Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-14

An Astronomers Early Life.
A translation of Elise Polko's curious story of
the early life of Sir William Hersche appears
in Temple Bar In 1859 Herschel took up his
abode in Leeds, recommended by the Earl of
Darlington, who had given the young musician,
Immediately after his arrival from his native
| place in Hanover, a commission TO train church
choir at Durham. At Leeds, HerscheI settled
himself as music master, with the hope of re-
moving to Halifax and becoming organist of the
| church there; but the romance Of his life came
into change his plans. Madame Polko says:
| OPPOSITE Herschel's window was another tall,
narrow house, with Just such another window
as his own. Every afternoon an old man, con-
Quoted by girl was led to this window, and
placed in chair by it; then the girl placed her
self opposite the old man, and began to read
| from large book. The mans head was gen.
orally bent down on his chest, but sometimes
he raised it, as if struck by something the girl
| read; then the music master could see his clear
cut profile and the strong lines round his mouth
| The girl sat near the window, on high chair;
| her figure seemed deformed-one shoulder high
er than the other. Herschel had never yet seen
girls face so pale, so grave.
Herschel's landlady had told him many curl
GUS things about his opposite neighbors. They
were father and daughter. The man-George
Thomton-had been teacher of arithmetic and
mathematics in boys school; but Thornton
had taken it into his foolish head to NEEDLE
with things with which he had nothing to do
SUCH us Lle SltISS always lOOhlIlR up ~
until he forgot looking at the things around
him. He neglected wife, child, and school,
from which he had good salary. He had to
be dismissed from his duties there with small
pension, on which, with some buttons in math-
ematics-whch were his hobby-he had to
manage as best he might. Thornton spent half
the day making calculations; the other half he
slept. During the night, he watched the stars
from his miserable little garnet, which he digni-
fed with the name of Conservatory"
Thornton subsequently became blind through
over application, his daughter fell lame through
an accident, and both were in poverty and dis
tress when HerSchel made their acquaintance.
Madame Polko tells the rest of the story in her
naive manner:
AS weeks passed, the blind man seemed to
grow happier and calmer; his sorrow seemed to
be passing away. He gave his telescope to the
young man to use. More and more confidential
grew the conversation between these two; he
even cOnhded to the young foreigner how he had
himself been inVenting an instrument to take
extended observations, when it was put to an
end by this terrible affection of blindness. And
poor Thornton went on to say what honors,
what fame would have been his if he could only
have perfected his invention. Then he sent Mar
tina up stairs for the wonderful invention, and
she brought mere skeleton plan in her hand;
this she gave to Thornton, who passed his hand
over it lovingly, and then with sigh passed it
over to young Herschel saying in a sneering
tone, "Here, give it you; perhaps you will be
able to produce what / once dreamt of doing"
81 willF' exclaimed the young man in an
ecstacy of delight, and he carried the machine
away with him, holding it with the tenderest
care.
From this time forth Herschel ever secretly
meditated on the possibility of constructing
such an instrument, or, rather of completing
the one which the schoolmaster had commenced.
Ons day the German came with
beaming eyes, to tell the blind man that he had
Of fms binO the or Of MI; oh
he had laid the foundation.
"Your castle will be there" he cried "and
perhaps greater one than you dream of. What
a pity it is that you cannot live with me in it."
The blind man, at these words, raised his
head, as if he had received a sudden shock: a
strange look passed over his face, and with
forced smile and stammering lips he said, " You
are dreaming"
"No, no." replied Herschel, az am wide
awake; | think in two months that it will be
finished; but, most decidedly, must go to Lon
dom | must see more and learn more even if
have to starve. l viii become something great,
you must not be ashamed of your pupil. "
Only few mere days and the work
would be finished-that work which was life to
Herschel. This day the blind man seemed more
impatient than usual, the reading hour was
come; GeOrgina stood gazing silently into the
street. HerschePs step was heard coming up
the stairs, although slower than usual; he en-
tered the room with face pale as death, and in
a mechanical way exclaimed:
Thornton, have some advice to ask from
you; some one has stolen my instrument"
"Stolenp repeated Thornton, and an ex-
preston like sunshine passed over his face.
"WhenH
81 do not know; | worked at it for the last
time yesterday evening; since which have not
seen it. only missed it an hour SINCE"
"Have you searched well for it everywhere ?"
"No corner has remained unsearched; the
good landlady has turned everything topsy-
turvy, but all in vain"
"It must have been clever thief But surely
it was not finished"
'Do you not think that some one may, per-
haps, have taken it away in-funH
ono one dare play tricks with such things. |
would have killed the man who would have taken
it out of my sight for even one hour. Think of
all the lafor which you have bestowed upon that
instrument"
"Give me your advice-what shall dol"
$50 to the magistrate" replied the blind man,
coldly and harshy.
Mechanically, Herschel rose and left the room
without word.
The lost instrument was sought for every
where, but no where could it be found. A strict
investigation took place concerning it. Even
the blind man was cross-examined, but all to no
purpose. There were simple folks who felt con-
WINGED that certain person with cloven feet
had whistled 1t away, and carried it to his dark
castle to see the stars with.
Leeds mad now lost all attraction for Freder-
lex Wilhelm Herschel; he had lost all trust in
its inhabitants, and he hailed as Gift from hea-
ven the position of organist at Halifax which
was now offered to him. He had never been at
Thornton's since that eventful night, strange
feeling prevented him from going there. Martha
now never came TO dust his room. Herschei
contented himself with writing a lew affectionate
and grateful words of farewell to Georgiana.
and then shook the dust of Leeds from off his
feet.
A year had scarcely elapsed since the "hand-
some music master" had left Leeds when a very
sad occurrence took place there. The poor little
Georgina had been found, one morning, drowned
in the Are. Shortly after this had happened, an
old woman had appeared before the magistrate
TO accuse herSelfas chief and murderer"
She stated that it was she who had thrown it
into the Aire. Martha-for it was she-being
asked why she had done so, obstinately refused
to answer, but became more and more excited
lamenting over her darling Georgina, "who had
been drowned looking for that instrument, be-
cause she had promised Hersche to find it for
him; and the fairies had pointed out the spot
to the poor child, but the darling had bent too
low, and had SO been drowned. And sure, the
instrument had been stolen for the best; but
alas! it did not keep them together" And such
was the burden of poor Martha's story. She
was kept long time in prison; and after she
was released, ner. face never again was seen in
Leeds.
o., III wy gShA A'tf ueisCnel ndu discovered Dy
the reflector, which he had himself invented,
the ring of Saturn and the satellites of Jupiter.
He also published his calculations of the alti-
tude of the moon. Five years later, on the 18th
Of March, 1871, which happened to be the thir-
ty-irst anniversary of his dear sister Caroline's
birth, Hersche discovered new planet. That
planet is best known by the name of Uranas,
but he called it the GeOrgiuDa Sidus
A FISH SToRY.-The editor of the Council
Bluffs Times has been fishing and pives tbis