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Show I HfH Close Study of Volcano Id sticking so long to his observatory close to the summit of Vesuvius, Prof. Mattcuccl gives a remarkable proof of whatf He voluntarily remains In peril probably greater than Is encountered by the soldier who leads a forloru hope, anil certainly greater than that of participation participa-tion in any ordinary battle, says the New York Times. IIU danger, too, takes a form from which even tho most courag-eous courag-eous could be excused from shrinking, for at any moment he may bo exposed to the direct action of terrestrial forces, and the very ground under his feet may lu. atantly crumble and drop him Into a fiery-abyss that is tho reality of theological theologi-cal imaginations. Is ho risking the martyrdom of science, or mcroly that of the scientific curiosity? In other words, is his courso justified by tho prospect of gaining from closo inspection of the vol-1 vol-1 cano new and valuable knowlcdgo of the catcalysmlo action going on within It. Nothing In the dispatches constantly telegraphed by him to Naples very clearly Indicated that ho Is seeing anything more than Is visible to those observing the eruption from a greater distance and In J comparative safety, whllo It Is certain that much visible to them is invisible to him. The picture as a whole Is concealed conceal-ed from the man In the midst of the whirling ashes, and he announced that hla instruments for tho measurement of seismic disturbances havo been displaced by tho constant convulsions' to which they havo been subjected. And yet Prof. Mattcuccl and his American assistant assist-ant have remained cooly, or at least calmly, at their posts, and boyond any 1 question they havo utilized In some way and to some degree app'ortunltles that novorcamo before' to scientists as well equipped as they for understanding and recording the tremendous 0 vents of a great volcanic eruption. It is from something some-thing mora than Idle, or even from scientific scien-tific curiosity that they are staking their lives on the outcome of successive minutes, min-utes, any one of whloh may be their last. If they escape they will havo the material for a "paper" auch.as has never appeared in the "transactions" of any society, and ho Is pessimistic Indeed who does not hope that what they learn by braving the mountain, s rage will prove to no worth the frightful risk Involved In getting It. |