The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-06-18

a drought of fertile ideas ON this question.
Mr. Meredith Will the gentleman al
low me moment?
Mr. Lewis. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Meredith. | understood my friend
to say that he never knew prayers to be
answered by rain want to tell him that
once knew Baptist preacher-one ofthe
best men that ever lived on this earth. He
was not only preacher, but was very fond
of cultivating his garden. Looking around
one Saturday evening he found his vines
suffering from drought; so the next morn
ing Sunday he made tremendous prayer
for rain. That night. there came terrible
storm and washed the old mans vines all
to pieces. The next morning when he
went out and looked around, he said
yesterday prayed for rain; and haven't
| played hell. Laughter. Now, that
old gentleman prayer was answered; and
he got more than he wanted.
Mr.. Lewis. The gentleman from Vir-
ginia Mr. Meredith does not connect
cause and effect.
Mr. Kigore. Did l understand the gen
tlemen from Mississippi Mr.. Lewisl to say
that | was suffering from drought ?
Mr.. Lewis, On this subject.
Mr.. Kilgore. On what subject?
Mr.. Lewis. On the subject we are dis
cussing.
\ Member (to Mr.. Kilgore). He said
drought of ideas
Mr.. Kilgore. Well, would not apply
to my friend from Mississippi for any rain
if l was seeking to get rid of drought on
this subject
Mr. Lewis. Is that all the gentleman
wants to say? l do not see the point.
Now, Mr. Chairman, wish to say in
conclusion that we can by artificial means
bring about the conditions which will pro-
duce rain. No man who heard the report
of Gen. Dyrenforth before our committee
could resist the conclusion that rain fol-
lows as an absolute certainty upon a proper
degree of conclusion in the atmosphere.
l believe in it as devoutly as l believe in
my own existence. Because some Of these
gentlemen never saw anyone make it rain,
that is no reason why such thing can not
be done. There are plenty of people in
the world who never saw any ice, and who
on that account do not believe there is any
such thing; but of course | would not i'm
pute that degree of darkness to these
''doubting Thomases" on this question.
Mr.. Enloe. l would like to ask the
gentleman whether he does not remember
that when we were having at one time an
epidemic of cholera, and on another occa
sion an epidemic of yellow fever, the sci
entists promulgated the conclusion theory
and said that if there were sufficient dis
charges of cannon, the microbes in the
atmosphere would be destroyed and the
epidemic stopped They fired the guns
they produced the conclusions; but they
never stopped the epidemic. Does the
gentleman remember anything about that
Mr. Lewis. Well, [ heard something
about that; but that has nothing to do with
this case There may have been failure
in that instance, and yet there might be ;
success here. 1t is hard matter to tel
what microbes are; it is hard matter to tel
what will kill them; it is difficult matter
to tell what miasma is, some say it Is the
cause of the yellow fever and other conta
gious or infectious diseases
None of the scientists have ever beer
able to declare exactly what it is Neither
do they know exactly what effect microbe'
in the air have upon human organisms
But that is neither here nor there Here
is an appropriation of $4,000 proposed
for good purpose, and even if gentlemen
were in doubt, think the money woulC
be well expended in experimentation.
hope the House will adopt this appropria
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