Telescope making is not a hobby which is likely to appeal to the masses; it is a little too stiff for them. It recently was tried on the readers of several newspapers, who were given a syndicated series of simple "how-to-make" instructions for a reflector. The results, to put it mildly were nothing to shout about. (Recently, by the way, we stated in these columns that amateur telescope making was too stiff for boys as well as average newspaper readers and several of our readers took the word boys to connote all minors. Perhaps "kids" was the intended word. One might say the dividing line between the "too-stiff-fors" and the "not-too-stiff-fors" is plane geometry. If a lad has studied geometry, nothing in the amateur telescope making hobby should stump him, other things being equal-namely that he be fairly handy and a bit more "stick-to-it-ive" than the average lad.)

Another gratifying evidence of the consistent, even if not meteoric, spread of the amateur astronomical and telescope making hobby was the attendance at the yearly "get-together" of the worst addicts-the flea-bitten regulars who take telescope making instead of their meals-held last month at "Stellafane," near Springfield, in thehills of southeastern Vermont. As these words are written (in a jiggling Pullman berth) the fifth of these annual conclaves is just over and, despite the frowns of bad weather, more visiting fans from neighboring states attended than on any of the previous occasions. Running down the list of registrants one sees a well scattered following, as connoted by their home towns, Newport, New London Boston, Pittsfield, Brookline-all places in nearby New England; also New York Princeton, Philadelphia, Rochester, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. A special contingent came from Pittsburgh, representing the thriving association of amateur telescope makers recently organized there.

As usual there was a Saturday evening "feed," although the time-hallowed "piece of resistance," real beanpole beans, did not materialize. The evening meal stowed away, the assembled enthusiasts listened to a talk by Russell W. Porter Associate in Optics and Instrument Design on the staff of the California Institute of Technology. Mr. Porter spoke on, or rather "around," the subject of the great 200ineh telescope. Nearly all the extant plans are tentative and therefore little of a definite nature may be told about them as yet. We reproduce two photographs showing the first tangible beginnings, but the mammoth telescope doubtless will be many years in the making.

The small testing telescope shown is equipped with gooseneck prism and an eyepiece which is essentially a compound microscope giving a magnification of 7500 diameters. The quality of seeing afforded at a number of sites which are under careful investigation is determined by ascertaining the number of diffraction rings visible around the central disk of a star and how much the image of a star shifts, in terms of its diameter, when local atmospheric disturbances affect it. The star Polaris is the test star. Any other star would suffice, but careful study of the picture will show that the telescopes were designed especially for use on Polaris because that star remains for all practical purposes at the same place all night-in other words the use of Polaris is a matter of convenience.

As other new facts concerning progress on the 200-inch telescope become available for publication this journal will endeavor to report them.

The telescope enthusiasts convened at "Stellafane," obtained a glimpse of the new Porter turret telescope-"new" only because recently set up (see one of the illustrations, which shows the work in progress just before the meeting; also see "Amateur Telescope Making," second edition, page 51, illustration at VI). We hope to publish a picture in a later issue, showing the complete mounting.

The turret, made of concrete, will house two telescopes, the larger one a Porter combination having a 16-inch paraboloid and a 16-inch flat, focal ratio f 13; the smaller one a 12-inch Cassegrainian with e. f. l. of 4 on 4, or f 16. The rings of the turret are of iron and have an external diameter of seven feet; they show toward the lower right. In the foreground is the long arm, made of tubing, to carry the 16-ineh paraboloidal mirror. It, with the iron ring, dome, and counterweight, will weigh about 4000 pounds.

The picture shows "the boys" at work erecting the telescope. Porter, the gang boss, is the figure with the long stogie; the rest are working-especially Pierce whose hat alone is visible (on the skyline while he compacts the concrete in the forms with his feet. The photograph was taken by Oscar S. Marshall. In the background is Ascutney Mountain. Next year when you come to the Sixth Annual Astronomical Riot at "Stellafane" the new Porter turret telescope will be ready for you to use.

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.