Simon Newcomb

“ When we learn that these bodies are like our earth in form, size, and motions, the first question we ask is, Could we fly from planet to planet and light on the surface of each, what sort of scenery would meet our eyes? ”

“ May we not confidently hope that the discussions of such an assemblage will prove pregnant of a future for science which shall outshine even its brilliant past.
Gentlemen and scholars all! You do not visit our shores to find great collections in which centuries of humanity have given expression on canvas and in marble to their hopes, fears, and aspirations. Nor do you expect institutions and buildings hoary with age. ”

“ The soul of generosity and the pink of honor, ever ready to lend a hand to a struggling youth whom he found deserving of help, enthusiastically devoted to his favorite science, pursuing it in the most exalted spirit, animated by not a single mean motive, it might have been supposed that all the facilities the world could offer would have been open to him in his career. ”

“ Consequently they never ask in what way their science is going to benefit mankind. As the great captain of industry is moved by the love of wealth, and the political leader by the love of power over men, so the astronomer is moved by the love of knowledge for its own sake, and not for the sake of its useful applications. Yet he is proud to know that his science has been worth more to mankind than it has cost. He does not value its results merely as a means of crossing the ocean or mapping the country, for he feels that man does not live by bread alone. ”

“ As millions more of years elapse will the constellations gather together in the opposite quarter and gradually diminish to a patch of light as the star pursues its irresistible course of two hundred miles per second through the wilderness of space, leaving our universe farther and farther behind it, until it is lost in the distance? ”

“ It is a striking example of how easily we may fail to realize our knowledge when I say that I have thought many a time how deliciously one might pass those hundred millions of years in a journey to the star a Lyrae, without its occurring to me that we are actually making that very journey at a speed compared with which the motion of a steamship is slow indeed. ”

“ The building of a ship from the time that her keel is laid until she is making her way across the ocean is a slow and gradual process; yet there is a cataclysmic epoch opening up a new era in her history. It is the moment when, after lying for months or years a dead, inert, immovable mass, she is suddenly endowed with the power of motion, and, as if imbued with life, glides into the stream, eager to begin the career for which she was designed. ”

“ If solid land there is, would we find on it the homes of intelligent beings, the lairs of wild beasts, or no living thing at all? Could we breathe the air, would we choke for breath or be poisoned by the fumes of some noxious gas? ”

“ The most essential point of difference is one of those seemingly slight ones, the importance of which we are too apt to overlook. It was like the drop of blood in the wrong place, which some one has told us makes all the difference between a philosopher and a maniac. ”

“ Sixteen years after the death of Lincoln public feeling was again moved to its depth by the assassination of Garfield. The cry seemed to pass from mouth to mouth through the streets faster than a messenger could carry the news, "The President has been shot." ”

“ We have reached a stage where we know much of the heavenly bodies. We have mapped out our solar system with great precision. But how with that great universe of millions of stars in which our solar system is only a speck of star-dust, a speck which a traveller through the wilds of space might pass a hundred times without notice? We have learned much about this universe, though our knowledge of it is still dim. ”

“ It matters not for us whether Columbus ever knew that he had discovered a new continent. His work was to teach that neither hydra, chimera nor abyss—neither divine injunction nor infernal machination—was in the way of men visiting every part of the globe, and that the problem of conquering the world reduced itself to one of sails and rigging, hull and compass. The better part of Copernicus was to direct man to a view-point whence he should see that the heavens were of like matter with the earth. ”

“ Through every year, every hour, every minute, of human history from the first appearance of man on the earth, from the era of the builders of the Pyramids, through the times of Caesar and Hannibal, through the period of every event that history records, not merely our earth, but the sun and the whole solar system with it, have been speeding their way towards the star of which I speak on a journey of which we know neither the beginning nor the end. ”

“ It embraces not only the whole human race but all nature in its scope. The public spirit of which this city is the focus has made the desert blossom as the rose, and benefited humanity by the diffusion of the material products of the earth. ”

“ To inquire whether the will itself is free is like inquiring whether fire itself is consumed by the burning, or whether clothing is itself clad. It is not, therefore, at all surprising that both parties have been able to dispute without end, but it is a most astonishing phenomenon of the human intellect that the dispute should go on generation after generation without the parties finding out whether there was really any difference of opinion between them on the subject. ”

“ Hundreds of millions of years is indeed a long time, and yet, when we contemplate the changes supposed to have taken place during that time, we do not look out on eternity itself, which is veiled from our sight, as it were, by the unending succession of changes that mark the progress of time. But in the motions of the stars we are brought face to face with eternity and infinity, covered by no veil whatever. It would be bold to speak dogmatically on a subject where the springs of being are so far hidden from mortal eyes as in the depths of the universe. ”

“ Astronomy may fairly claim to be that science which transcends all others in its demands upon the practical application of our reasoning powers. Look at the stars that stud the heavens on a clear evening. What more hopeless problem to one confined to earth than that of determining their varying distances, their motions, and their physical constitution? Everything on earth we can handle and investigate. But how investigate that which is ever beyond our reach, on which we can never make an experiment? On certain occasions we see the moon pass in front of the sun and hide it from our eyes. ”

“ In treating a theme of perennial interest one naturally tries to fancy what the future may have in store If the traveller, contemplating the ruins of some ancient city which in the long ago teemed with the life and activities of generations of men, sees every stone instinct with emotion and the dust alive with memories of the past, may he not be similarly impressed when he feels that he is looking around upon a seat of future empire—a region where generations yet unborn may take a leading part in moulding the history of the world? ”

“ The possibility of such a restoration completely transcends our science. How can the little vibration which strikes our eye from some distant star, and which has been perhaps thousands of years in reaching us, find its way back to its origin? The light emitted by the sun 10,000 years ago is to-day pursuing its way in a sphere whose surface is 10,000 light-years distant on all sides. Science has nothing even to suggest the possibility of its restoration, and the most delicate observations fail to show any return from the unfathomable abyss. ”

“ What sort of life, spiritual and intellectual, exists in distant worlds? We cannot for a moment suppose that our little planet is the only one throughout the whole universe on which may be found the fruits of civilization, family affection, friendship, the desire to penetrate the mysteries of creation. And yet this question is not to-day a problem of astronomy, nor can we see any prospect that it ever will be, for the simple reason that science affords us no hope of an answer to any question that we may send through the fathomless abyss. ”

“ To produce the observed result, the inclination of the ring would have to be greater than that of the orbit of either Mercury or Venus. In 1895 Newcomb showed that the observed motions, both of the perihelion of Mercury and of the nodes of Mercury and Venus, could be approximately represented by the attraction of a ring of inter-mercurial bodies having a mean inclination of 9° and the mean node in 48° longitude. He also showed that if the ring was placed between the orbits of Mercury and Venus, the inclination would be 7·5° and the longitude of the node 35°. ”

“ Of these, Oppolzer’s are constructed with greater numerical accuracy and detail, while Newcomb’s are founded on more recent astronomical data, and are preferable for computing ancient eclipses. F. K. Ginzel’s Spezieller Kanon der Sonnen- und Mondfinsternisse (Berlin, 1899) contains, besides the historical researches already mentioned, maps of the paths of central eclipses visible in the lands of classical antiquity from 900 B.C. to A.D. 500, but computed with imperfect astronomical data. ”

“ We couldn’t play our hands if the man we want so badly has gone off with his crowd, to hold up some bank, or treasure train, could we? So while the stars hold out to shine up in the sky, and things seem to be fairly quiet with that mob, we’ll see what luck we have. I’ve got it figured out that Simeon must sleep in that dun-colored army tent close to the cookhouse, and dining hall; so that’s bound to be our main objective tonight, after we land in the valley.”
“Huh! only thing I got to worryin’ ’bout, partner, is dawgs,” said Perk, with a particular emphasis on the last word. ”

“ An interval of 250 years elapsed before the constructive labours of Hipparchus obtained completion at Alexandria. His observations were largely, and somewhat arbitrarily, employed by Professor Newcomb, Ptolemy. who has compiled an instructive table of the equinoxes severally Ptolemy.observed by Hipparchus and Ptolemy, with their errors deduced from Leverrier’s solar tables, finds palpable evidence that the discrepancies between the two series were artificially reconciled on the basis of a year 6m too long, adopted by Ptolemy on trust from his predecessor. ”

“ I doant see haow anybody could go astray in sech a canyon as this same.”
“To be sure,” Jack assured him, “that’s true as long as this is the only old waterbed we’ll have to follow; which it isn’t, if you remember those directions Simeon sent in. Once we became a bit rattled as to which channel to follow, and it’d ruin all our calculations—the element of uncertainty has wrecked more clever plans than anything agoing. More than that, we must turn around and stare at the way things look from the other direction; because we’ll be heading back to our camp when we need to follow our trail. ”

“ Perk muttered to himself, as he felt his pulses quicken once more, “don’t I jest hope he’s struck ile—run acrost some piled-up crags that might a served Simeon as a good marker. But great snakes! heow air we agoin’ to drop daown anywhere when there aint nary a sign o’ level ground as big as my red neckerchief; an’ us a wantin’ a stretch a hundred feet, long—as much more as we kin find?” ”

“ Jack picked up the glasses, and handed them to the other.
“You’re a vidette on the lookout this morning, buddy,” he explained. “Up in our old place you’ll keep watch on the valley, to note everything that takes place, so you can pass it along to me. Keep your eye particularly on those two figures whenever they’re in sight—Slippery Slim Garrabrant and the cook, whom I believe to be Simeon Balderson, a prisoner.” ”

“ You see, there were a few hints in what our good friend Simeon incorporated in his brief notes, that started such an idea in my brain; so once again we’re indebted to his scouting for putting us wise to a good thing.”
“Bully ole Simeon—he’s all wool an’ a yard wide I’m a tellin’ yeou Jack, as the boys used to say in aour village when I was a smart-aleck kid.” ”

“ Yep, we done aourselves proud this time—meanin’ yeou did, Jack, ahandling the stick so smartly. Naow, what’s next on the programme, tell me?”
“You’re to take hold once more, and keep circling that target, while I stow away a little chow; afterwards I’ll run things while you stoke up. We must keep in mind that there’s no occasion for any undue haste—we’re out to get results, no matter how long we’ve got to hang around this part of the country. Caution, and slow progress—those are to be our watchwords, Perk.” ”

“ Take it as a matter of fact, Perk—one of those quirks that roll around occasionally.”
“Yeah—sure, that’s right, Jack—jest so—nawthin’ awful strange ’bout him aturnin’ aout to be the lucky dog as skipped aout o’ the pen, giving Uncle Sam the laugh. Go on an’ tell me some more. Kinder looks like we’d got to roll aour hoop up agin that Smart Aleck again, ’fore we get him caged for keeps.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, matey,” Jack told him, frowning as he spoke; “but if they do get him back alive in his cell they’ll keep closer tabs on Slim, you can wager. ”

“ It proved to be a wise move for presently they managed to glimpse what seemed to be the corner of a small cottage, built of coquina rock and altogether attractive in appearance, proving that the Big Boss never hesitated to spend money when he could secure results.
“Huh!” gurgled Perk, stretching his neck so as to see better through the narrow opening that served them as a lookout, “some toney, strikes me, considerin’ the desolate country round-about this section. Must be his high-hat tastes foller him, no matter where he goes–sorter dude, I’d call him, partner.” ”