H olden

Other Life (1869), all of which passed through
many editions and were reprinted in England;
The End of the World, with New Interpreta-
tions of History (1881) ; Aphorisms of the New
Life (1883); Letters on Spiritual Subjects
(1885) ; Helps to Spiritual Growth (1886) ; and
Condensed Thoughts about Christian Science
(1887). In the field of general literature he pub-
lished Poems (1860) ; Southern Voices (1872),
another volume of verse, which was translated
into German; Song Novels (1873) ; and A Mys-
tery of New Orleans; Solved by New Methods
(1890). He died in 1893 at the residence of his
son-in-law, in New Orleans.

[T. L. Bradford, "Biographies of Homeopathic Phy-
sicians," vol. XVI, in Lib. of Hahnemann Medic. Coll.,
Phila.; Trans. Am. Inst. of Homeopathy, 1894; U. S*
Medic. Jour., Jan. 1894; T. L. Bradford, Homeopathic
Bibliog. of the U. S. (1892) ; Jesse Seaver, "The Hol-
comb(e) Genealogy" (1925), mimeographed copy in
Lib. of Cong.; Times-Democrat (New Orleans), Nov.
29,1893.] CB.

HOLDEN, EDWARD SINGLETON (Nov.
5, i846-Mar. 16, 1914), astronomer, librarian,
descended from Justinian Holden who came with
his brother Richard from England to America in
1634 and died at Cambridge, Mass., in 1691, was
born in St. Louis, Mo. His parents were Ed-
ward (originally Jeremiah Fenno) Holden and
Sarah Frances (Singleton) Holden. After the
death of his mother when he was three years old
he lived with relatives in Cambridge, Mass.,
where he attended private schools. He was ac-
customed to say that his interest in astronomy
was aroused during visits to the Harvard Col-
lege Observatory where his cousin, George P.
Bond [q.v."], was an observer. In 1860-62 he
was a student at the Academy of Washington
University, St. Louis, and he graduated with the
degree of B.S. at Washington University in
1866. He had studied under Prof. William
Chauvenet [q.vJ] in whose family he lived dur-
ing a part of his college career.

Entering West Point in 1866, he graduated
third in his class in 1870. On May 8, 1871, he
married Mary Chauvenet During the year fol-
lowing he was second lieutenant in the 4th Artil-
lery ; then for two years he was an instructor in
the Military Academy. In 1872 he published a
treatise on The Bastion System of Fortifications,
Its Defects and Their Remedies. In March 1873
he resigned his commission and accepted a posi-
tion at the Naval Observatory, where he was as-
signed to the transit circle as assistant to Wil-
liam Harkness {.q.v."\. After the completion of
the 26-inch refractor in November 1873 he was
transferred to this instrument to assist Simon
Newcomb [q.v.~\* The material for Holden's
Monograph on the Central Parts of the Nebula

Holden

of Orion (1882) was gathered during this pe-
riod. In 1876 he was sent by the government to
London to study and report on possible improve-
ments in the instrumental equipment of the Ob-
servatory. In 1879, he was relieved, in part,
from technical duty and appointed librarian, a
position for which he was admirably fitted by his
great familiarity with astronomical literature.
Besides cataloguing the library, he prepared bib-
liographies of special subjects, wrote annual re-
ports of the progress of astronomy, and popular
articles; with Newcomb, wrote Astronomy for
High Schools and Colleges (1879), an<i pub-
lished Sir William Herschel3 His Life and Works
(1881). In 1881 he resigned his post to become
director of the Washburn Observatory at the
University of Wisconsin. Here he instituted the
series of Publications of the observatory, and is-
sued the first four volumes, which contain his
observations and discussions. He was placed in
charge of the expedition organized by the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences to observe the solar
eclipse of May 6, 1883, in the Caroline Islands,
and his report has always been regarded as a
model in form and completeness.

Newcomb and Holden had sketched out plans
for the Lick Observatory in 1874 and during the
following years had given freely of their counsel.
Holden made several trips to Mount Hamilton,
and as early as 1877 had been selected as the fu-
ture director. In 1885 he was elected president
of the University of California and director of
the Lick Observatory, to serve in the former ca-
pacity until the observatory was completed. He
assumed active charge of the observatory on
June i, 1888. Here he at once showed remark-
able judgment by associating with himself
younger men whom he regarded as promising—
E. E. Barnard, J. M. Schaeberle, James E.
Keeler \_qq.v.~\, and W. W. Campbell. S. W.
Burnham [q.v.~\ was older, with a well-estab-
lished reputation. *These men were assigned to
carefully selected lines of research and given
great liberty of action and the privilege of pub-
lishing over their own signatures. Newcomb
said, "I know of no example in the world in
which young men, most of whom were begin-,
ners, attained such success as did those whom
Holden collected around him" (Reminiscences
of an Astronomer, 1903, p. 190), "The evidences
of Professor Holden's organizing ability and
energy are written all over the Lick Observa-
tory/' says Dr. Campbell (post, p. 353). He
edited three volumes of the Publications and five
of the Contributions of the observatory; sent out
five eclipse expeditions; founded the Astronom-
ical Society of the Pacific and solicited money

136