,,the ,,future ,,of ,,astronomy  ,,by   
,,professor ,,edward ,c4 ,,pickering    
,reprinted from the ,,popular ,,science 
,,monthly1 ,august1 #aiji4     ,,the    
,,future ,,of ,,astronomy#a  ,,by       
,,professor ,,edward ,c4 ,,pickering    
,,harvard ,,college ,,observatory   ,it 
is claimed by astronomers that their    
science is not only the oldest1 but that
 it is the most highly developed of the 
sciences4 ,indeed it should be so1 since
 no other science has ever received such
 support from royalty1 from the state   
and from the private individual4        
,however this may be1 there is no doubt 
that in recent years astronomers have   
had granted to them greater             
opportunities for carrying on large     
pieces of work than have been entrusted 
to men in any other department of pure  
science4 ,one might expect that the     
practical results of a science like     
physics would appeal to the man who has 
made a vast fortune through some of its 
applications4 ,the telephone1 the       

electric transmission of power1 wireless
 telegraphy and the submarine cable are 
instances of immense financial returns  
derived from the most abstruse          
principles of physics4 ,yet there are   
scarcely any physical laboratories      
devoted to research1 or endowed with    
independent funds for this object1      
except those supported by the           
government4 ,the endowment of           
astronomical observatories devoted to   
research1 and not including that given  
for teaching1 is estimated to amount to 
half a million dollars annually4        
,several of the larger observatories    
have an annual income of fifty thousand 
dollars4  #a ,commencement address at   
,case ,school of ,applied ,science1     
,cleveland1 ,may #bg1 #aiji4  ,i once   
asked the wisest man ,i know1 what was  
the reason for this difference4 ,he said
 that it was probably because astronomy 
appealed to the imagination4 ,a         
practical man1 who has spent all his    
life in his counting room or mill1 is   

sometimes deeply impressed with the vast
 distances and grandeur of the problems 
of astronomy1 and the very remoteness   
and difficulty of studying the stars    
attract him4  ,my object in calling your
 attention to this matter is the hope   
that what ,i have to say of the         
organization of astronomy may prove of  
use to those interested in other        
branches of science1 and that it may    
lead to placing them on the footing they
 should hold4 ,my arguments apply with  
almost equal force to physics1 to       
chemistry1 and in fact to almost every  
branch of physical or natural science1  
in which knowledge may be advanced by   
observation or experiment4  ,the        
practical value of astronomy in the past
 is easily established4 ,without it1    
international commerce on a large scale 
would have been impossible4 ,without the
 aid of astronomy1 accurate boundaries  
of large tracts of land could not have  
been defined and standard time would    
have been impossible4 ,the work of the  

early astronomers was eminently         
practical1 and appealed at once to every
 one4 ,this work has now been finished4 
,we can compute the positions of the    
stars for years1 almost for centuries1  
with all the accuracy needed for        
navigation1 for determining time or for 
approximate boundaries of countries4    
,the investigations now in progress at  
the greatest observatories have little1 
if any1 value in dollars and cents4     
,they appeal1 however1 to the far higher
 sense1 the desire of the intellectual  
human being to determine the laws of    
nature1 the construction of the material
 universe1 and the properties of the    
heavenly bodies of which those known to 
exist far outnumber those that can be   
seen4  ,three great advances have been  
made in astronomy4 ,first1 the invention
 of the telescope1 with which we        
commonly associate the name of ,galileo1
 from the wonderful results he obtained 
with it4 ,at that time there was        
practically no science in ,america1 and 

for more than two centuries we failed to
 add materially to this invention4 ,half
 a century ago the genius of the members
 of one family1 ,alvan ,clark and his   
two sons1 placed ,america in the front  
rank not only in the construction1 but  
in the possession1 of the largest and   
most perfect telescopes ever made4 ,it  
is not easy to secure the world's record
 in any subject4 ,the ,clarks           
constructed successively1 the #ah-;inch 
lens for ,chicago1 the #bf-;inch for    
,washington1 the #cj-;inch for ,pulkowa1
 the #cf-;inch for ,lick and the        
#dj-;inch for ,yerkes4 ,each in turn was
 the largest yet made1 and each time the
 ,clarks were called upon to surpass the
 world's record1 which they themselves  
had already established4 ,have we at    
length reached the limit in size8 ,if we
 include reflectors1 no1 since we have  
mirrors of #fj inches aperture at ,mt4  
,wilson and ,cambridge1 and a still     
larger one of #ajj inches has been      
undertaken4 ,it is more than doubtful1  

however1 whether a further increase in  
size is a great advantage4 ,much more   
depends on other conditions1 especially 
those of climate1 the kind of work to be
 done and1 more than all1 the man behind
 the gun4 ,the case is not unlike that  
of a battleship4 ,would a ship a        
thousand feet long always sink one of   
five hundred feet8 ,it seems as if we   
had nearly reached the limit of size of 
telescopes1 and as if we must hope for  
the next improvement in some other      
direction4  ,the second great advance in
 astronomy originated in ,america1 and  
was in an entirely different direction1 
the application of photography to the   
study of the stars4 ,the first          
photographic image of a star was        
obtained in #ahej1 by ,george ,p4 ,bond1
 with the assistance of ,mr4 ,j4,a4     
,whipple1 at the ,harvard ,college      
,observatory4 ,a daguerreotype plate was
 placed at the focus of the #ae-;inch   
equatorial1 at that time one of the two 
largest refracting telescopes in the    

world4 ,an image of ,greek3 alpha ,lyr  
was thus obtained1 and for this ,mr4    
,bond received a gold medal at the first
 international exhibition1 that at the  
,crystal ,palace1 in ,london1 in #ahea4 
,in #aheg1 ,mr4 ,bond1 then ,professor  
,bond1 director of the ,harvard         
,observatory1 again took up the matter  
with collodion wet plates1 and in three 
masterly papers showed the advantages of
 photography in many ways4 ,the lack of 
sensitiveness of the wet plate was      
perhaps the only reason why its use     
progressed but slowly4 ,quarter of a    
century later1 with the introduction of 
the dry plate and the gelatine film1 a  
new start was made4 ,these photographic 
plates were very sensitive1 were easily 
handled1 and indefinitely long exposures
 could be made with them4 ,as a result1 
photography has superseded visual       
observations1 in many departments of    
astronomy1 and is now carrying them far 
beyond the limits that would have been  
deemed possible a few years ago4  ,the  

third great advance in astronomy is in  
photographing the spectra of the stars4 
,the first photograph showing the lines 
in a stellar spectrum was obtained by   
,dr4 ,henry ,draper1 of ,new ,york1 in  
#ahgb4 ,sir ,william ,huggins in #ahfc  
had obtained an image of the spectrum of
 ,sirius1 on a photographic plate1 but  
no lines were visible in it4 ,in #ahgf  
he again took up the subject1 and1 by an
 early publication1 preceded ,dr4       
,draper4 ,when we consider the attention
 the photography of stellar spectra is  
receiving at the present time1 in nearly
 all the great observatories in the     
world1 it may well be regarded as the   
third great advance in astronomy4  ,what
 will be the fourth advance1 and how    
will it be brought about8 ,to answer    
this question we must consider the      
various ways in which astronomy1 and for
 that matter any other science1 may be  
advanced4  ,first1 by educating         
astronomers4 ,there are many            
observatories where excellent           

instruction in astronomy is given1      
either to the general student or to one 
who wishes to make it his profession4   
,at almost any active observatory a     
student would be received as a volunteer
 assistant4 ,unfortunately1 few young   
men can afford to accept an unpaid      
position1 and the establishment of a    
number of fellowships each offering a   
small salary sufficient to support the  
student would enable him to acquire the 
necessary knowledge to fill a permanent 
position4 ,the number of these          
scholarships should not be large1 lest  
more students should undertake the work 
than would be required to fill the      
permanent paying positions in astronomy1
 as they become vacant4  ,in ,europe1 a 
favorite method of aiding science is to 
offer a prize for the best memoir on a  
specified subject4 ,on theoretical      
grounds this is extremely objectionable4
 ,since the papers presented are        
anonymous and confidential1 no one but  
the judges know how great is the effort 

wasted in duplication4 ,the larger the  
prize1 the greater the injury to        
science1 since the greater will be the  
energy diverted from untried fields4 ,it
 would be much wiser to invite          
applications1 select the man most likely
 to produce a useful memoir1 and award  
the prize to him if he achieved success4
  ,the award of a medal1 if of great    
intrinsic value1 would be an unwise     
expenditure4 ,the ,victoria ,cross is an
 example of a successful foundation1    
highly prized1 but of small intrinsic   
value4 ,if made of gold1 it would carry 
no greater honor1 and would be more     
liable to be stolen1 melted down or     
pawned4  ,honorary membership in a      
famous society1 or honorary degrees1    
have great value if wisely awarded4     
,both are highly prized1 form an        
excellent stimulus to continued work1   
and as they are both priceless1 and     
without price1 they in no way diminish  
the capacity for work4 ,i recently had  
occasion to compare the progress in     

various sciences of different countries1
 and found that the number of persons   
elected as foreign associates of the    
seven great national societies of the   
world was an excellent test4            
,eighty-seven persons were members of   
two or more of these societies4 ,only   
six are residents of the ,united        
,states1 while an equal number come from
 ,saxony1 which has only a twentieth of 
the population4 ,of the six residents   
here1 only three were born in the       
,united ,states4 ,not a single          
mathematician1 or doctor1 from this     
country appears on the list4 ,only in   
astronomy are we well represented4 ,out 
of a total of ten astronomers1 four come
 from ,england1 and three from the      
,united ,states4 ,comparing the results 
for the last one hundred and fifty      
years1 we find an extraordinary growth  
for the ,german races1 an equally       
surprising diminution for the ,french   
and other ,latin races1 while the       
proportion of ,englishmen has remained  

unchanged4  ,a popular method of        
expending money1 both by countries and  
by individuals1 is in sending           
expeditions to observe solar eclipses4  
,these appeal both to donors and        
recipients4 ,the former believe that    
they are making a great contribution to 
science1 while the latter enjoy a long  
voyage to a distant country1 and in case
 of clouds they are not expected to make
 any scientific return4 ,if the sky is  
clear at the time of the eclipse1 the   
newspapers of the next day report that  
great results have been secured1 and    
after that nothing further is ever      
heard4 ,exceptions should be made of the
 ,english ,eclipse ,committee and the   
,lick ,observatory1 which1 by long      
continued study and observation1 are    
gradually solving the difficult problems
 which can be reached in this way only4 
,the gift of a large telescope to a     
university is of very doubtful value1   
unless it is accompanied1 first1 by a   
sum much greater than its cost1         

necessary to keep it employed in useful 
work1 and secondly1 to require that it  
shall be erected1 not on the university 
grounds1 but in some region1 probably   
mountainous or desert1 where results of 
real value can be obtained4  ,having    
thus considered1 among others1 some of  
the ways in which astronomy is not      
likely to be much advanced1 we proceed  
to those which will secure the greatest 
scientific return for the outlay4 ,one  
of the best of these is to create a fund
 to be used in advancing research1      
subject only to the condition that      
results of the greatest possible value  
to science shall be secured4 ,one       
advantage of this method is that        
excellent results may be obtained at    
once from a sum1 either large or small4 
,whatever is at first given may later be
 increased indefinitely1 if the results 
justify it4 ,one of the wisest as well  
as the greatest of donors has said3     
,find the particular man1 but           
unfortunately1 this plan has been       

actually tried only with some of the    
smaller funds4 ,any one who will read   
the list of researches aided by the     
,rumford ,fund1 the ,elizabeth ,thompson
 ,fund or the ,bruce ,fund of #ahij will
 see that the returns are out of all    
proportion to the money expended4 ,the  
trustees of such a fund as is here      
proposed should not regard themselves as
 patrons conferring a favor on those to 
whom grants are made1 but as men seeking
 for the means of securing large        
scientific returns for the money        
entrusted to them4 ,an astronomer who   
would aid them in this work1 by properly
 expending a grant1 would confer rather 
than receive a favor4 ,they should      
search for astronomical bargains1 and   
should try to purchase results where the
 money could be expended to the best    
advantage4 ,they should make it their   
business to learn of the work of every  
astronomer engaged in original research4
 ,a young man who presented a paper of  
unusual importance at a scientific      

meeting1 or published it in an          
astronomical journal1 would receive a   
letter inviting him to submit plans to  
the trustees1 if he desired aid in      
extending his work4 ,in many cases1 it  
would be found that1 after working for  
years under most unfavorable conditions1
 he had developed a method of great     
value and had applied it to a few stars1
 but must now stop for want of means4 ,a
 small appropriation would enable him to
 employ an assistant who1 in a short    
time1 could do equally good work4 ,the  
application of this method to a hundred 
or a thousand stars would then be only a
 matter of time and money4  ,the        
,american ,astronomical ,society met    
last ,august at a summer resort on ,lake
 ,erie4 ,about thirty astronomers read  
papers1 and in a large portion of the   
cases the appropriation of a few hundred
 dollars would have permitted a great   
extension in these researches4 ,a sad   
case is that of a brilliant student who 
may graduate at a college1 take a       

doctor's degree in astronomy1 and       
perhaps pass a year or two in study at a
 foreign observatory4 ,he then returns  
to this country1 enthusiastic and full  
of ideas1 and considers himself         
fortunate in securing a position as     
astronomer in a little country college4 
,he now finds himself overwhelmed with  
work as a teacher1 without time or      
appliances for original work4 ,what is  
worse1 no one sympathizes with him in   
his aspirations1 and after a few years  
he abandons hope and settles down to the
 dull routine of lectures1 recitations  
and examinations4 ,a little             
encouragement at the right time1 aid by 
offering to pay for an assistant1 for a 
suitable instrument1 or for publishing  
results1 and perhaps a word to the      
president of his college if the man     
showed real genius1 might make a great  
astronomer1 instead of a poor teacher4  
,for several years1 a small fund1       
yielding a few hundred dollars annually1
 has been disbursed at ,harvard in this 

way1 with very encouraging results4  ,a 
second method of aiding astronomy is    
through the large observatories4 ,these 
institutions1 if properly managed1 have 
after years of careful study and trial  
developed elaborate systems of solving  
the great problems of the celestial     
universe4 ,they are like great          
factories1 which by taking elaborate    
precautions to save waste at every      
point1 and by improving in every detail 
both processes and products1 are at     
length obtaining results on a large     
scale with a perfection and economy far 
greater than is possible by individuals1
 or smaller institutions4 ,the expenses 
of such an observatory are very large1  
and it has no pecuniary return1 since   
astronomical products are not salable4  
,a great portion of the original        
endowment has been spent on the plant1  
expensive buildings and instruments4    
,current expenditures1 like library     
expenses1 heating1 lighting1 etc41 are  
independent of the output4 ,it is like a

 man swimming up stream4 ,he may        
struggle desperately1 and yet make no   
progress4 ,any gain in power effects a  
real advance4 ,this is the condition of 
nearly all the larger observatories4    
,their income is mainly used for current
 expenses1 which would be nearly the    
same whatever their output4 ,a          
relatively small increase in income can 
thus be spent to great advantage4 ,the  
principal instruments are rarely used to
 their full capacities1 and the methods 
employed could be greatly extended      
without any addition to the executive or
 other similar expenses4 ,a man         
superintending the work of several      
assistants can often have their number  
doubled1 and his output increased in    
nearly the same proportion1 with no     
additional expense except the moderate  
one of their salaries4 ,a single        
observatory could thus easily do double 
the work that could be accomplished if  
its resources were divided between two  
of half the size4  ,a third1 and perhaps

 the best1 method of making a real      
advance in astronomy is by securing the 
united work of the leading astronomers  
of the world4 ,the best example of this 
is the work undertaken in #ahgj by the  
,astronomische ,gesellschaft1 the great 
astronomical society of the world4 ,the 
sky was divided into zones1 and         
astronomers were invited to measure the 
positions of all the stars in these     
zones4 ,the observation of two of the   
northern and two of the southern zones  
were undertaken by ,american            
observatories4 ,the zone from #a to #e  
was undertaken by the ,chicago          
,observatory1 but was abandoned owing to
 the great fire of #ahga1 and the work  
was assumed and carried to completion by
 the ,dudley ,observatory at ,albany4   
,the zone from #ej to #ee was undertaken
 by ,harvard4 ,an observer and corps of 
assistants worked on this problem for a 
quarter of a century4 ,the completed    
results now fill seven quarto volumes of
 our annals4 ,of the southern zones1    

that from -#ad to -#ah was undertaken by
 the ,naval ,observatory at ,washington1
 and is now finished4 ,the zone from    
-#aj to -#ad was undertaken at ,harvard1
 and a second observer and corps of     
assistants have been working on it for  
twenty years4 ,it is now nearly         
completed1 and we hope to begin its     
publication this year4 ,the other zones 
were taken by ,european astronomers4 ,as
 a result of the whole1 we have the     
precise positions of nearly a hundred   
and fifty thousand stars1 which serve as
 a basis for the places of all the      
objects in the sky4  ,another example of
 cooperative work is a plan proposed by 
the writer in #aijf1 at the celebration 
of the two-hundredth anniversary of the 
birth of ,franklin4 ,it was proposed1   
first to find the best place in the     
world for an astronomical observatory1  
which would probably be in ,south       
,africa1 to erect there a telescope of  
the largest size1 a reflector of seven  
feet aperture4 ,this instrument should  

be kept at work throughout every clear  
night1 taking photographs according to a
 plan recommended by an international   
committee of astronomers4 ,the resulting
 plates should not be regarded as       
belonging to a single institution1 but  
should be at the service of whoever     
could make the best use of them4 ,copies
 of any1 or all1 would be furnished at  
cost to any one who wished for them4 ,as
 an example of their use1 suppose that  
an astronomer at a little ,german       
,university should discover a law       
regulating the stars in clusters4       
,perhaps he has only a small telescope1 
near the smoke and haze of a large city1
 and has no means of securing the       
photographs he needs4 ,he would apply to
 the committee1 and they would vote that
 ten photographs of twenty clusters1    
each with an exposure of an hour1 should
 be taken with the large telescope4     
,this would occupy about a tenth part of
 the time of the telescope for a year4  
,after making copies1 the photographs   

would be sent to the astronomer who     
would perhaps spend ten years in        
studying and measuring them4 ,the       
committee would have funds at their     
disposal to furnish him1 if necessary1  
with suitable measuring instruments1    
assistants for reducing the results1 and
 means for publication4 ,they would thus
 obtain the services of the most skilful
 living astronomers1 each in his own    
special line of work1 and the latter    
would obtain in their own homes material
 for study1 the best that the world     
could supply4 ,undoubtedly1 by such a   
combination if properly organized1      
results could be obtained far better    
than is now possible by the best        
individual work1 and at a relatively    
small expense4 ,many years of           
preparation will evidently be needed to 
carry out such a plan1 and to save time 
we have taken the first step and have   
sent a skilful and experienced observer 
to ,south ,africa to study its climate  
and compare it with the experience he   

has gained during the last twenty years 
from a similar study of the climate of  
,south ,america and the western portion 
of the ,united ,states4  ,the next      
question to be considered is in what    
direction we may expect the greatest    
advance in astronomy will be made4      
,fortunate indeed would be the          
astronomer who could answer this        
question correctly4 ,when ,ptolemy made 
the first catalogue of the stars1 he    
little expected that his observations   
would have any value nearly two thousand
 years later4 ,the alchemists had no    
reason to doubt that their results were 
as important as those of the chemists4  
,the astrologers were respected as much 
as the astronomers4 ,although there is a
 certain amount of fashion in astronomy1
 yet perhaps the best test is the       
judgment of those who have devoted their
 lives to that science4 ,thirty years   
ago the field was narrow4 ,it was the   
era of big telescopes4 ,every astronomer
 wanted a larger telescope than his     

neighbors1 with which to measure double 
stars4 ,if he could not get such an     
instrument1 he measured the positions of
 the stars with a transit circle4 ,then 
came astrophysics1 including            
photography1 spectroscopy and           
photometry4 ,the study of the motion of 
the stars along the line of sight1 by   
means of photographs of their spectra1  
is now the favorite investigation at    
nearly all the great observatories of   
the world4 ,the study of the surfaces of
 the planets1 while the favorite subject
 with the public1 next to the           
destruction of the earth by a comet1    
does not seem to appeal to astronomers4 
,undoubtedly1 the only way to advance   
our knowledge in this direction is by   
the most powerful instruments1 mounted  
in the best possible locations4 ,great  
astronomers are very conservative1 and  
any sensational story in the newspapers 
is likely to have but little support    
from them4 ,instead of aiding1 it       
greatly injures real progress in        

science4  ,there is no doubt that1      
during the next half century1 much time 
and energy will be devoted to the study 
of the fixed stars4 ,the study of their 
motions as indicated by their change in 
position was pursued with great care by 
the older astronomers4 ,the apparent    
motions were so small that a long series
 of years was required and1 in general1 
for want of early observations of the   
precise positions of the faint stars1   
this work was confined mainly to the    
bright stars4 ,photography is yearly    
adding a vast amount of material        
available for this study1 but the       
minuteness of the quantities to be      
measured renders an accurate            
determination of their laws very        
difficult4 ,moreover1 we can thus only  
determine the motions at right angles to
 the line of sight1 the motion towards  
us or from us being entirely insensible 
in this way4 ,then came the discovery of
 the change in the spectrum when a body 
was in motion1 but still this change was

 so small that visual observations of it
 proved of but little value4 ,attaching 
a carefully constructed spectroscope to 
one of the great telescopes of the      
world1 photographing the spectrum of a  
star1 and measuring it with the greatest
 care1 provided a tool of wonderful     
efficiency4 ,the motion1 which sometimes
 amounts to several hundreds of miles a 
second could thus be measured to within 
a fraction of a mile4 ,the discovery    
that the motion was variable1 owing to  
the star's revolving around a great dark
 planet sometimes larger than the star1 
added greatly not only to the interest  
of these researches1 but also to the    
labor involved4 ,instead of a single    
measure for each star1 in the case of   
the so-called spectroscopic binaries1 we
 must make enough measures to determine 
the dimensions of the orbit1 its form   
and the period of revolution4  ,what has
 been said of the motions of the stars  
applies also1 in general1 to the        
determination of their distances4 ,a    

vast amount of labor has been expended  
on this problem4 ,when at length the    
distance of a single star was finally   
determined1 the quantity to be measured 
was so small as to be nearly concealed  
by the unavoidable errors of            
measurement4 ,the parallax1 or one half 
of the change in the apparent position  
of the stars as the earth moves around  
the sun1 has its largest value for the  
nearest stars4 ,no case has yet been    
found in which this quantity is as large
 as a foot rule seen at a distance of   
fifty miles1 and for comparatively few  
stars is it certainly appreciable4 ,an  
extraordinary degree of precision has   
been attained in recent measures of this
 quantity1 but for a really satisfactory
 solution of this problem1 we must      
probably devise some new method1 like   
the use of the spectroscope for         
determining motions4 ,two or three      
illustrations of the kind of methods    
which might be used to solve this       
problem may be of interest4 ,there are  

certain indications of the presence of a
 selective absorbing medium in space4   
,that is1 a medium like red glass1 for  
instance1 which would cut off the blue  
light more than the red light4 ,such a  
medium would render the blue end of the 
spectrum of a distant star much fainter1
 as compared with the red end1 than in  
the case of a near star4 ,a measure of  
the relative intensity of the two rays  
would servo to measure the distance1 or 
thickness of the absorbing medium4 ,the 
effect would be the same for all stars  
of the same class of spectrum4 ,it could
 be tested by the stars forming a       
cluster1 like the ,pleiades1 which are  
doubtless all at nearly the same        
distance from us4 ,the spectra of stars 
of the tenth magnitude1 or fainter1 can 
be photographed well enough to be       
measured in this way1 so that the       
relative distances of nearly a million  
stars could be thus determined4         
,another method which would have a more 
limited application1 would depend on the

 velocity of light4 ,it has been        
maintained that the velocity of light in
 space is not the same for different    
colors4 ,certain stars1 called ,algol   
stars1 vary in light at regular         
intervals when partially eclipsed by the
 interposition of a large dark          
satellite4 ,recent observations of these
 eclipses1 through glass of different   
colors1 show variations in the time of  
obscuration4 ,apparently1 some of the   
rays reach the earth sooner than others1
 although all leave the star at the same
 time4 ,as the entire time may amount to
 several centuries1 an excessively small
 difference in velocity would be        
recognizable4 ,a more delicate test     
would be to measure the intensity of    
different portions of the spectrum at a 
time when the light is changing most    
rapidly4 ,the effect should be opposite 
according as the light is increasing or 
diminishing4 ,it should also show itself
 in the measures of all spectroscopic   
binaries4  ,a third method of great     

promise depends on a remarkable         
investigation carried on in the physical
 laboratory of the ,case ,school of     
,applied ,science4 ,according to the    
undulatory theory of light1 all space is
 filled with a medium called ether1 like
 air1 but as much more tenuous than air 
as air is more tenuous than the densest 
metals4 ,as the earth is moving through 
space at the rate of several miles a    
second1 we should expect to feel a      
breeze as we rush through the ether1    
like that of the air when in an         
automobile we are moving with but one   
thousandth part of this velocity4 ,the  
problem is one of the greatest delicacy1
 but a former officer of the ,case      
,school1 one of the most eminent of     
living physicists1 devised a method of  
solving it4 ,the extraordinary result   
was reached that no breeze was          
perceptible4 ,this result appeared to be
 so improbable that it has been tested  
again and again1 but every time1 the    
more delicate the instrument employed1  

the more certainly is the law           
established4 ,if we could determine our 
motion with reference to the ether1 we  
should have a fixed line of reference to
 which all other motions could be       
referred4 ,this would give us a line of 
ever-increasing length from which to    
measure stellar distances4  ,still      
another method depends on the motion of 
the sun in space4 ,there is some        
evidence that this motion is not        
straight1 but along a curved line4 ,we  
see the stars1 not as they are now1 but 
as they were when the light left them4  
,in the case of the distant stars this  
may have occurred centuries ago4        
,accordingly1 if we measure the motion  
of the sun from them1 and from near     
stars1 a comparison with its actual     
motion will give us a clue to their     
distances4 ,unfortunately1 all the stars
 appear to have large motions whose law 
we do not know1 and therefore we have no
 definite starting point unless we can  
refer all to the ether which may be     

assumed to be at rest4  ,if the views   
expressed to you this morning are       
correct1 we may expect that the future  
of astronomy will take the following    
form3 ,there will be at least one very  
large observatory employing one or two  
hundred assistants1 and maintaining     
three stations4 ,two of these will be   
observing stations1 one in the western  
part of the ,united ,states1 not far    
from latitude #cj1 the other similarly  
situated in the southern hemisphere1    
probably in ,south ,africa1 in latitude 
-#cj4 ,the locations will be selected   
wholly from their climatic conditions4  
,they will be moderately high1 from five
 to ten thousand feet1 and in desert    
regions4 ,the altitude will prevent     
extreme heat1 and clouds or rain will be
 rare4 ,the range of temperature and    
unsteadiness of the air will be         
diminished by placing them on hills a   
few hundred feet above the surrounding  
country4 ,the equipment and work of the 
two stations will be substantially the  

same4 ,each will have telescopes and    
other instruments of the largest size1  
which will be kept at work throughout   
the whole of every clear night4 ,the    
observers will do but little work in the
 daytime1 except perhaps on the sun1 and
 will not undertake much of the         
computation or reductions4 ,this last   
work will be carried on at a third      
station1 which will be near a large city
 where the cost of living and of        
intellectual labor is low4 ,the         
photographs will be measured and stored 
at this station1 and all the results    
will be prepared for publication1 and   
printed there4 ,the work of all three   
stations will be carefully organized so 
as to obtain the greatest result for a  
given expenditure4 ,every inducement    
will be offered to visiting astronomers 
who wish to do serious work at either of
 the stations and also to students who  
intend to make astronomy their          
profession4 ,in the case of photographic
 investigations it will be best to send 

the photographs so that astronomers     
desiring them can work at home4 ,the    
work of the young astronomers throughout
 the world will be watched carefully and
 large appropriations made to them if it
 appears that they can spend them to    
advantage4 ,similar aid will be rendered
 to astronomers engaged in teaching1 and
 to any one1 professional or amateur1   
capable of doing work of the highest    
grade4 ,as a fundamental condition for  
success1 no restrictions will be made   
that will interfere with the greatest   
scientific efficiency1 and no personal  
or local prejudices that will restrict  
the work4  ,these plans may seem to you 
visionary1 and too ,utopian for the     
twentieth century4 ,but they may be     
nearer fulfilment than we anticipate4   
,the true astronomer of to-day is       
eminently a practical man4 ,he does not 
accept plans of a sensational character4
 ,the same qualities are needed in      
directing a great observatory           
successfully1 as in managing a railroad1

 or factory4 ,any one can propose a     
gigantic expenditure1 but to prove to a 
shrewd man of affairs that it is        
feasible and advisable is a very        
different matter4 ,it is much more      
difficult to give away money wisely than
 to earn it4 ,many men have made great  
fortunes1 but few have learned how to   
expend money wisely in advancing        
science1 or to give it away judiciously4
 ,many persons have given large sums to 
astronomy1 and some day we shall find   
the man with broad views who will decide
 to have the advice and aid of the      
astronomers of the world1 in his plans  
for promoting science1 and who will thus
 expend his money1 as he made it1 taking
 the greatest care that not one dollar  
is wasted4 ,again1 let us consider the  
next great advance1 which perhaps will  
be a method of determining the distances
 of the stars4 ,many of us are working  
on this problem1 the solution of which  
may come to some one any day4 ,the      
present field is a wide one1 the        

prospects are now very bright1 and we   
may look forward to as great an advance 
in the twentieth century1 as in the     
nineteenth4 ,may a portion of this come 
to the ,case ,school and1 with your     
support1 may its enviable record1 in the
 past1 be surpassed by its future       
achievements4