6o 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



an expenditure of only about $i,ooo 

 would not accomplish much. That im- 

 pression is not correct. The observatory 

 at Sound Beach will be more available to 

 the public than is any of the large obser- 

 vatories of the United States, because it 

 will be established in the interest of the 

 general public, while others have been 

 established to accumulate technical 

 knowledge. 



It is popularly supposed that vastly 

 more can be seen through these enor- 

 mous telescopes than through one of 

 medium power. The fact is that a six 

 inch telescope, or at least one a little 

 larger, would show practically every- 

 thing that a visitor may see through the 

 largest telescope in the world. For view- 

 ing some of the popular objects, espe- 

 cially the moon, the smaller telescope 

 would be even more convenient, and in 

 one evening would accomplish more than 

 can be done by any of the large, unwieldy 

 instruments. 



For the purposes for which this ob- 

 servatory is to be established, it would 

 not be advisable to spend much over 

 $10,000 even if all the money that could 

 be desired should be available. Some- 

 thing a little larger than the $1,000 

 equipment might be used to advantage, 

 but it is hoped that the small equip- 

 ment may lead in time to the addi- 

 tion of a larger. For popular use it is 

 better to have two medium sized tele- 

 scopes rather than an enormously large 

 one. Let us have this thousand dollar 

 equipment. The building will be small 

 and inexpensive, but the telescope will be 

 good enough to grace the finest observa- 

 tory in the land. We understand that 

 some of our wealthiest friends think the 

 $1,000 equipment will be too small to 

 deserve their aid. It will be large enough 

 for a beginning, and will be thoroughly 

 effective. 



The above letter was submitted to 

 Director Schlesinger of the Allegheny 

 Observatory, and he wrote on the date of 

 May 29th as follows : 



"The subscriptions to our new observa- 

 tory amounted to $300,000. One anony- 

 mous donor gave $62,500. Andrew Car- 

 negie and Mrs. \\^illiam Thaw, Jr., gave 

 $25,000 each. These are by far the 

 largest subscriptions, of which there 

 were several hundred, the smallest one 

 being for $5. Your appeal to me seems 

 to be a very strong one, and I shall be 

 much surprised if it does not succeed." 



The Popularizing of Astronomy. 



There is doubtless great work yet to 

 be done in the further establishment and 

 equipment of observatories. x\stronomy 

 would have come to little without these in 

 the past, and its continued progress de- 

 pends on the men and instruments thus 

 located. But observatories are not en- 

 gaged in the popularizing of astronomy ; 

 they are digging out the sober facts, 

 which of course we must have, and are 

 wrestling with the enormous problems 

 which the science imposes upon them. 

 They are serving- themselves, a few 

 others like themselves, a handful of stu- 

 dents interested in sharing their work, 

 and a few score of people who read the 

 astronomical journals, or the popular 

 science column of a few newspapers. It 

 remains that the great masses of the 

 people are uninterested in and unin- 

 formed about this supreme science. 



Xor does this need to be the case. 

 Profovmd as astronomy is. and unfath- 

 omable as are the depths of the sky, ex- 

 perience has shown that the skillful pre- 

 sentation of this subject to popular 

 audiences never fails to interest, to ex- 

 pand the mind, to stimulate the imagin- 

 ation, to ennoble the character. That we 

 can know so little about one million 

 ^Millions of gleaming worlds is no reason 

 for not knowing and enjoving at least 

 That little. 



Hut what are the facts? Astronomy, 

 which used to be regarded as an essential 

 in a fairly liberal education, has now 

 con.ipletely dropped out of the high 

 school curriculum throughout the state 

 of New York — so the writer is officially 

 informed — and no doubt the same is true 

 in most or all of the other states of the 

 union; so of private schools for pupils 

 of similar age. The writer has recently 

 learned of one where 200 young ladies 

 and girls are students, only three of 

 whom are receiving instruction in as- 

 tronomy. In the colleges, it is true, some 

 astronomy is taught, though often in- 

 differently, technically and mathematic- 

 allv, rather than phenomenally, usually 

 in association with mathematics or some 

 other branch of science. Distinguished 

 professors of astronomy may be good 

 dehers but i^'oor teachers. 



By far the larger number of high 

 school students do not go to college any- 

 way ; a large percentage do not even fin- 

 ish high school. These hosts of young 

 people go out into life knowing nothing 



