Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-03-14
Some Reasons Why.

Some Reasons Why.
The people of our favored State
. should find cal:sc Tor congratulation
every day, while scanning the news OF
the world, in the fact that we are COM
paratively exempt from the disastrous
ills that seem periodically to sweep
over large pei. lions Of the globe. We
are not surprised 20 read OF blizzard
in New York that may have destroyed
property and life, or cyclone in
Kansas, that has left destruction and
death i'll its wake, OF OF the yellow
fever in the South, or failure OF
crops in the North, or Of instruction,
war, pestilence or famine in other
parts of the Earth, but if any OF these
evils should fall upon this State, it
would be regarded as something far
beyond the natural course Of events.
This would be very SAFE and salts
factory conclusion. The exemption
from elemental disturbances that we
enjoy, is based upon natural causes.
Primary changes have been studied so
closely that, years ago, before the con-
junction OF the reat'plancts, the train
Of mal-fcent occurrences that was to
follow the changed conditions incident
thereto was clearly predicted, as well
even rs the modified effect upon this
coast. Pestilence, famine, epidemics,
and great disturbances in the form Of
earthquakes, cyclones and floods, fol-
lowed along just as they did centuries
ago when similar causes produced like
effects.
II may not be, in all cases, possible
to understand the occult forces which
result in such important develop
ments, or to trace the precise connec-
ton between cause and effect, but the
conclusion is none the less irresistible
that they operate by laws, which,
though hidden, are as precise and as
thoroughly in unison with the perfect
system of nature, as those principles
we have reduced to automatic SIM
plicity. We know that certain COM
bination Of acids and metals produces
electricity. We observe that this force
is evolved from the decomposition of
one of the metals, but what it is, or
the mysterious manner in which it
can, as . utilized means OF conveying
intelligence, be made to annihilate
time and eliminate space, is one of the
secrets that nature refuses to explain.
We know that intense heat is stored up
in . tom Of coal, and understand the
method by which it may be liberated,
but the law invoked in this simple
process Of combustion is - much of
sealed book to the savant, who is sup
posed to hold the key to knowledge,
~ 70 the stoker who feeds his furnaces
without any thought Of the sublime
mystery with which he is 90 closely
connected.
It matters but little, however, wheth-
or We know just how and why we are
20 favored by . Providence. We can
eco how the tremendous air-currents
are Get in motion ON the arid plains,
ior the rudimentary principles Of phil
osophy teach that 90 long as Nature
abhoss . vacuum, and the suns rays
are concentrated upon large areas OF
trceless waste, thus heating and rare
tying the atmosphere, that motion
must result. The wind currents flow
TO these centers, from all directions,
and It i the meeting and conflict Of
opposing currents that produces the
whiTlWind, and this in turn Is acceler-
ated by the electrical afIinities aroused
and ct free by the friction Of the mp
IDLY grating Storm. and finally devel-
opes the cyclone, in which the most
devastating ferces Of Nature are Get in
play. These terrible phenomena of
Nature are rare ON the sea coast for
The Eeas0n that the breezes from the
ocean carry very little radiated heat
from ~ waters surface. and the land
Il psotected thereby for considerable
distance Inland, and this defense Is
supplemented BY the vast mountain
ranges which intsrpose their rocky
barrisrs 70 the approach Of the Storm
King.
hsetilsnce results from climatic con-
di6ope which render diseases epidemic,
and famine iron : failure Of the food
supply, ssnsrallyo Of crops. These evils
ass inpeobahle here for quite ~ salts
tacoosy philosophical reasons The
wind and equable climate Of the coast,
prodnced ~ The con6guration Of the
land = wsll a. the warm ocean cur
rsnt from Tie Gulf Stream, give the
bet possible conditions for health !;
whila Tho. alkaline plains Of the East
sfn district yield an unprecedented
ratio per acre Of liIe-sustaining cereal
producta- The land does not !" wear
ont" Or need feeding" a. in many Of
ths oldsr States. nor i there any evil
dence that it has deteriorated in the
least By constant use for many years.
Ths present Widespread destitution
In Dakota i from : failure of crops
two consecutive seasons. A severe
fsust killed ths IAN eropsof 1858, and
this misiortune NJ succeeded by .
drouth last yeax, Which destroyed the
grain crops over Ill the newer por-
tons Of North Dakota, and seriously
damaged the yield everywhere through.
out the State. Il i estimated that S.
600 or 1000 people arc wholly depend
ent upon Others for support for them
selves and stock till another season
opens.
Failure from these causes, it is con.
silently believed, can never result in