The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-13

A trifing incident led to the building Of
the great equatorial telescope at Wash
ington, as Professor. Newcomb tells the
story. A young son of Cyrus Field of At
lantle,. cable. fame was at a small dinner
party in Washington after day of sight
seeing. He was asked to. tell what he
had seen, and, among other things, ex
pressed his surprise at finding no large
telescope at the national observatory. A
senator present expressed his surprise at
the fact and then and there pledged him
self to the support of a movement to get
an instrument such as the government
ought to have, and the present fine in
strument, which has now been far sur
passed, however, was obtained.
The "reminiscences of an astronomer, as
given by Professor Newcomb, are not of
interest to- scientific: men only, as the
above will show. ON the contrary they
are of great interest to the general read
err, especially; when they are so clearly
recalled and lucidly set forth as are these
by Professor Newconllo. The professor
has had a wide acquaintance with public
men and affairs and his recollections Of
these form quite as important a. part Of
his book as his more strictly scientific rec
5olections and even the latter are written
of in a way to place them among the best
of popular reading along scientific lines.
About fifteen days ago in this column
were printed some wise sayings. These
sayings. were SO full Of the spirit of the
man that uttered, them and that man is SO
well known that Just for the fun Of the
thing it was decided to see how well
readers were acquainted. with the man as
a writer and speaker by calling for guesses
as to the author. of the sayings printed.
The replies received were surprisingly few
and only one was correct. The author was
President Roosevelt, and it was thought
that quotations like the two below, from
Maxims of Theodore Roosevelt would
guide readers to the right name. But per-
haps the Minnesota Michigan football
game, with it's actual strenuosity, which
was, only two days away. may explain why
little things like pleas for the strenuous
We're SO wholly overlooked. 1t is hardly
/ to be supposed that Minneapolitans did
not at once know who wrote Or spoke
these things:
his work we'll. and it is worth doing, then It mat
tiers little in which line that work. is done. "
The only homage that counts is the homage of
deeds.
l. And then there was another beginning:
What every man needs, is robust vir-
| tue
In his Mr.. Salt, Will Payne'sr hero; a
| pfutocratic operator and president of a
| big corporation. falls in love with his
! stenographer, Esther Rosa very ordi-
| nary incident in business life. of course,
! but the author abandons humdruny and
! envelopes Esther and Salt in a: large, at
mosphere of romance. A delay, accentuateG
with somewhat thrilling Incidents is expe-
/ rienced before the two are married. Mr.
< Salts love, patronizing and Favored with
business at first, developed into robust and
1 honest love and deep affection for the
! poor but handsome girl, who, by perpe-
! trating a lie of some magnitude, saved
him from azhard fate In Esther,s story
OF. how she came to love the apparently
! heartless operator there is room for re-
Election. The authors description of the
battles of the pits and the panic Of 1893
! is decidedly stirring. =.
Mr.. .Foulke's volume of causerie, Pro-
team Papers, is very pleasant reading
, His talk about spelbinders ernbodies ex-
celent suggestions to political stunpers
and postprandial speakers, showing among
other things the awkward fix in which the
man who goes out with a single speech
| finds himself sometimes. My Dog" brims
| with humor.
Where Love Is, by w j. Locke, has
! some sensibility- shocking surprises in it.
The title does not foreshadow the sItua-
| ton It is a society novel, full of cold
cynical. worldly society people, and Nor
ma Hardacre is the heroine, who, gravi-
tating to the heroic. stops short and turns
back. She is betrothed to Morland King
roue, cynical. loveless. 1t is the es~
sence of a cold-blooded society betrothal
I The girl played for money and position
/, She met Padgate, an artist and friend
of King, a man with high ideals of love
manhood and womanhood, who made he1
dissatisfied with herself and DESTROYS OF
something better in life than what she
j had or would get with King. This infiu-
I ence and a semi tragical occurrence led
her to defer the marriage. She got close
| enough to this life, Of which she knew
I little, to be betrothed to the artist. The
author, instead Of recording the marriage
happiness of Padgate and this beautiful
and brilliant society woman, gives us a
! denouement most repulsive.
The novel is brilliant in it's way anc
reflects the heartlessness Of wealth. wor.
shipping society.