Vassar College Faculty

"Not surprisingly, the gender of the actors seems to be one factor that determines whether a particular change is regarded as an example of ‘Westernization that is disrespectful of our traditions."

"It appears to be hieroglyphic or ideographic in form. Human, animal and floral figurines are readily recognizable, multiple dashes probably represent numbers , while such objects as wheels, bows and arrows , and trees very likely represent themselves - it would seem that they are not phonetic symbols."

"Walter Fairservis, Jr .,' describing the Harappan site of Mohenjo-daro, has dwelt on a structure "known to the excavators as the Assembly Hall". He 2 writes: "Badly preserved, it is nonetheless one of the most striking monuments at Mohenjodaro. It consisted of a broad pillared hall opening principally to . the north, i.e., towards the highest part of the site. Twenty rectangular pillars approximately five feet by three feet in size supported the roof. The pillars were arranged in rows of four with five pillars to each row." After detailing the rest of the important features of the building complex containing the pillared hall , Fairservis ' comments on this complex: " One cannot help but speculate.. . that it was constructed in response to a formality urged by religion or government. Was it indeed a place of assembly or perhaps a place of audience? Wheeler rightfully refers to the Achaemenid pillared hall of audience, the apadana, in this context, and such a comparison is certainly called to mind."

"The succeeding phase of Mundigak I, says Fairservis, adds to the KGM ware " the jars and cups and design repertoire, including black and red polychrome painting familiar in Quetta [central Baluchistan] as the Kechi Beg wares, and which in turn have their equivalents in the early Hissar Culture of north-eastern Iran. ""

"We should join to them Mundigak in South Afghanistan, about whose pottery Fairservis, Jr., has the general statement: " ...the Mundigak sequence is closely paralleled in northern Baluchistan - so much so, in fact, that one can say that they are essentially of one and the same tradition.""

"The Ornithological in the Vassar Museum, contains nearly twelve hundred distinct species, of which seven hundred are North American, and the remainder South American. Among them are several s and others of historical interest as the originals of ."

"... and coffee plantations, vast in extent, arrest the eye. Passing these, the steamer brings you alongside of broad fields covered with the low, prickly pine-apple plant; the air is fragrant with a rich perfume wafted from a neighboring grove of and s; the spreads its dense, splendid foliage, and bears a golden fruit, which, though praised by many, tastes to us like a mixture of tow and ; the exotic waves its fig-like leaves and pendent fruit; while high over all the beautiful lifts its crown of glory. ..."

"The age is demanding a broader, deeper, truer, . Unreasonable prejudice is hiding itself, along with the effete and narrow views of our fathers; and the world has come to the consciousness, that the culture of both sexes must keep pace with the ever-changing sphere of personal activity."

"The importance of every fact relating to the natural limits of animals and plants is felt in its bearing on the great question of the day—the ."

"The of mountain regions is very limited, for the number of species diminishes rapidly as we ascend in altitude or latitude. The reptilian life of any district, however, is highly interesting, as it is more natural and well defined than that of other vertebrates, because reptiles have a limited range ... and are less likely to be forced out of their original s or introduced by man. It has been supposed that in order of altitudinal range, lizards go highest, snakes next, and s and s last. There are no chelonians in the valley as far as we know; but we found frogs as high up as , and no lizards there. Gibbon found no snakes at ."

"There is no section of our country that may not reward a diligent search for precious or useful s. The rocks, however, between the Alleghanies and the Atlantic and between the and the Pacific furnish the greater variety and abundance. Here are found the best ores. Gold and silver seem to abound more on the western than eastern sides of both mountain-chains. A trap-region, like the shore of and the , is likely to be a good locality for copper and iron. The , or the region of , furnishes chiefly iron and lead; gold, silver and copper are seldom found. In general, where the layers of rock lie level and contain fossil shells, it is a locality good only for , ( excepted), , and salt. The regions of , , , , etc., offer the greatest inducement to search for useful minerals."

"... precisely how we shall educate the coming woman, is still an open question. Much that has been written has been purely theoretic. Facts, however, are multiplying. Four different experiments are now in process: University Examinations, the , Mixed Colleges, and . For a great University to condescend to examine female candidates and grant certificates, is a step forward; but it does not furnish the means of education."

"The ', in its ancient and classical form, is analogous to the Japanese and to other like institutions throughout the South Sea Islands. It was conventionalized into a real school of dramatic art. ... A hula performance consisted in a series of dramatic dances accompanied by song, sometimes by rhythmical instruments. It was given under the patronage of a chief, often to celebrate some event, like the birthday of a son. It was dedicated to some god, generally to , the goddess of co-ordinated movement, and was bound under a strict decorum to rigid ceremonial conventions. ... The hula company might consist of several hundred persons, men and women, boys and girls, with a retinue of followers to secure and prepare the food-supply."

"Much in the psychology of the Polynesian has been shown to resemble closely that of the prehistoric civilizations which grouped around the Mediterranean. The taste for riddling is a minor but no less interesting example of this parallelism in mental habit and training, and the part played by the riddling contest in Hawaiian story is directly comparable with that which it plays in old European literary sources like the Scandinavian or the Greek tale of and the . ... In some Hawaiian stories of the ancient past, the contest of wit is represented as one of the accomplishments of th chiefs, taking its place with games of skill like arrow-throwing or checkers, with tests of strength like boxing or wrestling, and the arts of war such as sling-stone and spear-throwing as a means of rivalry. It is played as a betting contest, upon the results of which contestants even stake their lives."

"During two trips to Jamaica in the winter of 1922 and the spring of 1924 I secured the names of 136 plants used for medicinal purposes among the colored peasantry, with the method of preparation and the use to which each was put. ... Brief as the list is, I believe it to be representative of present practice in Jamaica. I had it from three parishes and from such diverse informants a - and -men, accredited government midwives, house-maids and small settlers; from the isolated settlement of and from a flourishing town of white residents like . All were ready and even pleased to contribute information. Most of the plants were picked from the door-plot or beside the road as we walked ..."

"Beckwith herself ... has compared the and the , but this was a comparison of poetic splendor and artistic worth. The two differ basically in theme, she pointed out, with the Kumulipo more reminiscent of Greek than of Hebrew origins."

"The recent addition of a specimen of this rare bird to the , is an event worthy of record. There are now three specimens in the United States; the one just mentioned, another in the , and a third in the Giraud Cabinet in Vassar College. The last is the most perfect specimen, and certainly possesses the greatest historical value, as it is the one from which Audubon made his drawing and description. It was caught on the banks of . The or Gare-fowl … was about the size of a goose, with a large head, a curved, grooved and laterally flattened bill; wings rudimental, adapted to swimming only, approaching in this respect the s of the southern hemisphere. … It was an arctic bird, dwelling chiefly in the , Iceland, , and Newfoundland."

"A is one that undergoes a change in brightness. With some stars the change is as great as four or even six , while with others it may be only one magnitude, and in some cases as small as half a magnitude. This change in brightness is observed by comparing the light of the variable with the light of some standard star which is assumed to be constant in brightness, the comparison being made either directly, or through the medium of some sort of artificial star."

"At the we met , the Director, but were especially pleased to see who had made suck a name for herself by her work on . She was in charge of the reduction of the Paris astrographic plates, and we were interested to compare her computing bureau with the one at . She offered to escort us to to visit the venerable , and invitation which we were delighted to accept. We were charmed with picturesque dwelling, made from the stables of the old chateau, with its low-ceiled rooms and quaint winding passages. They made a fascinating setting for the indomitable old Frenchman, who in spite of his eighty years, was planning to make another ascent of that summer, even if he had to be carried to the summit in a chair. He also asked many questions about the college in America where young girls studied mathematical astronomy."

"Mary Whitney … established a student-based research program at Vassar, focusing on observations of comets, s, and, after , on s. … In 1906 she developed an undergraduate course on variable stars, probably the first in the world, on which Caroline Furness based her 1915 textbook."

"After completing her A.B. and A.M. degrees as a student of astronomer Mary Whitney at Vassar College, Caroline Furness became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy at (1900). She collaborated with Whitney as her assistant between 1909 and 1911, each sending their variable star observations to . A member of the from 1911, Furness succeeded Whitney in 1913, and prepared for publication a volume of variable star observations made at Vassar from 1901 to 1912. In 1915 she authored the well-received An Introduction to the Study of Variable Stars."

"Firstly, we wish to know whence comes the comet and whither it goes. We wish to follow its path, as it sweeps its way through our solar system. As this orbit is controlled by the same law of gravity which controls all celestial motion, an exact knowledge of a comet's course among the planets, gives the basis of investigation regarding its relation to the solar system and to the realms of space beyond. Therefore one important line of investigation is the determination of the positions of the comet in the sky, from whence may be obtained its orbit in space. Secondly, the astronomer wished to know what are the nature and constitution of comets. The investigation of this question is of comparatively recent origin, and belongs to ."

"did not accept the but evolved one of his own in which he makes the planets revolve about the Sun, but the Sun carries them with itself about the Earth. Part of his observations he reduced himself, publishing among other things a book on the , one on comets, and one on the lunar theory, and an important star catalogue. He had planned several other valuable works, but his early death cut short his projects. He was the first to perceive the importance of applying refraction to observations. He improved the values of the Sun's and Moon's , he discovered two variations in the Moon's longitude in addition to those already known, and one in latitude. In short he improved many values which depended on accurate observation for their determination."

"At the present time we employ a for making certain observations which can best be made then, and for other work which is not possible at another time. The most important work, and one which demands the coöperation of at widely distant places, is the observation of s. These occur at other times, but only the brighter stars can be followed to the and such stars are not frequent in its path. During an eclipse, however, stars down to the eleventh are easily followed until they disappear, and any star whose position is accurately determned is available. If an Observatory has undertaken the investigation of the Moon's place, it takes advantage of a total eclipse and prepares a list of stars which are to be occulted at other distant observatoreis, and sends a circular requesting observations. Such a circular was issued by the , Russia, for the eclipse of March 10th. The time of an occultation is much less difficult to determine than a contact of an eclipse. The Moon has no atmosphere, so that the star disappears instantaneously."

"was established and equipped at the opening of the college in 1865. The has an of 12⅓ inches aperture and a focal length of 16¾ feet. It was originally made by }} of New York, but in 1872 the glass was re-cut by }}, and in 1888 the telescope was re-mounted by & }}. It was also at that time provided with electrical illumination for the . The magnifying powers, negative and positive, range from 150 to 600. A made by }} was added in 1890. This spectroscope has a prism for star spectra and a }} grating for the solar spectrum. There is also a }} direct-vision spectroscope. The has an objective aperture of 3¾ inches. It was made by }} of Philadelphia. In 1889 it was re-mounted by }}. The clock and chronograph are of }} manufacture."

"Although banquets at professional meetings (like the chemists' "misogynists' dinner" of 1880) had long excluded women, the ban began to seem a little less intimidating around 1900, when several women scientists began in their own quiet way to challenge some of these age-old restrictions. Thus, for example, Mary Whitney of Vassar College, who had attended the founding meeting of the American Astronomical Society at in Wisconsin in 1899 with her protégée and successor, , was still not sure whether they would be welcome at the society's banquet in Washington, D.C., in 1902. President noticed her unease and wrote to assure her that they were indeed expected to attend ... Newcomb's encouragement induced these women to go, and thereby set a precedent for later meetings."

"... Suppose a large number of values, subject to variations on either side of a , and suppose these variations bound by no common law. Then, if a sufficiently large number of such values are taken into consideration, it will be found that the variations on either side of the mean value will counterbalance one another. If, then, we regard the absolute motions of the stars as subject to no common law, i.e., if we suppose the stars to be pursuing their courses independent of any common , and if a very large number of s are taken together, if would follow from this principle, that in the aggregate the peculiar proper motions would cancel one another, and the mean result would be unaffected by them and would give only the . This method of treatment, based upon the , is called the method of "," and is of wide application ..."