The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-01
STARS MOVE IN TWO STREAMS
SIR DAVID GILL ON THE GREAT
PROFESSIONS N SPACE.


and Both streanre Are Abke In Design
snd Development Tho story Of the
~ OlutioD OF suns Being Msde Plain.
Special CAB le Despatch 10 THE SUN.
LONDON. July 3i.-Sir David Gill opened
the annual meeting OF the British Associa-
ton with his presidential address to-day,
dealing entirely with astronomical sub
jects. While it was probably the most
technical and least popular inaugural
address to which the association ever
listened it contained matters of interest
TO laymen.
Sir David announced the confirmation
| Of a discovery of which South Africa had
the first news. He said:
BY patient and long continued labor in
the minute sitting Of numerical results the
grand discovery has been made that a great
part OF space, 80 far as we have visible
knowledge Of il, is occupied by two maics-
tic streams Of stars travelling in opposite
directions. Accurate, minute measure
ments have given us some certain knowi-
/, edge as to the distances Of the stars within
a certain limited portion Of space, and in
the cryptograms OF their spectra has been
deciphered the amazing truth that the stars
of both streams are alike in design. alike
in chemical constitution and alike in process
Of development.
whence have come the two vast streams
Of matter out Of which has been evolved
these stars that now move through space in
such majestic prooession1 The hundreds
OF millions Of stars that comprise these
streams are they the sole ponderable occu-
pants of space? However vast may be the
system 10 which they belong, that system
itself is but a speck in illimitable space.
May IL not be but one OF millions Of such sys-
TENS that pervade the infinite? We do not
know. 'Canst thou by searching find out
God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfectionT'
Referring to the revelation of the spectre
scope that many Of the nebule were merely
nchoste masses Of luminous gas. Sir David
said:
Evidence upon evidence has accumu-
lated to show that such nebul@ consist Of
matter out of which stars chat is suns
have been and are being evolved. The
different types of star spectra form such
a complete and gradual sequence as to
suggest that we have before us. written
in the ~cryptograms Of these spectra. a
complete story of the evolution OF suns
, from inchoate nebula onward TO the most
active sun. like our own, and then down
ward to the almost heatiess, invisible ball.
The period during which human life has
existed on our globe is probably too short,
even il our first parents had begun the
work. to afford observational proof Of such
a cycle OF change in any particular star,
l.s 49, f,As ~ an.-h ..yNI,.NsNa NTH cha
evidences before us can hardly be doubted.
Il most fully believe that when the
notifications Of terrestrial spectra under
sufficiently varied conditions OF tempers-
ture. pressure and environment have been
further studied this conclusion will be
greatly strengthened. but in this study
we must have regard also - tha spectra
Of the stars themselves.
The stars are the crucibles of the
Creator. There we see matter under condi-
tions Of temperature, pressure and environ
ment. the variety Of which we cannot hops
to emulate in our laboratories. and on a
scale of magnitude beside which the pro-
portion OF our greatest experiments is less
than hat of a drop to the ocean. The
spoctroscopic astronomer has TO thank
the physicist and chemist for the founda-
ton Of his science, but the time Ii coming
we can almost see IL ~now-when the as
tronomer will repay the deb by wide
reaching contributions TO the very funda-
menta OF chemical science
Other points that Sir David brought out
included a statement that even with the
scant material available IL now seemed
certain that the suns actual velocity was
between eighteen and twenty kilometers a
second.
Sir David appealed to the public and the
Government for funds to enable the survey
from Cape Colony 10 Cairo to be COM
pleted so that the largest arc OF meridian
that can be measured on the earth's surface
might be drawn He also appea led for the
erection In the southern hemisphere of a
huge rejecting telescope Of dimensions
similar to those OF the American telescope
on Mount Wilson.
He enthusiastically welcomed the pro-
posal Of the Carnegie Institute TO establish
a meridian observatory n the Southern
Hemisphere. saying the task undertaken
by Such an observatory, by the Cape OBJ
servatory and. IL possible. by another in
the Southern hemisphere and by three OBJ
servatories in the Northern Hemisphere
would be regarded by astronomers Of tho
future as the most valuable contribution
that could be made to astronomy at the
present day.
Taken in conjunction with the astro-
graphic survey Of the heavens. now 30 far
advanced, II was an opportunity that II lost
could never be mad good IL was a work
that would grow in value yearly and pns
that would ever be remembered with graft
| tude by the astronomers of the future.
TO DfSFRANCHISE ALL NEGROES.