Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
Star Gazing Fine Art Finds National Leadership in Dis
an Plant
An NeH Dat

Ritchey has outlined.
Prof. Ritchey has acquainted the
Naval Observatory with his project, and
he asks that the United States Govern
.ncnt deed him site along the Grand
CT.yon of the Colorado. at an elevation
CT about 1000 feet. The 16-foot refiec-
tor he plans to install is about the same
iameter as the $4,000 900 mirror to be
purchased for Mount Wilson.
The present agitation for expansion
of the Naval Observatory will remind
historians of the famous debates. con-
flicts and sailies into verbosity that fea
tured its founding.
During early years Of our Govern
mert, a notion lived IN the minds OF
some people that the Constitution ex-
pressly forbids Federal meddling with
matters scientific. Pure learning was
not a business of Government. they
reasoned, forgetting that Washington
and Jefferson and Franklin themselves
had fathered the idea OF a national
university.
Thomas jefferson, the American
Leonardo da Vinci. engaged In as
tronomy, as well as several hundred
other hobbies. He made his own obser-
vations at Monticello, and at one time
presented plan for national OBJ
servatory.
In 1924, citizen petitioned Congress
with a plan to raise a National OBJ
servatory, whose top with sublimer
intent than that of Ancient Babel
should look into the sky, with complete
astronomical apparatus. professors and
equipment so liberal as to induce the
most elevated intellects to devote their
lives in tracing the marchings and
counter-marchings of planets and de-
ciphering the golden heiroglyphics Of
heaven"
When the plan for a Naval Academy
was first preached, it was suggested to
associate it with an observatory whose
professors should constitute board of
longitude"
Aside from these attempts, there were
four general movements for a national
observatory before it finally was estab-
lished. F. r. Hassler. William Lambert,
John Quincy Adams and James M. Gill
liss sponsored this innovation In
American Government.
William Lambert pushed legislation
providing for the establishment of a
prime meridian of the United States for
the reckoning of longitudes In laying
cut the seat Of Government Lambert
said, Washington had intended that the
center of the Capital should mark the
first meridian of this country.
Upon presenting his proposal with a
rough calculation of the longitude of
Washington, Congress took him into its
bosom and embraced the plan. Lambert
had only to tell them that 1t would
make us more independent of England
and her Greenwich. Ergo, q declaration
OF Astronomical independence was in or
der and the National Legislature sought
to substitute native republican me-
r1dian for an alien monarchical one"
In 1911. the House referred Lam
bert's documents to special commit
tee which one month later asked to be
discharged, as 1t felt incapable Of de-
Gliding astronomic problems. Then for
an expert opinion Congress turned to
James Monroe, President Madison'S
Secretary of State. After considering
the documents more than q year, Mon
roe returned them with a confession of
ignorance, but added a statement, how
ever, that a prime meridian should be
established at Washington.
n Il y
lust as congressional bill authoriz-
ing a national observatory and a
national astronomer" was about to be
voted on, the War of 1912 broke out
and drew attention from .star-gazing.
From 1915 to 1924 Lambert pursued
his hobby IN Congress. Whittier they
turned. Congressman couldn't avoid this
apostle Of new order. Finally he pre-
vailed on Congress to empower the
President to take measures for ascer-
tanning the longitude Of the Capital.
President Monroe ordered Lambert to
do the necessary astronomical work and,
with no assurance Of pay, Lambert re-
signed a clerkship in the War Depart
ment and began giving his time to the
project. Lambert and an assistant made
frequent observations during the Sum-
mer of 1921, and in the two years fol-
lowing he presented lengthy reports to
the President and proved how he had
drawn an exact north-south line
through the city.
AS Lambert was forced to abandon
his astronomical work. it was taken up
by President John Quincy Adams. him.
self an astronomer Of no mean talent.
Writing in 1888, he said that observa-
tons of the sun, moon and stars had
been for the greater portion of his life
"a pleasure Of gratifled curiosity, Of
ever-returning wonder. and reverence
for the Creator and mover of these I'M
numbered worlds" In 1923 he made
an offer of LOCO toward the establish
ment of an observatory at Harvard.
4CAI years 1dIcI IC uldQC a tIAP w OAl-
cinnati for the purpose Of laying a
corner stone at the new observatory
there. The founding of national OBJ
servatory was one of the cherished
hopes Of Adams full life.
He carried the issue to Congress with
candor. ut is with no feeling of pride
as an American" Adams told them,
that in the comparatively small terri
torial surface of Europe there are up
ward Of 1870 of these lighthouses of the
skies, while throughout the whole Amer
lean hemisphere there is not one
and while scarcely a year passes over
our heads without bringing new astro-
nomical discovery to light, which We
must fain receive at secondhand from
Europe. are we not cutting ourselves
off from the means of returning light
for light? We have neither observa-
tory nor observer upon one-half of the
globe The earth revolves in perpetual
der<ness to our unsearching eyes"
This was throwing astronomy into the
realm of political eloquence. Be a Con-
gresham, a poet. or a practical business
man, he could find merit in President
Adams polemic.
A bill was introduced into the House
providing for an observatory in the Dis
trict of Columbia and authorizing ap-
pointment of an astronomer. two as
sistant astronomers, etc. But Congress
failed to vote on the bill in spite Of ex-
cellent committee recommendations.
Year after year the disappointed Presi-
dent preached this plan to Congress;
the more strongly he hoped and recon-
mended, the more emphatic was Con-
gress' refusal.
Not until certain midshipman of
the Navy, Lieut.. James NJ. Gilliss, came
to Washington and looked upon the UNI
charted heavens was there any hope for
a national observatory. When young
Gilliss heard that naval officers lack
ability In science. he resolved to reverse