The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10

duce makes a spot upon them as black as
this pencil-mark."
Then Miss O'Halloran remembered that
it was too dark to see the pencil-marks on
her charts. 81 Will light the gas" she
said, Hospitality, ''but first let me show YOU
the observatory, where / can sweep the
whole heavens" and she walked to the
south window and pointed to a flight of
wooden steps leading to the roof OF a build
ing lower than her room.
She spoke quite enthusiastically about
what good place it was to make observa-
tons, but it never seemed to strike her that
the roof might be chilly, damp spot for a
delicate young woman to sit star-gazing
through the long night-watches, and one
only had to look at Miss O'Halloran to see
that she was not at all robust In spite of
her frail appearance her pale, calm face had
convincing charm of its own, her deep-set
gray eyes were large and beautiful, though
they had the PARKWAY look that people
possess who are accustomed to gazing great
distances-a look that sailors frequently
acquire.
When the gas was lighted l asked the
astronomer to show the chart she had made
day by day of the suns spots two months
before the great observatores had noticed
anything unusual. She explained that OBJ
servation has shown the spots to acquire
their maximum size and number every
eleNeI years, anu Sldleu llldC TWO months
before this was expected, she began to OBJ
serve and make daily charts, marking the
photographic latitude OF the spots that
afterward attracted so much attention,
from the time that they first appeared on
the suns east limb. All the charts were
there, marking the dots on the east limb,
gradually increasing in size till they dis
appeared on the west limb, and afterward
reappearing, in almost the same hello
graphic latitude, but of much greater mag
nitude, on the east limb. 1t was on
November Is, 1891, that Miss O'Halloran
first observed the growing specks, and they
were not seen at Greenwich till the 4th of
February the following year.
For three or four years Miss O'Halloran
has been intently studying variable stars,
class of distant suns that do not keep a
steady light. Day by day she makes
charts of different parts of the heavens,
marking those stars that seem to dwindle
or to gain in brilliancy. There are two or
three that she suspects OF being telescope
variables but it takes long observation,
even after the speck of light has been
placed under suspicion of variation to find
out what are its periods for blazing out or
for diminishing. Before many months are
over, however, the girl astronomer will
probably have added another variable star
to those already known.
And in the meantime she teaches by
Gay anu SLuuieS ny nSnI, throwing INTO
her lessons such strong interest and enthu-
siasm that astronomy becomes no longer
the dry bones of science, but something
aglow with romance and interest. She
has obtained recognition from astrono-
mers on two continents has been made an
honorary member OF societies into which
no woman was admitted before, and vet
her studies have brought her nothing more
tangible than the delight.
"Does not your ambition point to a
position like the one Miss Dorothea
Klumpke holds?" / asked.
Miss O'Halloran's face lighted up at the
suggestion of being able to live entirely for
her beloved observations. Then she shook
her head and remarked with touch of
sadness:
at requires great influence to get such
an appointment, and | am not an expert
in such matters. No, l expect to go on
teaching"
But looking at her frail form I could not
help wondering how long she would be
able to stand the strain of day and night
work, all done so ardently. When this
genius is gone beyond our ken perhaps we
shall wake up to what she was, and give
her honor when 1t is too late to be of any
use to her. We can wonder now at the
way the seventeenth century treated
Calico, but future generations will per-
haps wonder why Rose o Halloran was not
| more appreciated. MARIE EVELYN.