The Study of the Stars 1

Abstract

THE object of the American Association is the advancement of science. This is a very different matter from the diffusion of human knowledge. The universities and colleges provide liberally for the latter subject, but neglect the former almost entirely. Science is advanced by many individuals who hold offices in the universities, but seldom as a part of their official duties. Few professors are allowed tb regard research as a portion of their college work, and still less frequently are appropriations made, or funds provided for original investigation. Astronomy is almost the only exception to this rule, and even here, in general, the time of the officers is mainly devoted to teaching. Observatories devoted to research, like Lick, McCormick, and Harvard, are supported by funds given specifically for their use, and receive little or no aid from the general funds of the universities with which they are associated. It is probable that American universities devote one hundred times as much money to the diffusion of human knowledge as to its advancement. The great progress made in America in some departments of astronomy is due to the fact that certain wealthy men and women have been willing to give large sums of money for this object. No other country is so fortunate in this respect, although in recent years, in Germany, large appropriations are being made by the Government for similar purposes.