YALE ALUMNI WHEHEKLY
HUBERT ANSON NEWTON.
Professor Gibbs’ Estimate of his
Work and Character.
Through the kindness of the editor of
the American Journal of Science, the
Weekly is able to reproduce this week.
from the advance sheets of the May
issue of the Journal, the following
from the closing passages of Professor
J. Willard Gibbs’ review of the life
and work of the late Professor Hu-
bert Anson Newton:
“If we ask what traits of mind and
eharacter are indicated by these pa-
pers, the answer is not difficult. Pro-
fessor Klein has divided mathematical
minds into three leading classes: the
logicians, whose pleasure and power
lies in subtility of definition and dia-
lectic skill; the geometers, whose pow-
er lies in the use of the svace-intui- ~
tions: and the formalists, who seek
to find an algorithm for every opera-
tion. Professor Newton evidently be-
longed to the second of these classes,
and his natural tastes seem to have
found an equal gratification in the de-
velopment of a system of abstract geo-~
metric truths, or in the investiga-
tion of the concrete phenomena of na-
ture as they exist in space and time.
“But these papers show more than
the type of mind of the author: they
give no uncertain testimony concern-
ing the character of the man. In all
these papers we see a love of honest
work, an aversion to shams, a distrust
of rash generalizations and specula-
tions based on uncertain premises.
He was never anxious to add one or
more guesses on doubtftl matters in the
hope of hitting the truth, or what
might pass as such for a time, but
was always willing to take infinite
pains in the most careful test of ev-
ery theory. To these qualities was
joined a modesty which forbade the
pushing of his own claims, and desired
no reputation except the unsought
tribute of competent judges. At the
close of his article on meteors in the
Encyclopaedia Britannica, which has
not the least reference to himself as a
contributor to The Science, he remarks
that ‘meteoric science is a structure
built stone by stone by many build-
ers.” We may add that no one has
done more than himself to establish
the foundations of the science, and
that the stones which he has laid are
not likely to need relaying. * * *
THE WORK FOR YALE.
“But the studies which have won
for their author an honorable reputa-
tion among men of science of all
countries form only one side of the life
of the man whom we are considering.
Another side, probably the most im-
portant, is that in which he was iden-
tified with the organic life of the Col-
lege and University with which he had
been connected from a very early age.
In fact, we might almost call the
studies which we have been consider-
ing, the recreations of a busy life of
one whose serious occupation has been
that of an instructor. If from all
those who have come under his in-
struction we should seek to
learn their personal recollec-
tions of Professor Newton, we
should probably find that the most
universal impression made on his stu-
dents was his enthusiastic love of the
subject which he was teaching.
“A department of the University in
which he took an especial interest was
the Observatory. This was placed un-
der his direction at its organization,
and although he subsequently resigned
the nominal directorship, the institu-
tion remained virtually under his
charge, and may be said to owe its ex-
istence in large measure to his untiring
spe and personal sacrifice in its be-
alf.
A HAPPY ACCIDENT.
“One sphere of activity in the Observ-
atory was suggested by a happy acci-
dent which Professor Newton has de-
scribed in this Journal, September,
1893. An amateur astronomer in a
neighboring town, Mr. John Lewis, ac-
cidentally obtained on a stellar photo-
graph the track of a large meteor. He
announced in the newspapers that he
had secured such qg photograph, and
requested observations from those
who had Seen its hisht. > “lhe
photographic plates,with letters received
from various observers, were placed
in Professor Newton’s hands, and were
discussed in the paper mentioned. The
advantages of photographic observa-
tions were sO conspicuous that Profes-
sor Newton was anxious that the Ob-
servatory should employ this method of
“urement
securing the tracks of meteors. With
the aid of an appropriation granted
by the National Academy from the jn-
come of the J. Lawrence Smith fund,
a battery of cameras was mounted on
an equatorial axis. By this means, a
number of meteor-tracks have been ob-
tained of the August meteors, and in
one case, through a simultaneous ob-
servation by Mr. Lewis in Ansonia, Pro-
fessor Newton was able to calculate the
course of the meteor in the atmosphere
with a probable error which he esti-
mated at less than a mile. The results
which may be expected at the now near
return of the Leonids will be of espe-
cial interest, but it will be for others
to utilize them. *.* *
HIS WORK FOR THE METRIC SYSTEM,
“Professor Newton was a member of
the American Metrological Society
from the first, and was conspicuously
active in the agitation which resulted
in the enactment of the law of 1866, le-
galizing the use of the metric system.
He prepared the table of the metric
equivalents of the customary units of
weights and measures which was in-
corporated in the act, and by which the
relations of the fundamental units were
defined. But he did not stop here. Ap-
-preciating the weakness of legislative
enactment compared with popular sen-
timent, and feeling that the real battle
was to be won in familiarizing the peo-
ple with the metric system, he took
pains to interest the makers of scales
and rulers and other devices for meas-
in adovting the units and
graduations of the metric system, and
to have the prover tables introduced
into school arithmetics. * * #*
“In all these relations of life, the sub-
ject of this sketch exhibited the same
traits of character which are seen in
his published papers, the same mod-
esty, the same conscientiousness, the
same devotion to high ideals. His life
was the quiet life of the scholar, en-
nobled by the unselfish aims of the
Christian gentleman; his memory will
be cherished by many friends; and so
long as astronomers, while they watch
the return of the Leonids marking off
the passage of the centuries,-shall care
to turn the earlier pages of this branch
of astronomy, his name will have an
honorable place in the history of the
Science.”’
M. Brunetiere at New Haven.
One of the most important lecturers
who have visited Yale this year was
M. Brunetiere, who lectured under the
auspices of the Modern Language Club,
of Yale, last Saturday, April 24. Fer-
dinand Brunetiere is not only one of the
greatest literary critics of to-day, but
he is also one of the leading lecturers
in France, the editor of the Revue des
Deux Mondes, and a member of the
French Academy. He lectured entirely -
in French, giving a critical review of
the leading periods of French literature
under the title of ‘Les Grandes Ep-
oques de la Litterature Francaise.’’
M. Brunetiere has been in this coun-
try only a short! time. He came over
to deliver a course of lectures at Johns
Hopkins, and later lectured at Harvard
and Columbia. The Modern Language
Club, by securing him: for a Yale audi-
ence, has done well for the University.
SS ew
‘Easter Trip of Musical Clubs,
The Easter trip of the University
Musical Clubs, which came to a close
Wednesday evening, April 21, in the
concert at Jersey City, was the most
successful in every way that has been
taken in recent years. The audiences
were much larger than last year, at
every place where the clubs stopped;
the interest and enthusiasm shown by
the Alumni was much stronger; and the
financial outcome is three or four hun-
dred dollars in advance: of last year.
But the greatest feature of the trip
was the reception given the Clubs by
President and Mrs. McKinley at the
White House, Monday, April 19. A short
musical program was-sung and then
the members of the clubs were present-
ed to Mr. and Mrs. McKinley and oth-
ers, who were present, including sev-
eral members of the cabinet. The recep-
tion was arranged chiefly through the
mediation of Mr. John A. Porter, ’78.
At Plainfield and Jersey City the hos-
pitality of the residents was shown the
club in a most marked degree, every
form of attention and courtesy char-
acterizing their entertainment.
~
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