The Washington herald., 1908-01-03

gether, the study Of the corona, which
costs so many miles OF travel, so great
an expenditure Of money. so much con-
centration OF mind, amounts TO just one
week in a whole century.
The earliest records of the corona We're
only sketches made by artists whose eyes
had been tightly bound for while before
the eclipse. and then released when the
sun was obscured, and there appeared
only the irregular outlines Of the corona
flaming out TO a height Of 325,0o0 miles
that they might better sketch the many
fine lines Then Prof, Young applied
photography TO its study. and science has
contributed lavishly of her other stores
In the interest Of thos work 1t was not
until 1878 that the telegraph was brought
into play. A young astronomer working
In Wyoming thought 1t would be useful
both 10 himself and TO mis- co-worker in
Texas II they CO uld compare notes as to
the possible revelation Of intra-mercurial
planets. so they arranged for the exclu-
sive use OF the telegraph line for that
interval 1t was not needed, but offered
a suggestion for future use. BY its means
new records can be flashed 70 observa-
tories OF other countries where several
hours difference in time allows one scien-
tist 10 take advantage Of something an
other has already seen.
The early records of total eclipses are
richly embellished with the superstition
Of the times. Herodotus makes a record
in 5s4 B. c. Of a great darkness that fell
at midday over the Nedes and Lydians
then in battle, and tells how both armies,
In terror. asked for peace. When Keno
phon and his army were on their famous
retreat he saw the ruins Of a great de-
serted city called Larissa that the Per-
SLAMS had captured long before when its
inhabitants were terror-stricken By a
biotting out Of the sun. Pericles deftly
turned an eclipse into a sign Of good
omen when he was preparing TO take the
Athenians against the L.acedaemonians
AgathocIes. waging a four years war in
Africa, interpreted the eclipse that shad-
owed the sea where the galleys lay as a
sign Of good omen to himself. OF bad
import 70 his enemies. while a historian
gravely chronicles that an eclipse an
nOunced the death Of the Emperor Domi-
tian- England had famous BLACK Sat
urday' and Scotland a Black Monday"
three centuries or so ago. and In i706 the
council OF Geneva closed its deliberations
because Of the darkness caused by an
eclipse.
In 1872 nations Of all the enlightened
world had representatives in Europe TO
witness great eclipse, and by the time
the nineteenth century was in its third
quarter all persons Of enlightened nations
were on such familiar terms with the
once feared phenomenon that a New
York paper made note Of the eclipse Of
January ., 1855. IN the laconic and IL
TeveTent headlines: The sun Knocked
out. After two minutes II comes up
smiling. Clear skies almost universal
along the belt Of totallty" What a con-
trast 20 the respectful chronicle made by
Richard OF Malmesbury on March %
lli0; With Us, indeed and with all our
neighbors. the observation Of the sun
alone was so remarkable that persons
sitting at table at first feared that chaos
was come again. II was thought and
said by many not untruly that the King
would not continue a year in govern
ment. SO much has the world progressed
so familiar and friendly has science be-
come 70 her children.
TO-morrOw-Cruise OF the Gold Fleet