, 1889-04-17
THE SIGNAL v
Reasons Presented to Show why 1t
Should BE Non-hIIitary.

EhVn why ~
Should he Non-mIutnry.
Tho condition of the United States
signal service bureau, which prepares
the weather predictions, has long been
q source of anxiety to those who are
interested in tho several departments
of our national science system. The
predictions given by tho officers of
this corps, though of much value,
have not appeared, TO those entitled to
criticiso them, up to the attainable de
gree of perfection. Tho cost of the
bureau Is great, though it is even less
than the country would be willing to
pay for a satisfactory service. The
United States spends probable more
for this work than all the states Of
Europe, yet the weather predictions
have on the whole been less cce
full than those in the old world. Al
though this bureau has been in opera
ton for nearly twenty years, it has
failed to develop q set of able meteor
ologists competent to define the laws of
the weather on this continent, and to
advance the science of m~eteorology.
Although the bureau has gathered q
great body of fnct concerning the at
mospheric conditions of this continent,
1t has not succeeded in doing any con-
siderable amount of Investigation.
This, however, would have been moro
pardonable If the practical work of
predictions had attained the desired
end.
The weather bureau developed from
the signal service of the United States
army. The original object of the
corps, n its name indicates, was to
serve for the purpose of communicate
ing information between tho several
parts of an army on the march or In
action. As a subordinate part of tho
machinery employed during our civil
war, 1t did admirable service. II, when
1t assumed its new duties rs a meteor
illogical corps, tho officers and men
had been transferred TO some ono of
the civilian divisions of the govern
ment work, there can be hardly any
doubt that the corps would now havo
tho foremost place among the scien-
tiio institutions of the country.
Tho United States is singularly well
placed for the development of mete-
geological science, and the people have
a measure of intelligence which well
fits them for tho ready appreciation of
such aids to their life as this branch of
learning car afford. Unfortunately,
however, tho corps was retained in
connection with tho army. Noble as
Is the system of an efficient military
organization, it Is thoroughly evil
when 1t Is applied to work such as In
quirer are called on to do. Even
whore, as In the weather bureau, Ger
tain parts of their acts must be per
formed with studious regularity, they
can best DO done under tho conditions
Of a civilian, and not of n military
corps. Tho military influence is of
o necessity penetrative and dominant.
II men are soldiers at all, they must
be soldiers through and through, In
order that tho system may be reason
bly, perfect
Under the present system of the sig
nal service, tho observers are men en-
listed In the United States army; they
are thereby essentially separated from
all theconditions which prevail In tho
non-military work of tho state. Their
first duty is not to prosecute natural
inquiries, but TO obey the commands
OF their superior officers. The life of
an enlisted man in any army Is not
such rs to be attractive to youths of
character and ability, and 1t is there
LoFc NOT surprising Inab rev mel /
capacity have sought service as ser
geants in the weather service. Thus
while Harvard university has sent
moro than q score of men to the work
OF the national and state geological
surveys of this country, mono Of its
graduates has sought q place in the
lower ranks of the signal service. Col
lege officers have hesitated to advise a
man to seek such a position, while if
the corps was on n civilian basis these
chances in life would DO extremely at
tractive to young men of ability.
the only, thing to do, in order to give
me desired quality to the signal SER
vice, is to transfer 1t to some non-mili-
tary division of the government work.
IN. s. Shaler in Boston Herald.