PKESIDEXTIAL ADDRESS SECTION A. 33 



It is in consequence of this that some people consider 

 astronomy as an ahnost useless science which only serves to amuse 

 the minds of the persons who devote themselves to it. Notable 

 names, such as that of the philosopher Auguste Comte and of 

 Prof. Bouasse, have endorsed this opinion. 1 want to show what 

 is false in this appreciation. 



Although its utility is not very apparent, astronomy is the 

 most popular of sciences. It is due to this fact that it owes the 

 protection it receives from governments and private persons in all 

 civilised countries. Without that popularity it would not be easy 

 to obtain from governments and private persons the large sums 

 necessary for the erection and keeping of observatories. 



Where did that popularity come from ? It would he giving 

 a metaphysical explanation of the case, to say that it is due to 

 an unconscious feeling of the utility of astronomy. I believe that 

 the true motive in this case is the flattering of the most vehement 

 wishes of mankind by astronomy. For ages, at least since the 

 time we have possessed historical documents, two objectives have 

 troubled mankind: to associate himself with other beings and to 

 guess the future. 



The first was obtained by the building up of social organisa- 

 tion which for centuries has successively improved itself. But 

 of all the classes of inhabitants of the earth, only men entered 

 in that organisation. The other creatures, owing to their inferior 

 intellectual condition, had to remain subjected to a simple situa- 

 tion of dependence. 



There are some animals, however, such as the ants, which 

 seem to reveal a great intellectual development and show a 

 certain amount of knowledge that we attribute, perhaps by vanity, 

 to an unconscious instinct. It is a known fact that swallows 

 travel between Europe and America over the vastness of the 

 Atlantic Ocean, knowing where they are going, and returning to 

 the same place. The prescience that some animals have with 

 regard to the changes of weather, sometimes long in advance, is 

 also a fact that cannot be contested. These cases cannot be 

 explained by the teaching of experience, because the life of these 

 animals is too short ; we cannot attribute it to a transmission from 

 one individual to another individual, because the language of 

 animals is simple and seems to translate only sentiments and not 

 ideas. These cases can only be explained by the animal's instinct, 

 which is equivalent to explaining nothing. 



But even if there were other animals with the same intelli- 

 gence as that of men, the socialisation of the species would be 

 impossible; we should not imderstand their language, nor would 

 they understand ours so perfectly that it would be possible to 

 have long communications. So, man had to circumscribe his 

 wish of socialisation to his equal. But one day it was learned 

 that in space there were planets analogous to the earth. The 

 idea that in them could be found inhabitants with whom we may 

 make ourselves understood attracted to astronomy the sympathies- 

 of the people. 



