The New York herald., 1879-03-07

terests than majority Of the matters to
which Congress usually devotes its time.
The sRuler OF Yale's Meteorological"
In the year A. d. 1866, and to be particu-
lar as to dates, on the night OF the 14th OF
November, IN event took place in Europe
which brought glory to science, by the full
flment Of an astronomical prediction re-
garding the meteoric showers gave the
HERALD an opportunity Of utilizing with
effect the facilities for gathering news af-
forded by the Atlantic cable, and caused
scientific donkey to doff his borrowed and
long worn lions skin and bray loud note of
protest against the meteors and the HERALDs
enterprise. The person who so distinguished
himself had, up to that time, hold some
rank as an expert in scientific matters, but
was always noted for enormous conceit tenn
pered by intellectual dyspepsia. Nearly al
ways dealing with things thatwere differentln
their nature from what he conceived them to
be the deductions ofProfessor Loomis, "ruler
Of Yale's meteorologee," regarding general
scientific principles, and even particular
scientific facts, have been based on o mar
broader than his own very limited percep-
tive and analytic powers. For this reason,
in November, 1856, he made public de-
nunciation of the HEnALD's special cable
despatch announcing the meteoric display
in England, and called it spurious" on
4 ~ v<,xh ~ h;o svA I'd ov,tntn,, nf bic
own power to predict such astronomical
occurrences. The facts were, however, that
the meteors appeared where he said they
would not and did not appear whore he
said they should. TO the confusion of this
asinine professor of astronomy and "ruler
of Yale's meteorologee" the mails brought
the English papers filled with accounts of
the meteoric shower corroborative of the
HEnALp's cablegram.
After this Professor Loom is subsided for
while, and possibly devoted his hours Of
occupation to the work which we then sug-
gested to him-namely, the cultivation of
cabbages But now and then his genius
for blundering asserted itself with superior
power, and he would abandon his innocent
occupation-which may have been the cul-
tivation ofcabbages-for other fields. whero
notoriety ut least was to be won. even at
the sacrifice Of the last rags of a reputation
for common sense. On the strength Of
having compiled in o period of scien-
tific fever o book on meteorology,
which for want of anything else worth
reading is accepted in some schools,
and, we believe, unfortunately. ut Yale.
Professor Loomis has been posing for some
time as an authority on meteorological ques-
tions. II he ever learned anything from
the sources of information whence he drew
his book material it must have fermented
badly, for the knowledge. such as it was,
has been spoiled for oil practical purposes.
The latest effort of "the ruler Of Yale's
meteorologee" is to prove-all out of his own
head, too--that only one storm in nino will
reach the British Islands after crossing the
Atlantic This deduction he makes after n
considerable amount Of Figuring on the
ocean charts for 1874 and 1875 of Captain
Hofmeyer, of Copenhagen, who does not
believe in the recognition of the direct
Transatlantic passage of storms at all. We
print to-day an article from the London
Sunday Observer, III which Professor Loomis
opinion is quoted as important in settling
the value Of storm warnings from this side.
Comparing the statements of Loomis, based
on charts which Hoffmeyer has confessed are
too imperfect for a critical examination
Of the question, with the measure
Of success that has attended the
HERALD weather service predictions dur
ing the past two years, 1t will be found
that ''the ruler of Yales meteorologee" has
excelled oil his previous attempts at stating
things exactly as they are not. TO prove
this we have examined the HERALD predic-
tions by the evidence furnished by the
official meteorological bulletins published
daily in Englan and France, and with the
following results:- - Out OF fifty y-nine warn
ings sent to London between February IA,
1878, and February IA, 1870, II per cent
were completely fulfilled, 10 per cent were
fulfilled in nearly every particular, IL per
cent we're fulfilled in many particulars and
8 were not fulfilled for the regions pre-
dictei. The value Of oil the fulfilments
nrnonnta thnrafora. to over % na~ cont