Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-15
The Moon W.. MeteOrOlOxy.

To the Editor of IHE EVENING STAR:
Before IacIs are discovered II Is not surprising
that all manner OF absurd views should be held
We see this In every department of n ture. No one
Will doubt the Intellectual superiority OF the an
Gent Greeks, Yet they helu some very absurd no.
tons OF the physical conditions OF the earth and
air. Man Is so constituted that he seeks solution
OF all that Is mysterious TO him, and he constructs
the best Interpretation that the facts his COM
mind Will admit In important 1acts are beyond
Ills reach they Can throw no light upon the CUES
tloh, and until they are discovered the solution
must remain IN darkness and subject To all sorts
Oh conjecture and absurd conceptions. Meteor
Oiogy vas no exception TO the rule and as, from
ancient times, the planets were supposed to have
certain influences upon each other, II was quite
natural that the belief should Established thar
the moon should have an influence upon the air OF
the earth, 10 cause what We term changes In the
weather. or late years many inte.igC mt people
have had no respect for this ''moon Influence" ior
the simple reason that IL had been tried and found
wanting In scientific value. HerscheI In his time
from certain data, formed bic whereby TO prog
nostlcate the weather on the basis OF the changes
OF NE moon, but his table was probably more OF a
matter OF experiment than anything else. IL never
commanded any great respect and stood ON par
Win the old almanac lore IN general
There have been certain epOcns IN the world All
branches OF science discovery and the arts have had
Their epocns- All The lines In the various branches
nave not been advanced together. on the con-
lrary, the advancement has been very Irregular
thousands OF years ago some departments We're
advanced very near, II not 10 IuIl perfection, and
to-day We cannot go beyond the perfection OF
these early ages. Other departments have ne
ceosdrlIy waited upon the perfection or advance
ment OF others- MeLeorology waited upon elec-
TRICKY. Until the Telegraph was completed and
In good working order II was impossible collect
the Iacts tnat now form the data on which meteor
oiogy Is bullded. So meteorolOgy becomes, as IL
were new science. Prior 10 the gathering OF
the Iacts OF the past eighteen years 1t was a very
unsatisfactory science; Indeed, IL was not worthy
VI the maine. Inc weIther-inap has completely
revOlutionlzet the whole subject. Now we have
lght. Daily The weatncr-nap spreads OUT before
Us the atmospheric conditions OF the immense ter
ritoIy Oh the United dleS, In round numbers,
oblong square OF 1,500x3,OOO miles. From thl,
revelation we see the a0surdty OF any such claim
as the ancient Idea vi ''InOOn Influence"
Probably the best way 70 Understand this will 4
De 10 divide the area OF the United states into
squares Oh 90 miles each; thirty squares one way
anu sixty the other. Let these ali be designated
by a number.
As often explained In these papers, the weather
Is determined by the factors ..nigu" and ..Iown
The map Is never twice alike let This be Borne in
mind On an average there present on the
map Two "niSns AMI two 'lows;" say the ODD
'lowD In the Aorlhe al, "high" between there and
the Mississippi valley, "io"' In The wesj, with
new "high Just coming Ia from the Pacinc. So
snSse anu lows Will cover the different
squares Where the "nighs" prevail there the at
mOspnere Will he clear ana relatively cool Where
tne 'lo"s prevail the weather Will lie stormy: be-
tween tine areas OF SLOW" aud s.uign, AN .0ris M
weather VIII Oe IN order. In twenIy-IOur nonrs
the moon eucircies the earth; 50 IN one nIuhI In
VIII pass over these different areas where ali va
warm and cold.
Now II must be queer agent that Will have one
eneCt over solne squares and the opposite effect
over Otner squares, Win ali The varieties between
Anu iui ther, ~hen on the same meridian there
- So,, lOH IN the North ana nigh" in the
taneoua Ii would be queer AGENT that Womb
seHu iorln rays or uy1ueace 81 that In 900 miles
sO, Ine hofth would nave one effect and TO the
Sersc Its effect or influence the next 600 miles
wneIe .ne Low Was IN the South and the .higno In
tne Nortn! Inc mathematics that wouII woTk onT
| Large cake. Ny