The New York herald., 1879-11-23
The Quarterly Review ON storm
Warnings.

quainted with achievements in modern
meteorology, and particularly unacquainted
with the scope and effect Of the storm warn
ings cabled to Europe from the HERALD
Office has written an article entitled ''The
Weather and It's Prediction" which is pub
lished in the London Quarterly Revieao for
October, and in which some reference
This reference we reprint to-day. In
every great enterprise men who APP
preciate the respect of their fellows
claim to labor in an honorable spirit
for the success of the ideal set before
them. In science especially this is sup
posed to be the motive. If we suppose
men to be aciuated in that way how should
they feel toward fellow laborers in the same
enterprise? Apparently they ought to re-
joice at every reinforcement and glory in
every step taken that advances the line,
though only in the least degree, toward
the desired goal. They ought to feel
as battalion in the face OF an
enemy it does not handle with any
success may be supposed to feel when an
other battalion of it's own colors comes up
unexpectedly and hits the enemy on the
flank. In the attempt to carry the hard
and slippery heights on which the great
truths of science are fortified every rush
that secures a new foothold and gives the
chance to open new parallel and get a
new and important field OF fire for the
guns ought to be welcomed with enthusi-
astic cheers down the whole line
But the earthiness in the nature
of scientific men is exhibited by
the fact that they do not at all feel in that
way. Our success in the exact and partic-
ular prediction of storms to arrive on the
coasts OF Europe has been repeatedly shown
by the results. Yesterday we published a
tabular statement copied from the Gentle
mans Magazine, of London, in which all the
predictions we had sent during period of
seven months were reproduced with state
ment opposite each OF the weather which ac-
five times in twenty-seven the. storm
was there. Is that success? Perhaps we
are not proper authority on our own
labors, but if anybody else had done it or
had done half so much as this toward sue
cess in new demonstration of knowledge
Of the great operations OF nature we should
have held it to be not merely a success, but
the most striking success of the times in
meteorology. And what has the Quarterly
Reuiew to say about our predictions
This:-'In practical results for the fish
ing and farming interests of Western Eu-
rope their value is absolutely nu A
warning which covers the coast of Europe
for nearly twenty degrees of latitude must
necessarily be superfuous over large pro-
portion Of the ports where it is announced.
What possible use can it be to Wick
herring boat to know that q storm is coming
which at its worst may only discommode
the bathers Of Biarritz? ?" Here is man
who seems to fancy that we have taken a
contract to tell the Wick skippers and the
small farmers of four acres of potatoes
here and there just when and how they
would have the weather they might want
and when they might indulge in whole
holiday over their hot gin. We do not sup
ply this small knowledge; we do not parcel
out our weather predictions for strips of
country five miles wide, and do not time
them to o second by stop watch therefore
they have no value. What arrant nonsense
is this to put in q great periodical as
argument on great subject! If one
should advance as valid objec-
ton to the making of harpoons that
these weapons were of no use whatever to
people who want to take brook trout, he
would reason exactly as the meteorological
in the Quarterly does when he tries Atlantic
storm predictions by the measure of his
little fisherman's boats in particular river.
What Are there no interests to be served
over the wide range Of Europe by the
knowledge that great storm is coming,
and no value in experiments tried to
test the exactitude of the advance
ment of science unless these can
be felt on the value of pound
of bait? Is the convenience and profit of
this little fisherman the sole measure of
argue with this small wit in his small
circle, How many times do our predictions
disappoint the herring man? Take the set
of twenty-seven referred to, and how many
times did the storms appear only at Biarritz
or other places out of England which
we gave reason to believe would appear in
Englandp Only three times in twenty
seven did the storms fail to reach these
very fishermen by whose interest the Lon
don Quarterly measures great concerns
Twenty-four times in the course of seven
months they were warned of the approach
of storms, any one OF which. had they been
caught out. might have proved their ruin.
Were those warnings of no value to them
Pulpit Topics To-day.
Among the more practical topics that