The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-02
tangled in a silver braid"

like a Smarm of fire-hieS,
tangled in a silver Braid
yonder distant misty little cloud of Plei-
AIDES has always won and held the imag-
ination of men. But it was not only for
the inspiration of poets. for quickening
fancy into song, that the seven daughters
of Atlas were fixed upon the armament.
The problems presented by this group Of
stars to the unobtrusive scientific inves-
tigator are among the most interesting
known TO astronomy. Their solution is
still very Incomplete; but we have already
learned what may be counted justly a
mong the richest spoils brought back by
science from the stored treasure-house of
Natures secrets.
The true student of astronomy is ami
mated by no mere vulgar curiosity TO pry
into hidden things. If he seeks the con-
cealed springs that move the complex
visible mechanism of the heavens, he does
so because his imagination is reused by
the grandeur OF what he gees: and deep
down within him stirs the true love Of
the artist for his art For 1t is indeed a
fine art. that science of astronomy.
It can have been no mere chance that
has massed the Pleiades from among
their fellow stars. Men Of ordinary sight
see but a half-dozen distinct objects in
the cluster; those OF acuter vision can
count fourteen; but It IS not until We ap-
ply the pace-penetrating power of the
telescope that we realize the extraOrdi-
nary scale upon which the system of the
Pleiades IS constructed. With the Paris
instrument Wolf in 1876 catalogued G25
stars in the group; and the searching pho
tographic survey Of Henry in 1857 reveal
ed no less than 2,335 distinct stars within
and near the flmy gauze Of nebulous
matter always so conspicuous a feature
OF the Pleiades.
The means at our disposal for the study
Of stellar distances are but feeble. Only
in the case OF very small number Of
stars have we been able 70 obtain even 50
much as al approximate estimate OF dis
lance. The most powerful o5servatlonal
machinery. though directed by the tried
skill Of experience, has not suficed to
sound the Drofounder depths Of space
The Plead stars ara among those for
which no measurement OF distance has
ys; been made. 50 that We Do not know
whether they are az equally f0r away
from rs we see them projected on the
dark background OF the celestial vault /:
but We cannot tel form actual measure
nent whether they are all situated AZ the
same point II space. Il may De that some
are fmmeasurabIy nearer 20 us THAI =
the great mass OF their companions. pos
sibly We look through the cluster a. 9TH
ers far behind &. ciinging. az - were. =
the very fringe q the visible universe
Farther on we shall aEd evidence thas
something Ike this is really the case Put
under 70 circumstances - * reasonable
u suppose that The whole boy - Stars
car - st-uzg Oh; a. AZ ssrrs Il 6fstaaees
nezr a straight line poi1,.ng q fh# C.
rsc-Io- q the visible cluster. Such 4 d.
tr5butiaz NAY perhaps re1n&in among the
possibilities. 50 long a. ne cAanst rrssss-
IRE directly ire sctuG distances q TIE
individual starr. But silence neTsr sc-
cspts mere possibility against zhsca ~s
can marshal strong circgnstz1ffzI szg-
deuoe ne Kay concia8e 90 E@nerzs pin
csaIes shzt t5e gathering q fEeas BABY
onsest u tu.o 3 sage close &sEernssz<e.s b.
roses Community q origin ard szferezfs
TIE P7esz5as THEA really he9org 10 ere
another. waaf e fhs nature o. fas4- ,sz-
teal tssT VIVA + rAs3r ns5sse-y. z-la ezu
- solve So TIE met a1Tf7ss tasc-y -
q c,surse. saxEes-e4 aF whst Ne kzsw -
be trus EisEsa e-r s~ra selz- systsza. Ne
oxe q SsTlo2 ia s.z=-z.zI co1=3-stS=