5IAKCH 31, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



467 



and the other countries have small and inex- 

 pensive establishments for this purpose. All 

 the national observatories bnt ours have 

 purely ci^^liau organizations. Wli_y should 

 ours be an exception ? 



Under these conditions what is wanted is 

 that our astronomers and naval authorities 

 should come together and agree upon a 

 plan. Nothing can be worse than the con- 

 tinuation of a system under which the 

 country goes to all the expense of supj)ort- 

 ing a. great observatory without reaching 

 results commensurable with the expendi- 

 ture. It is sometimes claimed that naval 

 officers will not give up any part of their 

 control. It seems to us that this claim in- 

 volves a reflection upon their patriotism 

 and their regard for their countrj-'s in- 

 terests which they should not tolerate. 

 Congress gives its munificent support to 

 the observatory under the belief that it is 

 supporting a great and useful scientific 

 establishment which is extending the fame 

 of our country in the intellectual field as 

 the observatories of Greenwich and Paris 

 have extended the fame of the counti-ies 

 which have supported them. If this beUef is 

 ill founded the claim in question amounts to 

 nothing less than saying that our naval 

 officers will fight for the privilege of expend- 

 ing large sums for objects which neither 

 increase the efficiency of the sei'vice nor 

 promote the scientific standing of the coun- 

 try in the eyes of the world. We cannot 

 suppose them animated by so low a spirit 

 as this attitude presupposes. We believe 

 that they are sincerely desirous of seeing 

 the great institution established at such ex- 

 pense made a credit to the counti-y, and 

 that if fifty years' experience shows that 



this end can be reached onljr by separating 

 the naval from the scientific work of the 

 establishment, and placing the latter under 

 the only sort of control that can ever be 

 realljr successful, they will, in the words of 

 Commodore Belknap, ' not stand in the 

 way.' It is the duty of our astronomers 

 to use their influence in making the exact 

 facts of the case known, and in promoting 

 such a solution of the problem as will con- 

 duce to the good name of Amei-ican science. 

 Were we dealing with a small institution 

 to which Congi-ess extended onlj' a nig- 

 gardly support, we might look with indif- 

 ference on a corresponding paucitj' of per- 

 formance. But when Congress bestows a 

 far more liberal support on our observatory 

 than England, France or anj' other nation 

 bestows on its national observatorj', and 

 does this in the belief that it is promoting 

 astronomical science to a corresponding ex- 

 tent, patriotism demands that our astron- 

 omers should inform our authorities whether 

 this belief is or is not in accord with the 

 fact. 



DISCUSSION' OF A NATIONAL OBSEEVATOBY. 



In response to a letter sent to a number 

 of leading American astronomers the replies 

 printed below have been received.* 



The letter asked for answers to the fol- 

 lowing questions : 



1. Is it desirable tliat the government of the United 

 States should support a national astronomical ob- 

 servatory ? 



*In addition to these replies a committee appointed 

 at the Harvard Conference of Astronomers and Astro- 

 physicists, consisting of Professor E. C. Pickering, 

 Harvard College Observatory (Chairman) ; Professor 

 George E. Hale, Yerkes Observatory, and Professor 

 George C. Comstock, Washburn Observatorj', has 

 drawn up a report on the subject, which we hope to 

 publish after it has been presented to the next Con- 

 ference. 



