the objects in the sky.

Another example of cooperative work is a plan proposed by the writer in
1906, at the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth
of Franklin. It was proposed, first to find the best place in the world
for an astronomical observatory, which would probably be in South
Africa, to erect there a telescope of the largest size, a reflector of
seven feet aperture. This instrument should be kept at work throughout
every clear night, taking photographs according to a plan recommended by
an international committee of astronomers. The resulting plates should
not be regarded as belonging to a single institution, but should be at
the service of whoever could make the best use of them. Copies of any,
or all, would be furnished at cost to any one who wished for them. As an
example of their use, suppose that an astronomer at a little German
University should discover a law regulating the stars in clusters.
Perhaps he has only a small telescope, near the smoke and haze of a
large city, and has no means of securing the photographs he needs. He
would apply to the committee, and they would vote that ten photographs
of twenty clusters, each with an exposure of an hour, should be taken
with the large telescope. This would occupy about a tenth part of the
time of the telescope for a year. After making copies, the photographs
would be sent to the astronomer who would perhaps spend ten years in
studying and measuring them. The committee would have funds at their
disposal to furnish him, if necessary, with suitable measuring
instruments, assistants for reducing the results, and means for
publication. They would thus obtain the services of the most skilful
living astronomers, each in his own special line of work, and the latter
would obtain in their own homes material for study, the best that the
world could supply. Undoubtedly, by such a combination if properly
organized, results could be obtained far better than is now possible by