The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-28
CROPPING AFTER Light

STUBBORN laCte ana secrets OF nature IS IN
nothing so well illustrated as In the opera
tons of the civil service bureau of th,
United States. 1t cannot be questioned
that the service has accomplished an amount
OF good, but any one who gives even pass.
ing thought to its daily representations,
and compares theresith the actual results,
cannot but be struck with the fact that the
service is yet merely on the Threshold OF
exact service. Improvements Of one kind
and another have been introduced annually
since the government began TO operate this
arm, and gradually the means and results
of the determinations have been nearing Il
practical outcome. As yet, however, in the
forecast of storms and certain conditions of
the weather the representations are
oitener but the evidences OF the
imperfection of the service than
proofs Of its wisdom and utility, But
while this IS true, and the signal service
bureau in most portions of the country has
become a common butt of ridicule, men
without number, so-called scientists, are
constantly arising and suggesting the add
ton Of a multitude of features in the prem
Uses, which, if adopted, would prove rather
complications than benefits to what ought
to be now far more simpliiied service. To
weigh the clouds and calculate the varied
atmospheric changes taking place daily
over so an extended field as
the globe would be most her
culean task, even though cables and tele-
graphs bringing the different portions of
the earth into close communion were null
tiplied thousand-lold. In the absence of
such thorough and intimate connection be.
tween the different parts of the earth the
task Is next to impossible, and yet such
state of Affairs is an indispensable condition
to accurate weather forecasts. The neces-
sity, therefore, is apparent at once, before
proceeding to attempt to ramify and dilluso
intelligence gathered ut the weather bureau
for perfecting the means by whcu
such information is gathered. TIL nb-
surdity, therefore, of the suggest, ns that
are constantly being made 20, increasing
the facilities for tho distrb, ION of weather
Indications can be at once seen. For illus
tration, II Mn, II. J, tGNRoD, author of "a
Universal Code o Weather Signals" insists
that the sigma service bureau predictions
should be daily signalled on railway trains,
steamboats, and stages, either by the
use of figures or colored discs,
and in every town by the use OF
flags bells or cannon. In face
OF the notorious fact, rs we have indicated,
that these bureau predictions are but rude
guesses rather than the determinations of
exact science, as yet, it is question
whether such an extensive dissemination of
such imperfect knowledge would not be
more injurious than beneficial to the coun-
try at large. When such mighty interests
as the farming and commercial worlds are
asked to base their operations upon Ger
tain character of information, if there is
one element more than another
needed in such Information IL il accuracy.
IL would be better, it seems TO us, il the
that are made from time to
time for the extension OF this signal service
were rather devoted to its limitation but
perfection. 1t would be money better ex-
pended If the atmospheric changes and CON
ditions of any one city or section were so
thoroughly studied as to become accurately
known and predicted and gradually tins
field of operations be extended, than
to throw away millions in ex-
periments, aud merely experiments,
over wider field. As the ten
dency now is and the service is now opera.
ted, the whole business seems to us but un-
satisfactory cropping in the fields OF science
Tor more information than the present
sources of light will afford. IT, in the place
OF these multiplied suggestions from out
side sources aud the multiplied experiments
within, some practical statesman would
take this weather bureau of the government
in hand and insist upon appropriations and
statutes looking to the perfection and accu-
raoy of such labor rs is now performed,
rather than the multiplication OF features
and the extension OF the service in its pres.
ent imperfect slate, we should shortly have
occasion to regard this arm of the govern.
ment as of actual and practical benefit to
the country, rather than, as now, an ele-
phantine means OF getting rid of public
millions aud providing for thou
sands of place through n
gigantic scheme of crude and half scientific
groupings In the atmospheric world. If this
branch OF study be but prosecuted in
truly practical ana scientific manner, the
results can be made of more real s!gnif-
canoe and value to the country nj large
than researches in almost any other field,
but to continue or enlarge the present un.
scientific and slipshod management Of the
bureau, to say nothing of IL rs u public
waste, is iarccal in the extreme.