The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-09-23
EARTH AND AIR.


A Book Jv john n. Tcc, the Great Weather
Prophet- Planetary Equinoces and their hfu-
cnccs on Terrestrial Phcnomcna-St2rms, Whit
,oipds, Tornddoes, Wdtcr-SpOuts, Hurricanes,
Emhquokes and Volcanic Eruptions, oU
Caused BY tie Planets. ..
*. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Prof. John H. T'ice has just published
an account of his meteorological discov-
cries aud theories, in little volume en-
titled elements of Meteorology." Al
though much has been said of him and
his thee ries, very little is really known
of what he teaches, since to the major
ity of people the terminology of science
is an insurmountable barrier to prof.
cheney in it. Mr.. Tice in his preface,
indulges in a short TRADE on the novel
reading tendencies of the age, and the
dsjnclination of the people to read sci
entifc works but there is much truth
in the assertions of the publishers, who
told him that science was very little
re,d. From two thirds to five sixths
of the reading of the present day are
newspapers, and as they become more
eclectic in character they are more
read. Ths science of meteorology is
materially advanced and made known to
the public by review of the principal
features of il, and brief summary of
Mr.. Tice's theories will not be inappro-
pirate. ....- ......
PLANETARY CYCLES.
For many years the philosophers have
been searching for facts which would
assist them in the formation of laws or
general principles, and several of them
have had dim glimmerings of the truth,
but none hit on the exact rules, or if
they did they made no mention of Their
discovery. Observations have frequently
been made of Individual phenomena,
such as sun-spots, magnetic intensity
of the earth, auroras, earthquakes, rain
falls, and the like, but little attempt at
generalization or arrangement has ever
been made. The sun spot watchers,
after much observation, thought they
had discovered cycle that completed
itself in about eleven years, while 9th
ers imagined that fifteen or more years
were necessary. While each man was
endeavoring to establish a cycle for
some particular phenomenon, few made
any attempt to generalize the whole
mass Of kindred phenomena and deduce
broad principles.
Another difficulty that offt red itself
in the way of scientists was that, while
the greater cycle seemed to fix itself at
period Of eleven years, there appeared
also to be lesser cycle, not so dis
tinctly marked, which divided the
greater cycle into two nearly eQual
parts. Before this could be duly ar
ranged and accounted for, other pertur-
bations were discovered that could be
attributed to neither OF these periods,
and other discoverers proceeded to form
cycles of varied numbers OF days, from
% to ll2, larger cycle of SO years be.
ing also calculated. Upon an increase
OF knowledge, several of these new cycles
came to be abandoned but that of 112
days and that of nine years were still
upheld. Mr.. Tice, after having salts
fed himeelf of the existence of meteor
ological cycles, about eight years ago
undertook TO investigate their length.
Taking it for granted that every phe-
nomenon must have a cause, and that n
constantly recurring cause must be as-
certainable, reducibe to law and sus.
ceptibls of proof, he began.
ia "My first step was to collect all tho
material accessible TO me, consisting Of
the records OF observations made on
physical phenomena, such as auroras,
sun-spots, cyclones, rainfalls and earth
quakes. After carefully sitting the
dates, by Jumping them l obtained
1l.S3 years as the average length of the
cycle indicated by the observations. As
this period corresponded so closely
within eleven days Of the Jovial year,
Iprojected the hypothesis that Jupiter,
in some unknown way, was the cause OF
the perturbation. then made a his
torical record of all the marked periods
of disturbance, such as earthquakes,
sun.spots and cyclones, for $500 years.
With these facts at command, pro-
ceeded to test the hypothesis that Ju-
piter was the cause Of the perturbation.
II must here be stated that all the OBJ
servations show that the period OF per.
turbation extends over about three
years, manifestiDg itself often two years
in advance OF the maximum, and a yeai
and half afterwards. did not, how.
ever, admit any facts as verifying the
hypothesis, excepting those that came
within twelve or sixteen months. The
reeson for the length of the Jovial dis
turbapce is, that Jupiter moves very
elowly in his orbit, only about thirty
degrees in year. The year 1859 was
ayear of maximum disturbance 1t was
therefore taken IS standard, and the
time intervening between it andthe date
of the phenomenon was divided by
II So, the length Of the Jovial year. Oi
nearly two hundred historical phenom.
ena, there were but three intensely and
staoDgly marked that did not coincide
within limits with the Jovial cycle
JUPrTER's INFLUENCE. ..
After demonstrating that all natura
phenomena of the earth, such as winds
sncw. auroras and earthquakes, are
caused by electricity, and that the cleo
tricity necessary is always being gener
ated on tho earth, he affirms that ever
different degrees Of energy are me
times manifested and that thu
influence OF the Jovisl oyc' va
tion Of electricity is sop II
tensifed. He disco Il &C
trio intensity o. sSW E'ts
much incres' ,oS fsho