ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORIES. 291 



into the open ocean, they would be exposed to imminent 

 danger in approaching land, not knowing how far distant 

 the port might be. The loss of time resulting from pur- 

 suing this timid course, and the numerous disasters which 

 could not be avoided, would more than double the ex- 

 pense of maintaining our foreign commerce. Astrono- 

 mers, by their accurate determinations of the places of 

 the sun, the moon, and the stars, have given prosperity 

 to commerce and boundless wealth to our commercial 

 cities. But there is still much for astronomers to do 

 The places of the heavenly bodies even at present are not 

 known with all the precision which is desired. Great 

 errors in determining a ship's place are now of rare 

 occurrence ; but small errors frequently lead to disastrous 

 consequences, and it is therefore important to reduce the 

 errors to the least possible amount. 



III. An astronomical observatory, well equipped, be- 

 comes a center of influence which is felt on all the educa- 

 



tional establishments of the country, even those of the 

 humblest grade. It is" impossible to maintain common 

 schools in a state of efficiency without institutions of a 

 higher grade, corresponding to our academies, which 

 shall furnish teachers for the elementary schools, and also 

 afford encouragement to ambitious scholars, who wish to 

 extend their studies beyond the elementary branches. 

 The academies can not be maintained in a flourishing 

 condition without institutions of a higher grade, corre- 

 sponding to our colleges, where teachers are educated for 

 the academies, and where ambitious students from the 



