144 
WOODWARD. 
But whatever may be said with respect to science in gen- 
eral. I believe it to be a fact that Americans have maintained 
the lead during the past half century, both in theoretical 
astronomy and in observational and instrumental astronomy. 
In theoretical work the pre-eminence of Newcomb and Hill 
is universally admitted. In the field of instrumental as- 
tronomy it is well known that nearly all of the best and 
largest refracting and reflecting telescopes, along with their 
indispensable auxiliary apparatus, have been developed and 
constructed by Americans, while in the field of observational 
astronomy there has been equal leadership in the perfection 
of instrumental appliances and in the quality and quantity 
of work produced. 
Before passing on to some account of his extraordinary 
achievements it is perhaps well to warn those who are unfa- 
miliar with the domain in which he worked that Professor 
Newcomb would have been amongst the last to file anv 
special claims to what the world would call “genius,” that 
intangible, if not ghostly, something which in the popular 
mind lies close to witchcraft, and is often attributed to 
wizards, otherwise etymologically known as “male witches.” 
Tt would be more correct to attribute to Professor Newcomb 
unusual talents for the kinds of investigation he undertook, 
unusual industry in applying these talents, and an uncom- 
monly calm and sane mind for the estimation of premises 
and for the derivation of logical conclusions therefrom. 
Tt should be stated likewise that, he lived during a time 
peculiarly favorable for the researches he undertook. He 
also had the good fortune to receive early and continuously 
a just appreciation of his contributions to science from his 
eminent contemporaries, especially in Great Britain and on 
the continent of Europe. The association with these con- 
temporaries arising from this early recognition furnished 
a healthy stimulus to his endeavors, while the continuity of 
effort, supplied by a vigorous constitution enabled him to 
attain a degree of success in the application and in the pro- 
longation of his labors rarely attained by men of similar 
abilities. All of these favoring conditions help to explain 
