The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-07-17

- TIE eaoNAl SERVICE.
Dessoas Pvessneoa - Dhov W. -
Should - Nsa-Ailitasy.
The condition Of the United etntes
signal service bureau, which prepaEse
The weather predictions, has longbeen
. source OF anxiety 10 those who ~
interested in the several departments
Of our national science system. Ihe
predictions given by the ofloese Of
this corps, though Of mach pnA
have not appeared, q those entitled u
crlticiss them, up b De attainabk d.
gres Of perfection. The cost d o.
bureau Is great, though il u even lsn
than the country would b willing 70
pay for . satisfactory services. he
United States spends probable more
for this work than all tho statas Of
Europe yet the weather professions
have on the whole been les succeeD-
full than those In the old world. Al
though this bureau has been in opera
ton Tor nearly twenty years e has
Jailed 10 develop q set Of able meteor.
ologists competent to define the hwso1
the weather on this continent and a
advance the science Of meteorolory.
Although the bureau has gathered Q
great body Of fact concerning he ~
mospheric conditions Of this continent
it has not succeeded in doing any con-.
adorable amount OF Investigation.
This, however, would have been more
pardonable II the practical work Of
predictions had attained the desired
end.
The weather bureau developed from
he signal service Of the United States
army. The original object 81 the
corps, as its name indicates was TO
serve Tor the purpose Of cQmmunicat-
ing information between the several
parts Of an army on the march or IN
action. Az q subordinate part Of tho
machinery employed during our civil
war, il did admirable service. II, when
It assumed its new duties a meteor
illogical corps, the officers and men
had been transferred 70 some one Of
the civilian divisions OF the govern
ment work, there can b hardly any
doubt that the corps would now have
the foremost place among the scien-
tific institutions Of the country,
The United States is singularly we'll
placed for the development Of uaete-
geological science, and the people have
. measure Of intelligence which well
6ts them for the ready appreciation Of
such aids TO their life a this branch Of
learning can afford. Unfortunately,
however, the corps was retained In
connection with the army. Nohle -
u the system Of ali efficient military
organization, II is thoroughly eyil
when it Ia applied to work such . In
quirers are called on TO do. Even
where, as in the weather bureau, Ger
tain parts Of their acts must b per
formed with studious regularity, they
can best be done under the conditions
Of civilian, and not of a military
,orps The military influences = d
necessity penetrative and dominant
II men are soldiers at all, they mud
be soldiers through and through, b
order that the system may be reason
bly, perfect
Under the present system of the dc.
nal service, the observers are men On.
listed in the United States army; they
are thereby essentially separated from
all the conditions which prevail h tt
non-military work Of the state. TheiI
first duty IL not 10 prosecute natural
inquiries, but to obey the commando
Of their superior officers. The lie Of
Nm enlisted man in any army u mol
such as to be attractive to youths o.
character and ability, and it is there
fore not surprising that few men ol
capacity have sought service e GER
geants in the weather service. Thus
while Harvard university has senI
more than score OF men TO the worl
Of the national and state geological
surveys Of this country. none 81 il
graduates has sought a place in ths
lower ranks of the signal service. Col
lege officers have hesitated to advise {
man to seek such a position, while I
the corps was on q civilian basis thes,
chances in life would be extremely q
tractive to young men Of ability
Therefore 1t seems that the best, Il no
) the only, thing to do, in order 10 Civ
the desired quality to the signal ~
vice, is to transfer it TO some non-mili
tary division Of the government work
. IN. s. Shaler in Boston Herald.