Problems of Astronomy 



motion of the pole of the earth, but a wabbling of 

 the solid earth itself. No one knows what con- 

 clusions of importance to our race may yet follow 

 from a study of the stupendous forces necessary 

 to produce even this slight motion. 



The director of this new observatory has al- 

 ready distinguished himself in the delicate and 

 difficult work of investigating this motion, and 

 I am glad to know that he is continuing the 

 work here with one of the finest instruments ever 

 used in it, a splendid product of American me- 

 chanical genius. I can assure you that astron- 

 omers the world over will look with the greatest 

 interest for Professor Doolittle's success in the 

 arduous task he has undertaken. 



There is one question connected with these 

 studies of the universe on which I have not 

 touched, and which is, nevertheless, of transcend- 

 ent interest. ' What sort of life, spiritual and 

 intellectual, exists in distant worlds? We can- 

 not for a moment suppose that our own little 

 planet is the only one throughout the whole 

 universe on which may be found the fruits of 

 civilization, warm firesides, friendship, the 

 desire to penetrate the mysteries of creation. 

 And yet, this question is not to-day a problem of 

 astronomy, nor can we see any prospect that it 

 ever will be, for the simple reason that science 

 affords us no hope of an answer to any question 

 that we may send through the fathomless abyss. 

 When the spectroscope was in its infancy it was 

 suggested that possibly some difference might be 

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