Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-28

plants for restoring the purity of the air, thus
/ constantly vitiated. While animals inhae OXy-
Gen and exhae carbonic acid, PLANS reverse this
process. The forest fires, while consuming on
enormous amount of the vital oxygen and adj
ding proportionately to the quantity of earbonic
acid in the atmosphere, destroyed millions
of living trees which would have
borne their part in restoring the
air to its normal condition. The direct
effect of this disturbance was, according to this
authority, rendered visible in the unusually bril-
liant and numerous auroras which followed in
the ALL and were noticed as peculiarly remark
able by various scientific men, few of whom,
however seem to have attributed them to their
proper cause. But another effect, much more
serious, our authority finds in the great amount
OF sickness which followed in the winter and
spring, as the result of lowered vitality among
men deprived of their customary amount OF
oxygen. This may seem very plausible, but it
would be more convincing if actual analysis at
different times during the winter and spring
showed that the air contained less than its due
proportion OF oxygen.
But we have not yet exhausted the ills which
the country. The electric disturbance has a
tendency not towards equilibrium, but to per-
petuate and intensity the conditions upon
| which it depends # causes violent and sudden
storms with their Accomplishments oftornadoes,
| hailstones, thunderbots and floods, but it, at
the same time, makes steady and gentle rains
less frequent; prolonged drouths, broken only
by fierce and destructive tempests of short
duration, will become the characteristics Of our
climate. The destruction of the forests is sup
posed to have a similar influence, and, as it
causes drouths and drouths make forest fires
more frequent, there seems to be no way out of
the trouble when we have once made so long
step into ii as we did last year. Accordingly
the writer whom we have quoted says, I'VE
may look for such storms as have heretofore
occurred only in the tropics"
Ten days ago, when everything was parched
with drouth and the prospect of seasonable
rains seemed most unpromsing, We might have
listened with credulity TO these gloomy predc-
tons; but now, when the ground for week
past has been kept moist with occasional show
ers and every leaf and blossom is full of the
freshness and fragrance of opening summer,
when, as we write, gentle and copious rain is
| descending without any violent electrical or
atmospheric phenomena 10 make its influence
| less bcnefcent, we smile at these prognOstcs and
are willing TO trust that nature has as good
things in store for our latter days and for those
| who come after us as she has given us hitherto,
and to believe that for the general average Of
the weather and the seasons, we can predict the
future from our experience of the past quite ac-
cnrately enough for our purposes, while for
particulars we will depend upon General Myer
who will doubtless assign to us our share of
thunder storms of reasonable severity, but will
also send in our direction at no very long inter
walls his "area of low barometer" aud make,
with not less frequency than has heretofore
been usual, the welcome announcement of
"cloudy weather and rain for the New England
states. Dangerous winds not anticipated"
Hon. F. W. Bird has delivered speech, at
East Walpole, in which he intmates DISPOSE
ton TO leave the republican party because he
don't like President Grant. 1t is claimed, also
that he talked of joining the democratic party;
but we do not find this in any report of the
speech we have seen, although his talk about
the democrats appears to have been much more
gracious than that about his old political friends
Friend Bird has always been noted for great
amount very positive individualism i'll politics,
popularity which he is not very likely to shake
off. As for his joining the democratic party, we
shall believe it when we see it. Should it hap
pen, we don't believe that either he or the demo-
Gratis around him will have a remarkably good
time. We are sure that he could not be as
happy under such circumstances, as he was
when voting Independently for DR.. Swan