112 



* KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[March 1, 1888. 



of the pyramid builders is important as apparently indi- 

 cating the aspect of the heavens at a time not very far from 

 that at which the most ancient of the constellations received 

 the names they still jetain. This point, and other matters, 

 will be considei'ed later, as well as the simple methods by 

 which a series of maps (for any date and latitude) — corre- 

 sponding to the maps of " The Stars in their Seasons " for 

 England and the present time — can be readily constructed. 

 {To he c07itinued.) 



OLD AND NEW_ASTRONOMY. 



AX AUTOIilOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 



|0 explain the origin and purpose of " Old and 

 New Astronomy " — a treatise which has 

 been nearly a quarter of a century in pre- 

 paration — one or two personal matters have 

 to be touched upon, but I shall pass lightly 

 over such details. 



In October 1864 I was led to enter on 

 scientific study by a domestic sorrow on which I had been 

 brooding too deeply for my health. I selected astronomy as 

 the subject which had greatest attractions for me, and, after 

 reading afresh certain treatises, including Ilerschel's '• Out- 

 lines of Astionomy," I sought for more detailed accounts of 

 problems which appeared to me full of interest. Dis- 

 appointed in this search, I began the preparation of the first 

 of a series of monographs which I proposed to produce, in 

 each of which an astronomical subject of special interest 

 was to be carefully studied. I proposed in these works to 

 deal with considerations which seemed to require fuller dis- 

 cussion than they had hitherto received, except in scattered 

 papers, technical and unduly elaborate in character, so as to 

 be calculated rather to load the back shelves of the libraries 

 of learned societies than to instruct the world. In this 

 way, and as yet by no means appreciating either the extent 

 of the work I was attempting, or exactly what was fittest 

 for my purpose, I wrote my treatise " Saturn and its 

 System." I proposed to follow this up with similar ti'eatises 

 on Jupiter and Mars (of Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and 

 Neptune, we know too little for monographic work), the 

 sun, the moon, comets and meteors, the stars, star clusters, 

 and nebulcB. 



When " Saturn " had been published, I was led to defer 

 my general plan for a while, in order to prepare a series of 

 star charts (my " Gnomonic Star Atlas "), suggested during 

 the preparation of that work ; and in prepai'ing the atlas I 

 collected the materials for my " Handbook of the Stars." I 

 had already begun, however, a monograph on Mars, when, 

 in May 186(5, a stroke of fortune deprived me of the means 

 which had enabled me to carry on the work I had begun 

 without any anxiety respecting the commercial success of 

 the several volumes required for its completion. I had 

 become too much attached to the work to be willing to turn 

 wholly from it ; yet it seemed as though other duties would 

 force me to do so. Most occupations by which I could hope 

 to support my family would have debarred me from all 

 chance of continviing my work effectively. I determined 

 that I would not seek for such employment in what is 

 sometimes (I can scarcely imagine why) called " professional 

 astronomy " — as, for instance, work in Government observa- 

 tories or in collegiate teaching — as some appear to have 

 found compatible with independent research and the work of 

 scientific exposition. I was satisfied that I could do no 

 good work in that way in the line I wished to follow, even 

 if I had deemed it honest to accept a salary for doing one kind 

 of work while devoting my main energies to another. Neither 



ob.servatory work nor college teaching tend effectively to widen 

 one's views of the great problems of astronomy; while too often 

 it is found that ofiicial position, whether among the rank and 

 file or in command, tends to warp both mind and character, 

 and to diminish mental elasticity, versatility, and originality. 

 I had already recognised the signs of this so clearly in 

 treatises coming from such sources that I decided to retain 

 the independence of my position, even though at the cost 

 of some personal inconvenience. 



After a year or two of interruption in my work, and 

 considerable anxiety about other matters, I found what I 

 sought in scientific literature, to which later I added 

 scientific lecturing. I was able to turn my scientific note- 

 books to useful account by employing their contents as the 

 materials for scientific exposition, finding that the general 

 public needed only clearness and simplicity of expression, 

 and the avoidance of unnecessary technicalities, to accept 

 scientific teaching as they accept history, fiction, and kindred 

 literary matter. Moreover, in the work of popular exposi- 

 tion I obtained unexpected help in my scientific researches. 

 I found that the endeavour to present the results of scientific 

 reasoning clearly and cogently affords a severe test of their 

 accuracy. Often I have had to modify and moi'e than once 

 to abandon a theory, which, until exposed to this test, had 

 appeared sound in all its parts. Even in lecturing I have 

 recognised this quality in the task of explanation ; while 

 repeatedly also new ideas outside the theories I had already 

 formed on specific subjects have been suggested during the 

 actual progress of a lecture, for digestion and assimilation 

 (if approved) at later leisure. Moreover, my lighter scien- 

 tific treatises, essays, and lectures, have often brought me 

 into correspondence with other students of science having facts 

 of interest to communicate, or thoughts of value to suggest. 

 Thus, then, the two lines of work I had undertaken 

 were continued together, each progressing at first slowly, but 

 afterwards more effectively, until I had overcome the initial 

 difficulties (which some had told me must necessarily be 

 overwhelming), and had little further anxiety about either 

 portion of my work. I was for a time interrupted, indeed, 

 hy the effects of a mistake I made in entering for a time on 

 work connected with the Royal Astronomical Society, a 

 body vexed with many turmoUs, from whose pei'turbing 

 influences I had trouble in withdrawing myself. I had, 

 however, the satisfaction of knowing that I had fallen into 

 this annoyance in the pursuance of a scientific duty, the 

 correction of certain eirors into which the chief official 

 astronomer of that time (Sir G. B. Airy) had fallen re- 

 specting the transits of Venus in 1874 and 1882. I am not 

 sure that apart from the improvement of the Government 

 schemes for observing both transits which resulted from the 

 inquiry, my labours were not fully repaid by the attention I 

 was then able to direct to the fact, too commonly over- 

 looked, that official scientists are the servants of the public 

 (which includes scientific volunteers), and not .set in 

 authority over them. I was simply correcting inferior 

 work of the chief of our paid astronomical servants — 

 usually, it must be admitted (nay, I have always pro- 

 claimed) one of the hardest- working and most trustworthy 

 of our Government astronomers. 



But while I was able at once to maintain those whom it 

 was vay duty to maintain, and to continue my scientific 

 work, I was not able to continue the productiion of the 

 proposed series of monographs, A monograph on Mars, 

 ofl:ered in turn to three leading publishing firms, was re- 

 jected by all of them. A large atlas on a new plan, since 

 successfully carried out, was declined not only by publishers, 

 but by the Astronomical Society. My " Other Worlds than 

 Ours," in which I presented a brief absti'act of my views on 

 astronomy, had to appear under the guise of a popular 



