Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-29

| AT THE request of the EVENING
"A LEDGER l take pleasure in discuss.
ing briefly the relation of astronomy tc
Philadelphia, in view of the interesting
and important annual meeting of the
American Astronomical Society, which is
during the present week to be held at
the newly created Sproul Observatory of
Swarthmore College, and also to pay its
| respects to the Flower Observatory of
| the University of Pennsylvania, and to
other points of scientific and historic in.
terest.
Philadelphia welcomes this notable
nineteenth meeting of the American AS
Economical Society with profound ap-
proval. Although this city is one Of the
eastern centers that early nursed the as
Economical interests, which have now
spread over the broad land, 1t so happens
that this is the first time this national
society meets here. On this occasion the
keynote of reflection to Philadelphia is
that American astronomy by its great
observatories its generous support of
vast schemes of stellar investigation, and
by the enthusiasm and ability of the men
devoted to the science, now easily leads
the world.
Here rollcall will be answered by Cali
fornia with it's two famous observatories,
the Lick, on Mount Hamilton, and the
Carnegie Solar, on Mount Wilson, each
operating above the clouds, and each pro-
vided with telescopes and other scientific
equipments which among all on the earth
stand unique; Arizona, with its Flagstaff
observatory, supported by the donations
Of Boston citizens; the vast suburbs of
Chicago, supporting not only the Dear
born observatory but the famous Yerkes,
with the greatest refracting telescope
yet made; Ann Arbor. pointing to the
great school of astronomy of Brunnow
and Watson dominating the land, and to
its own expansion into astrophysical
work; Madison, reminding us that pains
taking labor can disclose the wonderful
facts of star-drift; Cleveland, which has
done so much to combine the triumphs
of modern mechanism with the telescope
mounting and it's complex attachments;
Pittsburgh, which presents a world
famed atelier for the creation of the OPP
teal means for stellar research and a
large observatory of splendid plan and
equipment; Virginia. with its great re-
fractory at Charlottesville; Washington,
with its United States Naval Observatory
still planning TO achieve high position
as National Observatory, and yearly
Issuing the indispensable Nautical Al
manac and Astronomical Ephemeris;
Washington, also presenting its Smith
sonian Astrophysical Observatory, the
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey,
and the National Bureau of Standards,
each reporting fundamental work; Bal
timore, with it's Johns Hopkins spectre
scopic measurements that have com
pletely transformed the work and the
motives of all astronomy; Princeton,
Justly proud of its revolutionary re-
searches on variable stars; New York,
with its generous support of popular in
terest in astronomy and of fundamental
Investigations in celestial photography;
New Haven, suggesting parallax work
and the triumphs OF lunar theory, and
last, though not least, Cambridge, with its
Observatory Of many clustering
domes, and vast enterprises in astro-
nomical photography and photometry, re-
minding us OF it's inimitable library of
star plates and its ceaseless record of
stellar position and constitution.