299
Up to the point that we have now reached, forty-four years after launching the proposal for
the monument, we find ourselves without any other solution that the automatic compounding of the interest of the patrimony and therefore the discomforting but absolute certainty
that an amount sufficient to implement the original idea could only be attained after a very
long time, the length of which cannot be established.
There were therefore only two options: “to continue to accumulate the interest up to
a conspicuous amount” or “to use the patrimony immediately, passing it on to a
modest city institution where it could be put to use right away.” The Committee
reached an agreement on the second option, and on July 3, 1925, Bacchi sent a letter
of intent to the president of the Provincial Deputation of Reggio Emilia with the
proposal to donate to the Province “the entire amount of its patrimony,” equal to
184,500.81 lire, in order to build an “Osservatorio Meteorico Agrario [i.e. an institute to determine the weather for farmers] with annexed a Seismic Observatory,
named for and dedicated to Father Angelo Secchi.”
44
With unusual efficiency, the
Committee had already instructed the engineer Enzo Toscano to draft a proposal.
45
17.12 “Not Even a Hut…”
The purpose of honoring Angelo Secchi with a telescope, or with any other kind of
astronomical institution, had passed away. But the national astronomical community still remembered those unspent funds, and the “Monument to Angelo Secchi in
Reggio Emilia” should have been discussed during the Meeting of the National
Astronomical Committee of May 22, 1926.
46
Unfortunately, we are not aware of the
content of the discussion; we can only rule out that it was something related to the
solar tower in Arcetri, which had been in operation since 1925 (Abetti 1921;
Gasperini et al. 2004).
Even the action of devolving the funds to the Province did not occur right away,
and only on June 20, 1927, was the deed of donation finally drawn up. The deed
stated that “the Committee remains fully exempt from all interference and all obligations, and its members are freed from all commitments and responsibilities.”
47
The donation was destined “to pay out the funds collected for the benefit of public
education (and) to construct and activate an observatory to study weather for farmers with an annexed seismic observatory (…) at the Agricultural Middle School of
Zootechny and Dairy.”
44 I. Bacchi to President of the Provincial Deputation, Reggio Emilia Jul 3, 1925 (ASRe-MS).
45 I. Bacchi to E. Toscano, Reggio Emilia Jun 10, 1925; E. Toscano to I. Bacchi, Reggio Emilia Jul
7, 1925, in which he charges recipe of 2000 lire for the project (ASRe-MS).
46 V. Cerulli, Rome May 10, 1926, Convening of the Comitato Astronomico Nazionale of the CNR
in Trieste for May 22, 1926 (ASOC, Attività scientifica, Corrispondenza scientifica, B.1, f.4).
47 Folder “Rogito 20 giugno 1927 di consegna del patrimonio alla Provincia ed altre carte del
Comitato” (ASRe-MS); the letters of May 3 and 14, and Sep 11, 1927, confirm the passage of
documents from Committee to Province (ASRe-MS); see also Finzi (1971: 145–147).
17 The Unfulfilled “Secchi Monument” at Reggio Emilia
Up to the point that we have now reached, forty-four years after launching the proposal for
the monument, we find ourselves without any other solution that the automatic compounding of the interest of the patrimony and therefore the discomforting but absolute certainty
that an amount sufficient to implement the original idea could only be attained after a very
long time, the length of which cannot be established.
There were therefore only two options: “to continue to accumulate the interest up to
a conspicuous amount” or “to use the patrimony immediately, passing it on to a
modest city institution where it could be put to use right away.” The Committee
reached an agreement on the second option, and on July 3, 1925, Bacchi sent a letter
of intent to the president of the Provincial Deputation of Reggio Emilia with the
proposal to donate to the Province “the entire amount of its patrimony,” equal to
184,500.81 lire, in order to build an “Osservatorio Meteorico Agrario [i.e. an institute to determine the weather for farmers] with annexed a Seismic Observatory,
named for and dedicated to Father Angelo Secchi.”
44
With unusual efficiency, the
Committee had already instructed the engineer Enzo Toscano to draft a proposal.
45
17.12 “Not Even a Hut…”
The purpose of honoring Angelo Secchi with a telescope, or with any other kind of
astronomical institution, had passed away. But the national astronomical community still remembered those unspent funds, and the “Monument to Angelo Secchi in
Reggio Emilia” should have been discussed during the Meeting of the National
Astronomical Committee of May 22, 1926.
46
Unfortunately, we are not aware of the
content of the discussion; we can only rule out that it was something related to the
solar tower in Arcetri, which had been in operation since 1925 (Abetti 1921;
Gasperini et al. 2004).
Even the action of devolving the funds to the Province did not occur right away,
and only on June 20, 1927, was the deed of donation finally drawn up. The deed
stated that “the Committee remains fully exempt from all interference and all obligations, and its members are freed from all commitments and responsibilities.”
47
The donation was destined “to pay out the funds collected for the benefit of public
education (and) to construct and activate an observatory to study weather for farmers with an annexed seismic observatory (…) at the Agricultural Middle School of
Zootechny and Dairy.”
44 I. Bacchi to President of the Provincial Deputation, Reggio Emilia Jul 3, 1925 (ASRe-MS).
45 I. Bacchi to E. Toscano, Reggio Emilia Jun 10, 1925; E. Toscano to I. Bacchi, Reggio Emilia Jul
7, 1925, in which he charges recipe of 2000 lire for the project (ASRe-MS).
46 V. Cerulli, Rome May 10, 1926, Convening of the Comitato Astronomico Nazionale of the CNR
in Trieste for May 22, 1926 (ASOC, Attività scientifica, Corrispondenza scientifica, B.1, f.4).
47 Folder “Rogito 20 giugno 1927 di consegna del patrimonio alla Provincia ed altre carte del
Comitato” (ASRe-MS); the letters of May 3 and 14, and Sep 11, 1927, confirm the passage of
documents from Committee to Province (ASRe-MS); see also Finzi (1971: 145–147).
17 The Unfulfilled “Secchi Monument” at Reggio Emilia