National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-07-04
OLD PROBABILITIES AT HOME.
His Homo and Family-A Look Into Ills
weathor-eye.

Weathor-eye.
Gath, In q letter from Washington ~ the
Chicago Tribune, says
Your attention Is invited TO my friend,
Probabilities. He Is not difficult person to
know; for he opens his conversation In the
usual way about the weather, and gets of
that theme with difficulty. His amusemcnts
arc simple, cultiyating bulbs and flying kites;
and the roof Of his house Is observed with
toys which excite the envy Of all the neigh
boring boys.
II Is an old-fashioned house, with a head
put on 1t of Mansard, and rough-coatod, and
the back stairs lead down into q yard where
outhouses are strewn about, full Of good
nstured wo Gi, making maps' Il !: -, |.
neighboring houses, pouring into IL; weather.
yanes-some old-fashioned, some made Of
hollow cups turned sidewise- swing and veer
upon the roof. 1t looks like witch factory.
| And yet It Is close by the Office Of the Secre-
| tary Of War, to whom Probabilities must re-
port himself three times y day; and rs, In an
cient times, commanders never went TO battle
without looking for signs, flying birds, or In
dlcations Of some kind, war again consists
| Of watching the weather, and seeing how
PhGbus sets his cloudy battalious.
THE 0RASD-MAsTER.
The name Of Probabilities, with the mystery
removed, Is Albert J. Myer. Hei Is an officer
like, clcanly.cut man, young. and trim, with
eyes, and sort Of reasoning address. His
head Is rather small than otherwise, and the
forehead inclined. He entered the army as
q surgeon, from the region Of Buffalo, N. Y,
In 1884, and was transferred TO the line In
1850 as major and chief signal officer. His
present rank Is colonel in the regular army,
and brigsdier general by breyet, He or
Unniyah the kiUnal carns pf tho army and
after the war, with rare expansivcness,
adapted and extended the theory Of signal
Ing TO civil uses, and projected system Of
observation and prognostication which should
serve the uses Of agriculture navigation and
the comfort of society.
HIS USE.
The telegraph was to be the transmittcr
Of simultaneous observations over the great
area Of the country, upon temperature, moist
| ure, wind ard clouds; and, by the known
laws Of me.eorology, the effect Of these In
fuences could be computed with some degree
OF probability by the educated Judgment Of
constant prognosticators ut tho central Office,
and be by them telegraphed back to the peo-
pie. Thus the signal ofiice-now called by
tho public the Weather Bureau--aims to pro-
duce the widest and most pleasing economy
| ever contributed by science, mechanics, and
Government to q people. 1t addresses the
picnic party and the feet-captain, the old
woman QfylnB ClOtnes, anu tuc kcncIul Oi OK
pedition, tho miller on the brook and the
coaster on the Gulf. The possibilities Of tins
ONCE In the human economy arc boundlcss;
for what we call the weather Is the invisible,
but systematic government Of the world the
chemistry aud cxhalation, the docllity and
tho expression, the obedience and the act OF
the globe. Man has gotten out Of bed for
thousands Of years with one stocking and one
suspeuder on, and damned the appearance OF
the morning, For the hrst time in the his
tory Of our species, he Is not now required To
look out OF the window, and show the vio-
lence OF his temper and the degree Of his ig-
norance. He may lather his face, and, with
that eve which has not been soapod, regard
the bottom Of the column In his morning
newspaper; and exelalm, like q sovereign,
that since the weather reports began there
has been no news.
TALK.
Bald to Gen. Myer,
General, you should write over the door!
The Weather Bureau Prophets and priests
desired 1t long, but died without tho sight. '"
"Oh!" said the General "the Bible Is a
great wcather-book. The wind hloweth
where II llsteth, and thou canst
not tell whence II cometb and whittier II
goeth;' but We do. We look In the East
and see that Is red, and we get o newer de-
duotion from that. Yes tho people and the
press OF tho country have supported this