Excerpt from Improvement Era, Vol. 6: February, 1903
They [astronomers] can indeed predict transits and eclipses; but suppose astronomers from New Zealand, on their way to America to ob serve this fall's moon eclipse, meet with an accident in mid-ocean, would they at once send this wireless telegram to the United States' star gazers assembled say at Lick Observatory Belated by leak. Please retard eclipse two hours that we may not miss it. As well might all the telescope men in the world combined, attempt to fetch down the rings of Saturn for the construction of a royal race track, as pretend to control movements of the heavenly bodies.
The gentleman also points out how precarious are the powers of man: The helpless babe of yesterday may indeed rival Mozart, Hayden, and Paderewski, but tomorrow he may rise with lame hands and pierced ear-drums; and millions of worshipers of the shattered idol are powerless to restore it to the musical world.
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