The herald., 1895-01-01
THE POPULAR ASTRONOMY,
Flammarion and His Admir-
able Work.
Not Very Accurate But Exceedingly
Interesting.
A French Scientist Writer who suf-
fsrs Somewhat ut the Hands of the
Translator.


Translator.
M. ELIMINATION is the most picturs
esque figure in the astronomy of our
time. He was computer at the Paris
observatory when the late Richard A.
Proctor first came into notice as an as
Economical writer. For generation
little had been done to popularize
astronomy in France, and one cannot
butsuepect that Flammarion saw in the
works OF Proctor kind of nutriment
for which the appetite OF his country
men could easily be whetted. Certain it
is that he first wrote 90 much like
French Proctor that, could man have
legal copyright in his own personality,
the Englishman might have brought
suit on the grounds of infringement.
But the Frenohman soon left his proto.
type far out Of sight. He proved him
self born journalist OF SO advanced q
type that the New York World showed
great lack of enterprise in not secur-
ing hia services at any cost. The most
common accurrence--a halo around the
sun, or the occultation of star or
planet by the moon-becomes in his
hands subject for an elaborate article,
with magnificent illustrations. His
writings began to circulate wherever
the French language was read.
They were coon sold by the
hundred thousand, and received with
such enthusiasm that "SocieteJ Flam-
marion" have been organized to do hos
nor to his name and work, not only
throughout France, but even in South
America. A very pleasant feature of
his writing is his unalloyed pleasure in
his fame, which he nowhere conceals,
and which, by the naivete OF its express
sion 10 relieved from all appearance OF
Offensive egotism. He is very proud OF
his private observatory. A Bohemian
astronomer having given the name OF
our author to q lunar crater, an elab-
crate description of the "cirque Flam-
MARION" with two fine illustrations.
appears in his astronomical monthly.
In the book now before us he tells how
he was psrplexed for months by math-
ematical question OF which he could
find no solution in the books, appar-
emily quite unconscious that the reason
of its omission was that it was too SIM
pie to need mention.
That he can also write in serious vein
is shown by his great volume or the
planet Mars, which is an orderly and
well-digested account of all the note
worthy observations upon the features
of our neighboring planet from the in
vention OF the telescope to the present
time. A comparison of this work with
his Popular Astronomy, now before US,
elbows that he writes one way for the
sesker after knowledge and another for
the public.
Among our authors productions the
'Astronome Populaire' is the largest
and probably the most widely circulated.
First published in 1879, il not only gain
ed an instant and unprecedented popu-
larity, but was crowned with the Mon
lyon prize by the French Academy (not
the Academy of Sciences, be il under@
stocd). Not until 1894, however does
it appear in an English TRANSLATION. On
com pairing the latter with the original,
the first thing to strike us is the omis-
aion of the most characteristic feature OF
the original work--its striking and Pc
culiar illustrations, among score of
others, the following. most OF which are
full-page:
View OF the skeletons OF the last FAM
lily of the human race, who, overtaken by
the eternal frost which is to follow the
cooling OF the sun, have wrapped them
selve in their last blanket, and lain
down to die in dresry cleft of an ice
bound rock.
Excitement and terror among the in
habitants OF the moon cauaed by the
apparition in mid.heaven OF balloon
ON its way from the earth.
Landscape view on the planet Mars.
showing troop of mounted horsemen
bearing an unmistskabs resemblance
to North American Indians, cavorting
in forest OF what looks more like CO.
loasal tuning forks than anything a
terrestrial botanist over dreamed of.
The victims OF Tnermopyle lin q
rocky detile of courae; thunder-riven
rocks arc Fiammarion'A fsvorite land
scspe features), cursing the barbarity OF
Mars the goa of war.
FianGee of the early ages OF the world,
reclining on crsg, and awaiting, by the
light OF the evening star, the approach
OF her lover, who Is seen in the distance
toilng up to her perch, with the aid OF
! a very modern looking alpenstock.
Nature asBertlng her rights after war,
in the form Of on abandoned eiege can
non on W hich dove has lighted.
After taking such liberty with the
original as to destroy its Individuality,
it is rather surprising to find the trans
lator go puEctilious in reducing the text
that he does not attempt either to bring
it up to date or to correct it, except by
interpolating sentences in square brack-
cts, with his initiala. How unsatisfac-
tory this plan may prove in literary
form will be seen by single extract:
We havs already seen 25 stars blazing
ont in the sky with spasmodic CLEAN,
and relapsing to an extinction bordering
on death 1.-THE number of well-suthenti.
Gated cases of Temporary stars" ia
much lass than 25.--J. E. g. already
bright stars observed by our fathers
have disappeared from the maps of the
sky THAT any bright stars have really
disappeared is very doubtful. E. G.]
a great number OF red stare have en-
tered on their period Of extinction THAT
red stars are really cooling down is now
disputed question:. E. q !. The sun
lie but star he will meet with the fate
Z 4