A TELESCOPE ought to have a sufficiently rigid mounting," writes an amateur in Los Angeles, "so that it will not vibrate when a trolley car crosses a bridge in San Francisco." Well said. We have seen a number of flimsy mountings which can not possibly be held steady. Sheldon K. Towson, 16215 Fernway Road, Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Ohio, sends in a description of his telescope which has what we call a sufficiently rigid mounting.

"The enclosed photograph," Mr. Towson writes, "shows a mounting which I believe is as simple an affair as it is possible to assemble, requiring machine work only for four bushings and the two axes. The base pillar and 45-degree 'Y' branch are now permanently mounted on a concrete foundation. The rest of the mounting is temporary and will be replaced by a Ford axle rigging.

"The six-inch mirror, being my first attempt, has many faults; it is scratched, the parabola is questionable, and the silver does not reach the edge, but it is good enough to separate the components of Epsilorn Lyrae and therefore serves to prevent undue haste while I polish an eight-inch mirror for the same mounting."

One of the most elaborate telescopes thus far made from the instructions contained in "Amateur Telescope Making," is the product of J. A. Johnson, Opt. D., 322 Patterson Building, Fresno, California. The description, sent in by the maker, runs as follows:

"I am enclosing some pictures of a 10-inch telescope which I have just completed. It is equipped with a clock and setting wheels, with lights over the circles to read at night. I made patterns and had all the parts cast. The tube is 12-inches in diameter and six feet, six inches long. The mirror is 72-inch focus.

"The gears of the clock are standard stock. After making four different governors, I finally got one that is sensitive enough and it works perfectly. It took me 1800 hours to make it. I worked every night from 7 P.M. until 11 P.M. Telescope making is some hobby.

"The telescope house is 8 by 8 feet and 8 feet high to the plate. The telescope rests on a concrete base with a concrete floor nine feet square. The house is mounted on four small flange wheels which run on a light iron rail track.

"Your book on telescope making was a big help."

Some months ago we stated that a club of amateur telescope makers was being organized in Chicago. Thus far, however, no very tangible results have been reported from Chicago, but Philadelphia has now beaten Chicago to it. The following letter from Glenden J. Dunlap reaches us on the letter head of the local Y.M.C.A.:

"A club has recently been organized at the Central Y.M.C.A., for the purpose of giving instruction in the making of telescopes and in astronomy. The man in charge is Mr. G. H. Lutz, a civil engineer who made the world's first permanent telescope mirror (stellite) which is now on exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

"The organization is called 'The "Y" Telescope Club' and meets at 7:30 every Thursday evening, in Room 121, 1421 Arch Street. It is open to young men of high school age and over.

A list of those in Philadelphia who have evinced an interest in amateur work of this kind by purchasing copies of "Amateur Telescope Making" is being sent the club.

Finally, may we recite a joke, taken from the Wright Engine Builder, a house organ? It seems that two darkies who were discussing the relative merits of the sun and the moon said:

"De sun am de bes'; dey cain't be no doubt about dat," said Sam. "Look at how much mot light she give dan de moon. You ain't tryin'to convince me dat de daylight ain't brighter dan de moonlight, is you?"

"Dat's all right about de sun givin' de mos' light," replied Joe, "but you is got to remember dat de moon deserves de mos' credit because de light she gives some at night when it would oderwise be dark, while de sun shine in the day time when it am light anyhow."

The Society for Amateur Scientists (SAS) is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to helping people enrich their lives by following their passion to take part in scientific adventures of all kinds.