratification are not 

 enduring ones. When the object 

 sought has been attained it seldom 

 brings the happiness which was antici- 

 pated. On the other hand those ideals 

 which are based on unselfishness and 

 doing good to others ; those efforts 

 which have sought individual or race 

 uplift ; which have secured personal 

 happiness by bringing happiness to 

 others, have constituted the only ideals 

 which do not wither as they are seized. 

 This is the chief lesson which the hu- 

 man soul has to learn. Without this 



premises used the observatorv for 

 chickens, thus the empire of chicken 

 houses was a gainer. 



But recently the tide has turned 

 and observatories have won from 

 chickens. 



Professor Eric Doolittle of the Uni- 

 versity of Pennsylvania, the editor of 

 our department, "The Starry Hea- 

 vens," writes of their new observatory 

 as follows : 



"I take pleasure in enclosing the 

 picture of our house recently construc- 

 ted for our four inch equatorial, con- 

 cerning which I wrote to you some 

 time ago. This doubtless tells you 

 more than a long description would do. 

 The total cost of all w r as somewhat less 

 than one hundred dollars, but the 

 frame of the building was already at 

 hand (it was, in fact, a chicken house C 

 and this saved some expense. I doubt 

 if the whole cost would have exceeded 



