The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-12-12
sun spots and Business.
chicago Tribune, y


Tie despair Oi astronomy ia the use Of
the sun-sPot. Astronomers, without regard
to ssc, condition, OF sex, are agreed upon
the existence Of the spot. They also con
cede that these Fpots reach maximum in
cycles Of ten years. A= astronomy il moth
ing if not precise, the term may he stated
at 10 1910 years. Just at this point, how
evor, with the obstinacy and perversity
peculiar 10 the class, they Commence TO d.
verge, some claiming that the presence Of
sun spOts in maximum produces hot wealth
er, and others that,it produces cold weather.
~ there will be another maximum at or
about the year ISL, We are accordingly
leit in perplexity Of doubt whether at that
lime we shall be burned up with heat of
frozen with cold. Prof. Jevons, with
charming disregard OF the doubls in the
case, has established a theory that sun
spots are in some mysterious way connected
with commercial psnic-, and that when the
spots are numerous the market values
shrink up and panic ensues. He makes no
account of the fact that commercial panics
have their maxima in cycles, and that
these cycles may correspond with those of
the sun-spotz, which would bring hIs argu-
ment down to the. sbsurdity of the popular
ACllJ4l l-AaL YIN AlDtT HAOANS' iAltCA
cause some people who eat tomatoes have
died with that disease.
The whole business il an embarrassing
one The President in his message has in
formed the country that We are entering
upon an area Of good times and general busi-
n,ss prosperity, when along comes Jeyons
and Insists that sun spots determine panics,
which will make the next panic due 10
h. 10 q IL.
of one class Of astronomers that sun-spots
produce periods Of great heat, We have had
during the past summer n most remarkably
heated tern,-a term 20 hot that St. Louis
was almost burned up, and nearly all her
population came to Chicago yet there
was nothing the matter with the sun in the
way Of spots. Az in the Gaze Of some chill
dreD, there was hardly measle made It's
appearance aud the attack was very Light.
But. whether the sun-spots have anything
TO do with the existing condition Of things |
or no., We have reason 10 be satished with |
it. The GUNNER heat produced an album |
dant crop, and has knocked prices down
We haze had warm and delightful fall. and
now We are fairly past Thanksgiving and
almost up 10 Christmas and the ground If
not vet fairly frozen The thermometer has |
ranged llgler imam AZ any TIME curing lEe
past twenty years, and although the OBJ
fuscated mu-krst has bull, his house doubly |
strong this year, and the ::disgruntled goose
has lit out with absurd haste, there Is |
fair prospec: that we shall not suffer much |
having already less than three months
ahead Of US before we reach the Heightened
days and warmer sun. The effect of all
this has been a saving in the expenses Of
living, such as coal, clothing, furs, and
other necessitie. which cold fall would
have imposed. II has opened the way fot
the continuance Of outdoor employment
even into the winter. 1t has saved much
out door relief Il has made the poor COM
Portable, and, II is value could be compn-
ted in money, it would reach millions OF
dollars. In all this there is great encour
agement, and We may reasonably Danish all
dread Of the long, cold winter that was
Threatened. From this standpoint il ia Of
little consequence. what significance astron-
Omers may attribute to sun-spots, or what
effect they msy have upon commercial PAN