The sun., 1901-07-21
OUR ASTRONOMERS LEAD.
RgHARKARL1 Rgc1NT PsO0RsSS %
RE SCIENCE IN AMEAICA.

VOM hOANO&SVAAb bNS
RsHARKAsLS RgcKxT PsOGRsss ~
RE SCIENCE IN AMERICA.
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CAnsarpnI, NaGs.. July 2o.-Thsrs he's
been q good deal OF discussion In the last
few months a to the value OF what has
been done In this country In literature.
science or art. o. compared with European
achievement In the same lines. Incl
dentally, the present standards Of American
scholarship have bsen attacked and de-
Tended. Some Of those Who have taken
tho American side Of the argument have
cated the science Of astronomy - q held
in which. all things considered. CON-
parison between Europe and America
would not result In any disadvantage to
the latter. II hes not yet been pointed
out, however, that In this special science
II b possible to learn vsTy exactly how
Americans are regarded abroad By tha
very simple means Of recording the list
Of honon which they have received from
the best-known astronomical body In he
world. the Royal Astronomical Society
Of London. -.
Beginning In isss. the society has awarded
an annual gold medal for conspicuous
originality and research. In whatever eoun-
try they might bs shown. In The science
which It had been formed to encourage
the honor being only heightened BY tho
fact that occasionally II has been voted
to give no medal at all. For forty-two
year, no award was made outside Of Eng
land and the continent Of Europe. and
II was only in 1855 that the medal first came
To this eountry-about twenty ycars. that
%, after the establishment Of tho first I'M
portant American observatory. The
recipient was Prof. George p. Bond. d.
rector Of the Harvard Observatory. who
was the son. 1t may be noted Of Prof. ".
C. Bond, the director and practically the
founder Of tho same observatory. The
award was mado to Prof. Bond for his
general astronomical researches and e.
pecially for his work on the much -observed
comet Of Donati Of 1855, including not only
a great number Of valuable personal obser-
yatlons, but also the most painstaking COL
lection. comparison. and reduction OF all
available data from whatever source.
Nine years later. In 1874. the same honor
was again conferred on an American astrono-
mer. the medallist In this second instance
being Prof. Simon Newcomb OF Washington.
whose work at tho United StatesNaval OBJ
servatory in the compilation Of the Nautical
Almanac ID 90 widely remembered. The
declared reason Of his selection by the
Royal Astronomical Society. however.
was his tables Of Neptune and Uranus and
contributions to mathematical astronomy.
In more than nifty yesv. then. only two
Americans received the society medal.
The contrast between this record and the
record OF the next twenty-five years N
suficiently emphasized In the mere state
mont that out OF the twenty-one medals
aivsn during the even quarter OF GEN.
tury ending with the present year. no less
than elght-more than a third-have come
TO the United Statea. not including q special
award, called the Hannah Swift Gift, given
In 1897. Whom II Il remembered that the
other thirteen were distributed In England.
Germany. France-were the quota, that
IA. Of all the rest OF the world put together =
the comparative accomplishment OF this
country In the science which 10 generally
oopsldered to be the most purely scientific
OF all. will be the more readily realized
The brief summary OF these awards. both
here and abroad. during this period tella
its own story:
1877. No medal given.
Is7s. Gold medal 70 Baron pemsovsti, for re
searches In double stars
1872. Gold medal 70 Prof. AsAph Hall Cnisec
Sa.ss for hs discovery and observation Of TIE satsi
es OF Mars and for his detsrm OF their orbits
1890. No medal givsn.
1891. Gold medal 10 Prof. Axel Moler, for 10
| vss,igatons Of the motion OF fayss comet.
1884 Gold medal 10 David GIN, for hsiomee
| observations OF Mars q, ascension.
isss Gold medal 70 Or. BENJAMIN Apthorp Goui'
J United States. for his "Uranoms,ria Argentina"
| 1874 Gold medal TO A. A. Common, for photo
! rrsphs OF celestial bodies
1875 Gold medal 10 Dr. ". Hggins, for researche
on the motions Of stars In the line Of light. AND OF
Photographic spec,ra Of stars
| 1880 Two medals given: To Prot z. c. Picker
inr United S.a,ss). and W Prof Charles Ph'ehafd
| both tor photorie,ric researches.
1887. Gold medal to @. ". nm UNITED States,
for researches on the Luna theory.
| 1854. Gold medal 10 Prof Arthur Anvsrs. 70
| re-reduc,ions Of Brsdlsy's observations.
| 1899. Gold medal 70 n. Maurice loewy. for hi
Equatorial couds and other astronomical work.
| 1890. No medal glvsn.
/ al -tv.