The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-13
J'ENUS'S MOON.


moon. 1t WINS not necessary for Congress to do
anything. Smyth was equal to It, Whercso-
over in the United States uf America il Frank
lin and Marshall College. there WINS Smyth. out
ufb"d when Admiral Rogers was sound asleep.
gazing nt Venus with moro than lovers long
ing. through n Telescope that would be- casscd,
anywhere west of the Mississippi river as
." ono horse" Smvth observed from the open
window " his own house. or from Franklin and
MHrshalls roof Smyth probably never saw an
observatory. Franklin and Marshall IL too
poor. and too ignorant of lobbying. andtoo mex
ucricnccd In begging. 10 have an observatory
Undoubtedly Smyths observatory is his bed
room; and Mrs. Smyth. honoring her hus-
bands devotion to astronomy. has dur
INK all the past winter sympathct-
icay slept with her head under the
blankets while he sat in conk and mittens at
the open window inaudibly. yet impudently
asking Venus whit starry fellow she went with,
On the night Of April 20 Smyth got his
reward. and the science OF astronomy made
an advance. out Of this unObtrusive. in
expensive. homcly use Of the old telescope
clnssed ~ horse" lie discovered a star Of
the fifteenth magnitude nehaving'likc n satellite
To- Venus. and undoubtedly holding that charm
ing relation to her. 1t was ut the hour when
Admiral Rogers. resting from his labor OF lob
bying through Congress his bin for II now ma
tiOnal observatory. was dreaming in his bed
that he had committed the unpardonable sin Of
economy in not asking for IL million dollars in
stead Of scheming for the expenditure OF Il pal
try half million on palatial home for himself
and family in the centre " thirty acres OF park.
garden and lawn in Washington with a new
United States Observatory attached.
We thank Smyth. We thank his unsalaried
assistant with her hpnd under the blankets. We
thank both for discovering Ncnus's satellite
without costing the p 'opic ~ the United States
one cent We THANK Smyth for leaving Venus
NJ in the sky and not taking her 10 Washing
ton to lobby Tor Franklin and Marshall seem
ingly. but Tor himself and the blHnNcted as
sistnnt in reality. Especially are We thankful
To- Smyth for furnishing the oppressed taXpay-
crs Of this country Invariably misreprcsentcd
in Washington when an appropriation bill
framed either by the army or the navy comes
up 10 u, voted on with an unanswcrahlo argyll
mcnt against the demanded wu.tr Of the public
money on new national observatory. A new
observatory is not needed. An unknown man.
in an unknown locality. with n one-horse tclc-
scope. and an assistant with her head blank
oted. has demonstrated that the existing ma
tional observatory in Washington city is ample
for study Of tho heavenly bodies. if-if it is in
the charge Of mn ardent astronomer. and not Of
ucnsioncr expanding Cyei tho rim OF the navy
retired list into the realm Of science.
Suyth should not have been necessary to bent
this impud"nt Job Of Admiral Rogers. The ac-
cidontal discovery to society and 10 fame. on
the OH Of February last. Of an unpensioncd
astronomer in lineage. and the publication Of
his simple methods AMI tool. and the
enormous results he accomplished should have
chokcd Rogcrss bill To death. even IN the Naval
] ftfttnftfln ~, Iiurpltufn la "a ~
this unknown. lie lived within two blocks of
the Chicago Astronomical Society great equn-
torial telescope, ono Of the largest and best in
tho world. Not a member of the society was
aware Of his cNistence ms an astronomer. He
WAS II stenographcr who got his living By re-
| porting onses in the Chicago law courts. His
| observatory WIS his hnck yard. His instru-
mcnts were "A siN-ineh telescope. That
! was all. 1t was mounted on stout
/ timber stuck in the ground. No clock
work gave il motion CORE pondins viii
! tht rotation ~ the cnrth. durham was too
/ poor for that luxury. Bat hc mad" a substitute
I for tia long piece Of gaSpipr illcd with drv
sand. that escaped from an orilirc at tho bot
tom as from the ol-fashioncd hour-glass. and
Il heavy lead plungcr following the sand down
and moving the telescope 80 as TO hold star
steadily in its field
In tnat back yard observatory. in tn,
racket and dust Of Chicago. work was don,
| with that little telescope that tested and
corrected tho sight OF the best Observers in Eu'
rope. AMI cNtortcd from the great StruNo a.,
confession tina, ho had devoted forty years OF
his life To- tho jealous study of douho stars bat
when hc thought Il what Buruhum had done ir
So short a time. ho was almost ashamed Of his
own work And Chicago know not Durham
/ To her great shame Doe il spoken. nor knew sh,
that over the fence Of back yard in on,
~ her stroois there was 10 be seen Ia,
most successful observatory in the world
though the whole 81 it could be put OF
"a wheclbarrow and trundled ~.
Buttho English found Durham on, five yonr,
ago and elected him fellow II their Royal As
Economical society. Tho German astronomer
knew him and had voted him into their Berlin
society. The famous directurot the Russian oh
sorvatory had discovered him. and for years ha,
been in CORES pondence with him. llowas known
and honorrd hy the astronomers of France an,
ltnly. So great WIS his reputation that thl
famous Proctor has repeatedly called him II
rs umpire. to settle disputes involving acute
hess of vision and accuracy II observation. lii
modest word settles debate. His specially l.
the dis 'oyery and measurement Of double stars
and the correction, codiA alton. and arrange
mont in the order II right ascension of th'
work Of previous observers. tho Hers ehclls
strives. AMI others in this department. 90
siicria, astronomy. Not yet forty years old. ~
has dis. oycrrd moro dorho stars than any
astronomer living Moro thn any other has
he upset and corrected the accepted lists 90
double stars. and shown many Of them to b.
triple and some qualruulr.
\ great man. uudU'-tiNnanly. this Nr. Burn
ham-with two astonishing doioNs. H. io'~ no
live in idl"noss on the government. and h'