Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-04
DIR. c. L. DOOLITTLE,
ASTRONOMER, DEAD
Distinguished Retired Profes.
sor at Penn Will Be Buried
at Bethlehem Thursday

DR. Charles Leander Doolittle. Flower
emeritus professor OF astronomy at the
University OF Pennsylvania. died yester-
day at his home. 1929 Pine street He
had been i'll five weeks.
Funeral services will be held Thurs
day morning at the home OF his brother
in-law, Or. j. Fred Wolfe. 1is Church
street, Bethlehem.
He resigned the active professorshp
at the University OF Pennsylvania In
! 1912. when he was succeeded by his son.
! Or Eric Doolittle. The elder Doctor
Doolittle retired under the age limit rule
OF the University, which in his case was
extended several years.
Besides a wife, who was Miss Helen
Eugenia Wolfe, of Bethlehem. Doctor
Doolittle is survived by these children: {:
DR.. Eric Doolittle, Mrs. Richard Aiding
ton. Of London. whose husband. Lieu
| tenant Arlington. is in France with the
British army: Alfred Doolittle. who is
doing government work In Washington ::
! Harold Doolittle. of Pittsburgh. and En-
sign Melvin Dooittle. L. S. ~, who Is
on his way to Syria on the L. S. s.
Pensacola to engage in relief work.
! Another son. Captain Gilbert Doolitte,
Company r, S03d Division, L. s. En-
gineers. was killed In action in France
on September &c last.
| Doctor Doolittle was born in Ontario,
! Ind, November -, 1s43. He was grad
uated from the University Of Michigan
in 1874. and from 1875 to 1895 he was
| professor of mathematics and astronomy
| at Lehigh University. When the Flower
Astronomical Observatory was founded
as part OF the University of Pennsyl-
vania, in 1895. re came here TO take
charge. and became its director in con-
nection with filing the astronomical pro-
fessorship.
Before Dr. Eric Dooittle succeeded
his father the two were associated in
astronomical work at the University and
! the observatory For years they kept
up a series OF observations for latitude.
investigating the minute variations that
are continually going On owing to the
"wabbling" OF the earth. Some years
ago Doctor Doolittle explained that the
la atitude OF Philadelphia varied as much
as sixty feet from one year to another
This is due to the constant, although
ever SO slightly changing position of the
North Pole, due 10 the fact that the
earth Is crowded by the sun and moon.
The results of observation on changes
of latitude have been published by the
university in three large volumes and
in a single volume by the American
Philosophical Society.
The largest instrument at the Flower
Observatory is the eighteen-inch equa-
toral telescope, which has been used
/ almost entirely for the measurement of
double stars Thousands of pairs Of
these objects have been measured and
many entirely new pairs discovered. The
results OF these observations also fll
three large volumes published by the
University
DR.. Charles J.. Doolittle was a MEM
ber OF many learned societies, including
! the Astronomische Gesellschaft, the
American Philosophical Society and the
Astronomical Society of America. Of
which he was treasurer from 1899 tG
| 1911. lie was the author Of a number Of
standard and valuable works on astron-
omy. including Practical Astronomy as
| Applied to Geodesy and Navigation" ;"
Results of Observation with Zenith
! Telescope. Sayre Observatory, 1876
! 1895" Results OF Observation with
Zenith Telescope Flower Astronomical
Observatory, 1S94t1911." He contributed
many articles to scientific journals.
Lehigh University. in 1912, conferred
the honorary degree LII. d. upon Doctor
I Doolitties