HEKSCHEL THE PIONEER. 3 



Miss Clerke remarks, "The magnificence of the 

 idea, which was rooted in his mind from the 

 start, places him apart from and above all pre- 

 ceding observers." Most of the departments 

 of modern astronomy find a meeting -place in 

 Herschel, as the branches run to the root of 

 the tree. He discussed astronomy from every 

 point of view. Before, however, proceeding to 

 examine the work of this great man, it is well 

 to note a few of his characteristics. These 

 characteristics, once understood, give us the 

 key to his researches. Before we can master 

 Herschel the astronomer we must understand 

 Herschel the man. 



Notwithstanding the fact that Herschel spent 

 most of his life in England, and that he is in- 

 cluded in the ' Dictionary of National Biography/ 

 he was pre-eminently a German. Like most 

 Germans his style of writing was somewhat 

 obscure, and this was emphasised when he wrote 

 in English, owing to his imperfect command of 

 the language. Had he written in German as 

 well as in English, he would probably have been 

 better understood in his native country, where 

 erroneous views of his theories were long enter- 

 tained. Even so distinguished an astronomer 

 as Wilhelm Struve, when translating Herschers 

 papers into German, made a mistake when 



