When means will permit, the outfit for immediate 

 requirements should be obtained complete and as 

 Prof. Gage says, " the best that can be afforded should 

 be obtained," and further, " even when all the optical 

 parts cannot be obtained in the beginning it is wise to 

 secure a stand upon which they may all be used when 

 they are finally secured." The writer agrees entirely 

 with this advice. Even though the stand be plain, it 

 should be good, with the necessary adjustments and 

 capable of receiving and fully utilizing such further 

 accessories as may be obtained later on. 



Stand. While one's sense of the aesthetic may be 

 a factor it is mainly the practical utility which must 

 govern the decision. \Vhether large or small must 

 largely be determined by the future use to which it is to 

 be put. One rule may apply to all, however, and that 

 is, that the instrument shall be so balanced that it will 

 be absolutely steady during manipulation in the upright 

 or inclined position. In general the low Continental 

 stand is preferred as it permits of resting the arms 

 upon the table while moving the object and a more 

 comfortable position while looking through the tube 

 whether the instrument be upright or inclined. 



Tube Length. In. the matter of tube length the 

 optical results are the same in both, so that tube length 

 must be considered only in so far as it affects the 



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