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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 603. 



the interests of science, and by scientific 

 men. Some of the members of such a com- 

 mittee should be active workers in science, 

 some of them older investigators, still able 

 to advise and judge, but lacking the energy 

 of youth required to undertake research 

 themselves. We have striking example^ 

 around us, even in this gathering, of suit- 

 able men who have passed the usual age of 

 retirement. Some of them are still so ac- 

 tive that they appear to accomplish even 

 more than when they were younger. A 

 fixed age of compulsory retirement some- 

 times leads to curious results. A Wash- 

 ington astronomer, when retired ten years 

 ago, had all his work taken away from him 

 and was not allowed to complete it, even 

 at his own expense. His life is still full 

 of work and original suggestions. An army 

 engineer from Cambridge, too old to serve 

 the government, has been for years, since 

 his retirement, engaged in the greatest 

 problems of his profession, including the 

 Panama Canal. The thanks of Congress 

 lengthens a man's professional career by 

 ten years. An admiral came near having 

 his usefulness prolonged for four years, 

 since he was so fortunate as to be born on 

 the twenty-ninth of February. One of the 

 greatest and most active of living astron- 

 omers will soon be retired just as he has 

 completed and has ready for his use the 

 most perfect apparatus yet contrived for 

 measuring the places of the stars. When 

 the plan for compulsory retirement was in- 

 troduced at Harvard I hoped that the ob- 

 servatory might profit by it. Any man 

 can complete his own work much more 

 economically than another. I pointed out 

 that at the observatory we had much un- 

 finished work, the time for my retirement 

 was approaching, and I suggested that an 

 appropriation should be made at once to 

 complete it. The time is now much shorter, 

 the work is still unfinished, and the appro- 

 priation has not yet been made. 



A committee constituted as described 

 above, and having liberal funds at their 

 command, could advance astronomy in sev- 

 eral different ways. My sympathy goes 

 out to the young man who has taken a post- 

 graduate course in astronomy, has studied 

 abroad at a great and active observatory, 

 and comes home to teach in a little country 

 college. He wishes to continue his work in 

 astronomical research with the new instru- 

 ments and by the same methods he has just 

 learned. His college has no money for 

 such purposes, his associates do not sym- 

 pathize with his wishes, and his time and 

 strength are fully occupied with instruc- 

 tion. He writes a pathetic letter stating 

 that if he had only a few hundred dollars 

 for a certain instrument he would gladly 

 give his own time to the proposed work. 

 Last month I received a letter from a Jesuit 

 priest in Buluwayo, a thousand miles from 

 the civilization of Capetown, giving me cer- 

 tain definite meteorological facts resulting 

 from a year's careful observation in that 

 wonderful climate. He described some 

 important observations he wished to make 

 if he only had five hundred dollars to pur- 

 chase a mounting for his telescope. The 

 committee would not only give such a man 

 the required aid, but also the encourage- 

 ment which is often still more highly 

 prized. The man of genius is, in many 

 cases, sensitive, retiring, unable to promise 

 results, or to make known his needs. He 

 must be sought, treated with tact and en- 

 couraged. If transplanted to other sur- 

 roundings, or even if supplied with better 

 appliances, his usefulness may cease. No 

 amount of organization would help him, in 

 fact any interference with his plans is 

 likely to spoil them. 



On the other hand, a great observatory- 

 should be as carefully organized and ad- 

 ministered as a great railroad. Every ex- 

 penditure should be watched, every real 

 improvement introduced, advice from ex- 



