THE FUNCTION OF LARGE TELESCOPES. 127 



of his telescope was applied, and to its focal image about one-half of the 

 power of his microscope. On removing the screen of the latter, the 

 field of view was covered throughout its entire area with a beautiful, 

 distinct, and even vivid representation of basaltic rock." For further 

 details regarding the rock and the lunar flora which covered it, refer- 

 ence must be made to the original pamphlet. There, too, can be found 

 descriptions of deep blue oceans, breaking in large billows upon beaches 

 of brilliant white sand, girt with wild castellated rocks. Passing inland, 

 wide tracts of country of apparently volcanic character were rapidly 

 passed over, soon bringing to the observer's eye lofty chains of slender 

 pyramids of faint lilac hue, which, when examined with the highest 

 power of the instrument, were seen to be monstrous amethysts reach- 

 ing to the height of 60 to 90 feet, and glowing in the iutense light of 

 the sun. It must not be supposed that such delightful regions were 

 devoid of life. Birds and beasts of strange and uncouth form were 

 soon brought to view, and, last and greatest marvel of all, the observer 

 was permitted to behold beings of manlike form. Although not seen 

 engaged in any work of industry or art, they were evidently of a high 

 order of intelligence, and to them was doubtless due a magnificent 

 temple, built of polished sapphire, with roof of yellow gold. The 

 observer did not at the moment pause to search out the mystery sym- 

 bolized in the unique architectural details, for he was then "more desir- 

 ous of collecting the greatest possible number of new facts than of 

 indulging in speculative theories, however seductive to the imagination." 



But we have already dwelt too long upon this product of enterprising 

 journalism, which poor Sir John was too far away to be able to contra- 

 dict. It is enough to remark that the author accomplished his immedi- 

 ate purpose, and moreover bequeathed to future generations a classic 

 in this special field of literature. 



The astronomer of to-day is unfortunately exposed to similar mis- 

 representation. On account of the fact that it is a little larger than 

 any other refractor, the Yerkes telescope is particularly open to attack. 

 Take, for example, these sentences from a newspaper which would not 

 ordinarily be considered as one of the sensational class : "After Pro- 

 fessor Barnard had swept the sky in the region of the nebulae he pointed 

 the instrument toward a region located to the astronomer in Pos. 312 

 degrees; Dist. 53 minutes. He swung the giant tube toward the region, 

 and the first discovery at the Yerkes Observatory was registered on the 

 dial near the dome." This is merely the newspaper's own peculiar way 

 of paraphrasing a simple statement in the Astrophysical Journal regard- 

 ing the detection of a faint star near Vega. A persistent search by all 

 the members of the staff' has not yet brought to light the mysterious 

 "dial near the dome," with its precious record of discovery. It seems 

 probable that the same dial must have treasured up the remarkable 

 observations of the moon, which the Associated Press thought worthy 

 of transmission to Europe, though they originated in a reporter's fertile 



