The San Francisco call., 1905-01-22

tHdl SutIi uoOhS as THIS one nfSt puD-
lished are what the public wants. The
others of the promised series deal
with geology, biology and sociology.
If they succeed in giving the lay mind
such complete and vivid impression
of the fundaJnentals as this one does
Mr. Irving may congratulate himself
This is work which Is not a text
book, but, as its author says, an in
vitation to text books. 1t is
book for the casual reader, who
desires to acquaint himself with the
principles OF astronomy without delv-
ing into its intricacies. OF all the sci
ences astronomy probably presents the
greatest difficulties in the way of
popular Interpretation, so indissolubly
is 1T linked with the profunditles of
higher mathematics and SO far re-
moved from everyday thought and
common conceptions are its principles.
Yet by the use of simple, most homely
demonstrations and by the artifice of
clothing the heaviest technicalities in
garments Of poetic similitudes the au-
thor of How to Know the Starry
Heavens has made those very sidereal
wildcrnesses yield themselves to an
initiated reader which is comprehen-
sive If not technically exact
To gain at least working knowledge
OF the apparent motion of heavenly
bodies take two umbrellas, directs the
author, and bind their sticks together
SO that the open envelopes will form
rough globe. Then with the names of
the stars chalked upon the cloth in
rough correspondence to their heavenly
stations, and with the experimenter
taking his imaginary stand in the rib
laced interior of this rough sphere,
revolutions Of the machine will bring
convincing demonstration of principles.
Or again, to use another homely dem
onstration, the author directs that the
initiate suspend two potatoes. speared
on the opposite ends of stick in the
manner of a balance: by shifting the
point of the center of gravity differ
ence in the orbit of their respective rev.
olutions will be noted: the relative
weights of the two potatoes will then
be determined, just as astronomers de-
termine the relative weights of the
earth and the sun or of the earth and
Saturn. Thus does Irving make COM
prehensible to the layman something
which were 1t to be read in the terms
of logarithms and differential calculus
would be as cryptic as Kipling's
They"
By series of quaint measurements
the writer harnesses the unthinkable
distances of star space by bands Of
tangible proportions, thus: A spiders
thread is so gauzy, says Irving, that a
pounds weight Of it would probably
encircle our earth, yet to reach the
moon ten pounds of it would be neces-
sary, 3712 pounds would only suffice to
reach the sun and 1t would take fifty
six, tons Of this gossamer to bridge the
distance from our planet to Neptune.
Here is work for Arachne. indeed.
Mr.. Irving is not so snuffy scientist
but that bit of the poet will out.
Drawing inspiration from George Sterl-
tng's beautiful Testimony of the
Suns" the author bitches his chariot of
imagination to a far-fiinging star and
carries US uD with him to watch the
tremendous processes OF cosmic manu-
facture from birdseye vantage or
course, the orthodox astronomer may
decry this infusion of imagination into
dry-as-dust, but the barbarian reader,
who knows not the language of science.
finds 1t in his heart to appreciate the
beauty Of Irvings guide book to star
space, which pictures the titanic erupr
tion of worlds and the burning of whole
hemispheres Of nebulae as stereopticon
views cast on screen. One who can
give even the least tangibility to the
infinite mysteries of the universe does
much.
F'rederick A. Stokes Company, New
York; illustrated; price $2.)