CHAPTER XI.
PAPERS--SCIENCE [1874]--THE DENVER ECLIPSE [1878]--COLORS OF STARS "The dissemination of information in regard to science and to scientific investigations relieves the scientist from the small annoyances of extreme ignorance.
"No one to-day will expect to receive a letter such as reached Sir John Herschel some years ago, asking for the writer's horoscope to be cast; or such as he received at another time, which asked, Shall I marry?
and Have I seen _her_?
"Nor can it be long, if the whole population is somewhat educated, that I shall be likely to receive, as I have done, applications for information as to the recovery of stolen goods, or to tell fortunes.
"When crossing the Atlantic, an Irish woman came to me and asked me if I told fortunes; and when I replied in the negative, she asked me if I were not an astronomer.

I admitted that I made efforts in that direction.

She then asked me what I could tell, if not fortunes.

I told her that I could tell when the moon would rise, when the sun would rise, etc.

She said, 'Oh,' in a tone which plainly said, 'Is _that_ all ?' "Only a few winters since, during a very mild winter, a young lad who was driving a team called out to me on the street, and said he had a question to ask me.
"I stopped; and he asked, 'Shall we lose our ice-crop this winter ?' "It was January, and it was New England.