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Show THE MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE. Statesmen Had Little Knowledge of Astrophyslcal Objects. Secretory Langley of tho Smithsonian Smithso-nian Institution, grave and learned, ventured the other day before an irreverent ir-reverent subcommittee on appropriations appropria-tions of the house to tell why ho wanted want-ed 16,000 for his astrophyslcal ob- I servatory, on which the government j has thus far expended 1CC,000. : Mr. Benton of Missouri, unlettered as to the sciences, followed not tho highly-complicated English which tho ' secretary employed. Tho latter pro- J ceeded with his account of what tho i observatory was going to do and said ' somo tlmo ho hoped sclenco would bo able to tell, through the lnfluonco of ,; tho stars or somo other signs, tho nn- ' proach of a famine. , "You didn't know the coal famine was coming, did you, professor?" '! queried one of tho statesmen nround ) the mahogany table. '; "Woll," said Mr. Benton, after a ' pause, "I suppose you look Into such things as whether there bo flro in a lightning-bug's tall?" : Tho subcommltteo was in convulsions convul-sions of laughter for somo moments, but the members felt kindly disposed j to Mr. Langley and allowed him $15 i 000 to continue his scientific export- .-' ments. Washington Post. |