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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1054 



moved about and talked with several of tte 

 guests, among others, Professor E. C. Picker- 

 ing, director of the Harvard Observatory. 

 They discussed in particular the photographs 

 of stellar spectra Dr. Draper had obtained. 

 Professor Pickering e3q)ressed to Dr. Draper 

 his great interest in that work and offered to 

 measure these photographs if they could be 

 sent to Cambridge. Almost immediately after 

 the dinner Dr. Draper was seized with a con- 

 gestive chill, followed by pneumonia which 

 proved fatal a few days later. 



Mrs. Draper, who was in deep distress after 

 this sudden loss, desired to establish some memo- 

 rial to her husband, and for a few years con- 

 templated the erection of an observatory in 

 New York City. This plan proved imprac- 

 ticable, however, and in 1885, she visited the 

 Harvard Observatory, where Professor Picker- 

 ing was already photographing stellar spectra 

 along the same line as the work which she con- 

 sidered the most important her husband had 

 done. She thereupon decided to found the 

 memorial in connection with the Harvard 

 Observatory, and gave generous sums each 

 year for its prosecution. At first she thought 

 only of continuing the researches on stellar 

 spectra, but in 188Y she decided to extend the 

 plan to include all available facts about the 

 constitution of the stars. She not only gave 

 liberally of her means to carry on this work, 

 but she always took a great personal interest 

 in it. Until deterred by failing health she 

 visited Harvard Observatory regularly, and 

 personally inspected the progress of the work, 

 giving advice about matters of policy, and 

 being greatly interested in the actual inspec- 

 tion of various stellar spectra. All peculiar 

 or new types were submitted to her, and 

 she often exclaimed with girlish eagerness, 

 " How interesting it must be to do it 1 " 



Mrs. Draper was a friend to many scientific 

 men and frequently gave elaborate entertain- 

 ments in her spacious home. The old labora- 

 tory in New York was fitted up as a lecture 

 or exhibition room and could seat two hundred 

 people. Here many famous men came to lec- 

 ture to scientific societies and invited guests. 

 Here various scientific exhibitions were placed 

 when she entertained such societies as the 



National Academy or the American Astronom- 

 ical Society. It is quite unusual for women 

 of wealth to entertain in this manner. Few 

 who have such beautiful homes, have such a 

 desire or interest. 



The results of the Henry Draper Memorial 

 have been varied. The first catalogue giving 

 the spectra of a large number of stars was 

 published in 1890, and was called the Draper 

 Catalogue. This contained 10,351 spectra. 

 Following closely upon this came detailed dis- 

 cussions of about 5,000 spectra of the brighter 

 northern and southern stars. In 1911, ob- 

 servations were commenced for a New Draper 

 Catalogue, which will contain the spectra of 

 at least 200,000 stars situated over the entire 

 sky. In this work Mrs. Draper was greatly 

 interested until the very last, and wrote en- 

 couragingly about its progress. 



In the course of the Draper Memorial work, 

 various discoveries have been made, such as 

 10 novae, more than 300 variable stars, 59 

 gaseous nebulae, 91 stars of Class O, and a 

 large number of peculiar spectra. Among the 

 greatest results may be mentioned, the estab- 

 lishment of the true order of stellar evolution, 

 and such discoveries as the connection between 

 variability and changes in spectra, the addi- 

 tional series of hydrogen lines, and the exist- 

 ence of spectroscopic binaries. 



Who can predict to what further uses the 

 great collection of plates will be put or what 

 further increase in our knowledge of the 

 sidereal universe will be made by means of the 

 generous endowment left in memory of Henry 

 Draper by his devoted and noble wife. 



Annie J. Cannon 

 Harvard College Observatory, 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



A NEW GLACIAL PARK 

 Announcement has been made through the 

 press of the gift to the New York State Mu- 

 seum of a plot of ground covering seventy-five 

 acres which includes the remarkable Green 

 Lake near Jamesville, N. Y., with its series of 

 abandoned cataracts, rock channels and dry 

 plunge-basins. This spot is not only extremely 



