Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-11
sCrENCElEARNING ECONOMY

The recent meeting of the National Acade-
my of Science, at Washington, was noteworthy
in many respects, but chiefly in its indications
that our scientific men have learned the lesson
OF the day-economy. The meeting was an
unusually large one for that boly. Nearly all
he departments OF science were well repre-
scented by prominent specialists The Acade-
my las lust been enriched by the liberal con
tribuiOn from private citizens which is known
as the Joseph Henry fund, but the income of
this will not probably be applied TO the pro
jectS of science for several years. The cur
rent notion of many of our legislators is that
when any considerable number OF gentlemen
gather together at Washington, it is with a
direct or indirect intention to obtain some
concessions from CongreSS-iR short, to get
money out of the public treasury. Well, The
Academy has met, and aSks-n0thing. One OF
its members relates how great saving was eff
fec'e ed in certain work which the Government
pays for-that of the Coast Survey, in deep
sea sounding. Another tells how We may
hope to save millions of dollars by our better
knowledge of the habits of the Rocky Noun
tain locust. Another suggests means by
petitions to observe the Venus transit in ISS2
may be saved. No doubt each of the SageS had
his pet project which he cannot afford 70 pay
yet at this meeting nothing of the sort was re-
commended. Every member recognized that
this is not time to ask the nation to spend
money.
The proposition to forego transit observa-
tionS i'm 1882 must bring sigh to the lips of
the Oldest v"tarieS Of astronomy. Those expe-
Arclc and Antarctic zones to witness the
passage of Venus over the disk Of the sun, are
part OF the romance OF science The last occa-
sion oil the sort called forth the assistance of
he nations that hold the lead in modern civ
ill: alton, and secured the aid OF the finest
ta'ent astronomy can offer. Large sums OF
money were spent; great efforts were made;
severe hardShipS endured. 1t may be properly
said that all the resources OF modern science
were employed. There was great congratuia-
ton upon the safe return of all the eXpe-
a taken.
and it was found that nearly every one of
them had succeeded in obtaining its record.
Ever since then, the cOmputerS have been at
work, under The guidance of eminent chiefs,
and by various methods, to obtain the final
results. AT last. as one by one the calcula-
tons approach completeness, the melancholy
truth begins to dawn upon the astronomers.
The observations of the last transit of Venus
leave quite as wide margin of error as the
new. We know just what we did before. and
there is little prospect of adding by this means
one lota to our present knowledge. The wide
range of uncertainty which attends similar
work was Well Illustrated on Monday by the
varying results and numerous failures in re-
cordlng the transit Of Mercury. Yet that was
at their homes, using instruments with which
hey were wholly familiar, and surrounded
with every appliance for the task.
As Professor NewcOmb quantity remarked
| here is strange fatality about the parallax
| In one instance, two astronomers of emnence
| Zone of them was the late NJ. lie Verrier), after
Il
seniially different methods, finally reached the
same result within tritiing fraction. Such
coincidence might have settled any other
| question in science. But it has since been
| found that neither of these results was trust
| worthy, and when both were corrected they
proved giScordant: The Astronomer Royal OF
| pu, alton from the British observations on the
| iaNt transit of Venus, certain figures for the
| suns distance which were discarded years
| ago. Already his results are melting in the
| annIlpi N hen hy nc
brother astronomers Professor Newcomb had,
few years since, assigned certain figures as a
near approach to the solution; he Obtained
| item chiefly by the consideration of the results
| from all good sources and methods; and his
compromise was generally accepted in this
country. At the recent meeting of the Acade-
| my he expressed his doubts on the point and
named different value as the one which he
thought would probably be decided upon.
iIolessor Young thereup0n stated that he had
Just learned that fresh computation, by
| another astronomer, had obtained from the
Brlti,h observations exactly the new figures
waic a, rrolesSor Newc3mb had just said he
traordlnary coincidence: and yet, after all, it
| proves nothing
ably in the sun itself. This is one of the
| strangeSt things of modern discovery The
| sun Is believed now to be a mere ball of glow
ing gas, OF which the outlines are constantly
| changing. Its edge may acquire bulge "
| DR.. Young says, of perhaps thousand miles i'm
few hours, which would render worthless all
| caicu IallonS passed on observing the instant
when venus touched or left It's outline. This
| would seem to settle the question as to the
| usefulness of sending observers to the antip-
0deS or the polar regions to witness transit
| There are simpler and far less costly means
| for solving the problem at home, and there is
more chance of discovering something useful
IN experiments on the velocity of light than in
expense on distant and desOlate Islands At
all vents the astronomers are entitled to credit
for themselves proposing to relieve the nation
heaVy PXDpnSp-1N