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A Revere Beach, a Luna Park, a Coney Island, all rolled in one and open the year 'round at that, exist unnoticed in the massive shadow of Langdell Hall. Condensed into one room is the first amusement park in America.
Here are four clocks, all going at different speeds, two registering morning, and two afternoon time. The betting on the winners is wonderful sport. They have a shooting gallery at one end of the room with a bell moving across a black screen, any number of whirling spheres, electric light bulbs, etc. At one side of the shooting gallery is a peep show which you work with a big wheel, something like one with which a boat is steered. There are an infinite number of old roulette wheels hung along each wall together with boomerangs. Boomerangs were used to hit the "African Dodger" instead of baseballs in the old days. Then there is a toy ship for the kiddies, and sometimes there are moving pictures. As you come in you sit down on a chair, and some of the chairs are made with only three legs so that you often have just the surprise of your life. Out back of this pleasure palace, for those who wish to pay the price there is a really exciting peep-show. If you are lucky you see Venus herself in all her glory. All the things you see are so far away that many men have been known to strain their eyes badly seeking to see Venus and the other heavenly bodies at closer range.
Some day the University may find itself with only fifteen million dollars in the coffers, and a bill of twenty million to pay. Then, and probably not until then will all these facilities be fully utilized,--the chance to shoot the sun or the stars; guess the time in Greenland; or take a trip to the moon for nothing;--and then the value of the Astronomical Laboratory will be estimated at its true worth.
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