■26 



THr: GUIDE TO NATURE 



We are terribly upset when we learn 

 that a million men are being sacrificed in 

 Europe, that mighty guns, throwing a 

 ton of metal each, are destroying cities. 

 We are perturbed at thousands out of 

 •employment. We are irritated at the 

 stupidity of mortals who, through ig- 

 norance, wear the yoke of an outworn 

 system of government. 



But let us talk with Dr. L>igelow a mo- 

 ment. We have considered with him the 

 miracle of growth that turns a seed into 

 a plaiHr- and the metamorphosis of a 

 wo^^n into a butterfly. "How large does 

 a star look in the telescope?" we ask. 'Tt 

 does not look as large as it does to the 

 naked eye. It really has no size what- 

 ever to the telescope. It is too far awav. 

 It is merely a geometrical point of light. 

 Light travels so quickly that it will go 

 entirely around the earth seven times 

 while you wink your eye, but some of the 

 stars are so far away that it takes light 

 five or six hundred years to travel from 

 them to the earth. If some of them 

 should go out of existence entirely, they 

 would be still apparent on this earth for 

 five or more centuries." 



How small our earthly afifairs appear 

 in the lig"ht of such stupendous facts. 

 And it is only one of thousands of facts 

 equally amazing and equally interesting. 



If a nroper telescope is forthcoming 

 there will be nightly classes in astronomy 

 at Arcadia, to which the public will be 

 ■admitted. Such a telescope as is needed 

 .\w\\\ cost about a thousand dollars. Dr. 

 Bigelow says. Some of the money has 

 already been subscriberl. He asks the 

 people of Greenwich in the interest of 

 popular science and their own education 

 and enjoyment, to supply the money 

 needed for the instrument. 



It may be added that there is not at 

 present a good observatory between 

 Fairfield and New Rochelle. 



Greenwich has been generous in all 

 things. She has given money to helo 

 unemployed and the otherwise unfortun- 

 ate. This is good on the moral side. 

 She has given money to the church. This 

 shows interest on the religious side. She 

 lias demonstrated her interest in clean 

 government. This is excellent on the 

 civic side. But she is now aopealed to 

 on the intellectual side. She is asked to 

 provide for the ourely intellectual oleas- 

 ure of her children — and Dr. Bigelow 

 does not apoeal on utilitarian grounds, 

 He savs simolv. now let the people, chil- 

 'dren and grown-ups enjo}" themselves 



intellectually. 



We liope that Dr. Bigelow will have 

 his wholly unselfish desu-e to serve the 

 people intellectually, satisfied. He ha.^ 

 done a good work for Greenwich, a work 

 wdiich will be better appreciated in the 

 future than it is to-day. He has not 

 affiliated himself with charitable move- 

 ments, nor social movements or political 

 movements. All of these things he rec- 

 ognizes as good, but he considers his 

 own work for humanity a separate one. 



He does not join peace parties for the 

 ending of the European war. He is con- 

 cerned with neither peace nor war. His 

 interest is in science. One can almost 

 think of him as of Archimedes, the great 

 Greek mathematician of antiquity, whose 

 interest in science made him obvious to 

 all movements about him. Of him it is 

 said that he did not budge at the ap- 

 proach of the Roman army, but con- 

 tinued drawing his mathematical circles 

 on the sand. \Ad'ien a Roman soldier ap- 

 proached him and challenged him. he 

 •did not even look up but only answered : 

 "Get out of my circle. You're spoiling 

 my calculations." Whereupon, it is re- 

 corded, the soldier killed him, thereby 

 destroying his body but not his fame nor 

 his great work. 



To those in Greenwich who have 

 money we sav : "Give Dr. Bigelow his 

 telescope. He can do more than a 

 thousand dollars' w'orth of good with it. 

 He can't rehabilitate families with it nor 

 mend broken l)ones nor launch oolitical 

 campaigns, nor feed hungry stomachs, 

 but he can feed huno-ry minds, and we 

 must always remember that 'man lives 

 not bv bread alone.' " 



Bulletin of Scientific Supplies. 



^'r. Edward Pennock of 3600 W^ood- 

 hnd \venue, Philadelnhia. is issuing a 

 "Special Bulletin" of his scientific instru- 

 ments and supplies that will be of in- 

 terest to many of our readers. A free 

 conv will be mailed upon request. Kindly 

 refer to ThK Guipe to Nature. 



Si'mr^er School of Biology. 



\y& tqke pleasure in calling attention 

 to the Summer School of the Biological 

 L^horitor\- at Cold Soring Harbor, Dong 

 T<l'infl The resfidar cl^ss \\-ork will be- 

 gin Tune -?oth and continue for six weeks 

 to August TOth. A circular with full 

 partirnlcij-c ma^- be obtained by address- 

 ing- Dr. Charles B. Davenoort, Cold 

 Spring BTarbor, Long Island, New York. 



