AN AGED ASTRONOMER.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12754, 29 March 1910, Page 4

AN AGED ASTRONOMER.

With one of the most interesting working days of his life Sir William Hnggins, the famous astronomer, on February 12th celebrated his eightysixth birthday. The_ founder of the science of astro-physics, -he has for more than sixty years devoted his life to the lore of the stars. "Lifo is work, -and work is life," he said, in an interview. "How oould I have spent the day more happily than by dedicating it to the service of this thing which has been the one true mistress of my life?" His hand fell lovingly on a huge red volume lying on his study table. His fingers trembled ever so lightly as he turned the pages. "This hook," he said, "was published only twQjjioiiths ago, and in it are all my scientific papers. See, here is ono written in 1866, when astro-physics was a baby science, atid I, its founder, knew but little of &H we were to learn in later years. "And as the years fly past, fres-i knowledge becomes more and mo*'e difficult to grasp. It is Jiot .that 1 work.; less keenly as the days go by, but rather that as the science has 'leyeloped only details are left for discovery. But who knows? Every day I work for hours in my laboratory and then - on .till nine o'clock of an evening I am here in my study, thinking and reading, reading and thinking."