Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-05-08
Girls rs Barometers.

weather prophecy has recently been
made by Prof. Macgregor, of the Royal
Society. The published record of his
experiments is extremely interesting,
and they certainly give us good
reason to believe that satisfactory
substitute for the barometer has at last
been found.
Prof. Macgregor tells us that his at
tention was attracted to the use of girls
for scientific purposes by overwhelming
a young lady remark that her "bang
would not keep crimped in damp
weather" Upon this hint he imme-
diately began a series of experiments,
stretching over a period of eleven
months and involving the use OF 500
girls. He began by taking red-haired
girl with luxuriant bang, which he
caused to be crimped with great care
on an evening when the atmosphere
was particularly dry. The next morn
ing the bang presented a beautifully
"frizzed" appearance, but as toward
the afternoon the air grew perceptibly
foggy, the Professor expected that the
bang would lose its crimpidity-to use
scientific term. 1t did nothing OF the
kind, and, so far as he could see, the
state of the atmosphere had no effect
upon it.
Instead of being discouraged by this
failure, Prof. Macgregor persevered. 1t
occurred to him that the color of the hair
might be an important factor, and that
red hair might retain its crimpidity in
circumstances where other hair would
lose that quality. He therefore ordered
from charity school three dozen
orphaned girls of from twelve to sixteen
wears of age, and of assorted cOlors in
point of hair. Twelve of these were
black haired, twelve were brown-haired,
and twelve were red-haired. All of
these girls wore bangs, and were in ev-
cry way well adapted for scientific in
vestigations. By long series of care
full experiments, he proved that on the
approach of wet weather the bangs of
the brown-haired girls, without excep-
ton, became limp and straight; that a
like effect was produced upon the bangs
of ten of the twelve black-haired girls,
while the red haired girls were not a
particle influenced either by the humid
ity or the dryness of the atmosphere.
Further experiments upon ladies Of ev-
cry age, from sixteen to forty-five, gave
like results, and the conclusion that the
bang of brown-haired girl is an in
fallible indicator of the approach of wet
or dry weather may be unhesitatingly
accepted. The Professor also discov-
cred that ed-haired girls show a pc
culiar susceptibility to electricity. When
thunder storm is brewing their bang
become stiff and bristling, and in three
instances, when the Professor tried tc
smooth down bristling bang, he re
ceived a violent shock in the region o.
the ear. He is not as yet prepared tt
say that the presence of an unusua
amount of electricity in the air can al
ways be detected by the use of red-hairet
girls, but he is strongly inclined to thinl
that further investigation will prove tina
such is the fact.
In view of this important discovery
Prof. Macgregor recommends tina
brown-haired girls shall be substituted
on board all vessels, whether naval o
mercantile, for the present untrustwor
thy barometer. He points out that, il
: the merchant service, where steward
ess is at present carried, she should b
required to be 8 brown-haired woman
: with bang, and that any neglect OIL
her part to crimp her bang every nigh
while at sea should be punished as I
misdemeanor. In the navy peculiarl.
sensitive brown-haired girls should b
employed, and the Professor suggest
that they should be kept in glass cases
open, of course, at the top, so that the
would run no risk of being injured. Tn
first cost of girl is, of course, rattle
more than that of barometer. and 1t
) expensive to keep her in order, but thi
is Of no consequence compared with he
value as weather indicator. We ca
understand why nature created girl