The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-19
THE SpECTROSCOPE.
An Instrument which Has Done More for
Science Than the Telescope.


1t has been proposed that tele-
scope be made by the Clarks who con-
structed the great Lick refractor. and
that the instrument shall have an OBJ
ject glass about three times as large in
diameter, we suppose, as that of the
Lick telescope. The person who
makes this suggestion thinks that the
money necessary could easily be OBJ
tanned, and If the manufacture of so
gigantic an object glass were matter
of money alone. doubtless he is right.
But this is not the ease. 1t is work
of extreme difficulty To make perfect
lenses of large size. and. We believe,
several lenses were made for the Lick
instrument before an acceptable one
was obtained. There are difficulties in
the grinding of the lenses. also, after
the glass has been formed; and. when
all had been done 10. perfection, it is
open to grave doubt that any tower
could be constructed stable and in
flexible enough to render the use of
telescope like the one proposed prac-
ticable.
There are objections, also, based on
the nature of light. and having to do
with spherical alteration and other
matters, which render it highly i'm
probable that the most skillful tele-
scope makers could contrive
methods for overcoming them.
Money will do many things, but
in science there Is limit to it's
power just as there is a natural limit
to'what opticians can accomplish. If,
for example, our whole surplus rev.
enue should be spent in an endeavOr
to settle usually the truth of the
atomic theory by constructing a mi
crosSope that should render atoms or
even molecules visible. all would be
of no avail. for light itself is too
coarse an instrument to render sue
cess possible.
The time may, perhaps, come when
such a telescope "a is proposed may
be constructed, but from Calico to
the Clarks is probably not longer
distance than from the Clarks to the
man who shall make an instrument
of such value. Perhaps more could
be done for scientific purposes by the
construction of improved spectroscopes
than by the building of a telescope,
however large and however closely it
might approach to perfection. With
the most powerful telescope little
more could be done than the resolu-
ton of nebula and the discovery of
new star clusters and discrete stars,
but with the perfect spectrOscOpe
much of value could be learned in re-
gard to the physical constitution of
the universe. The new astronomy"
owes more TO the spectroscope than
it owes, or can expect TO owe, to the
telescope.-N T. CcWmcrcidl- Adcer-
s:.--
-Father-'.Boy. I've a good notion
to pay you that whipping | owe YOU"
Son-''NOw. look here, pop. you never
pay any body else in town what you
owe them, and | don't see why you
should make an exception in my case"
-G0tdeH DaYS
Pay hat would you like TO be
when you grow up, johnny" John
NY think III be u soldier You
might get killed" Who by?" by
the enemy OF course" We'll, then,
/ guess | had better be the enemy
TEXAS SittingS.
DEAR mer' exclaimed Stiggins
''that new surgeon gave Squantum's
boy new lip from the child's own
cheek. What painful operation il
must have beeOr' I've had pair of
lips taken from my cheek more than
once" replied Mrs. Stiggins, land it
wasn't painful operation at ALL"
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