The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-02-04
Saltwater, Mimi. Thursday, Feb. 1892.
Weather Prophecy.

Weather Prophecy.
A weather prophet sometime ago threw
the cOlOred people of the South into con-
vulsiOns by threatening that section with a
great earthquake. OF course the threat
was not executed-the prophet had no con-
troll over the forces concerned in earth
quakes; and they did not do his bidding.
The fright inflicted upon masses of ignorant
people attracted the attention of the scien-
lists, and they examined the prophecy with
unusual care, hoping to diminish the force
of the next moral earthquake among those
who are moved to fear by ignorant
prophecy.
The examination showed that the prophet
was inaccurate in all his facts. and that
had his facts been good. his prophecy would
have been absurdly improbable. 1t is not
the first time that an effort has been made
to foretell great cOnvulsions and storms
The older tribe" of weather prophets sim
ply fOretOld. giving no reasons. The present
race of storm Projectors kindly divulge
their reasons. They have that little
and which until it is exposed passes for the
best knowledge with the uneducated. be-
cause it processes the wisdom of science.
1t is one of the uncatalogued crimes of the
age to prOphesy respecting the weather in
such language as to alarm and distress the
people.
The best corrective available is to set be-.
fore the people the nature and extent of our
fOreknOwledge of the weather. We are not
able to fOretell the weather beyond. say,
thirty six hOurs-Scientifically And we are
able to do this only because set of signal
stations with telegraphic communication
enables us to study the direction and force
of storm currents. We have found out that
the weather OF one region is. so to speak,
manufactured in other regions, and travels
to the former in atmospheric waves. Of
course we must walt until these waves are
formed before we can fOretell their journey.
| 1t may be that we shall attain to wider
knowledge and longer forecast. 1t may
come to pass that the general character of
the seasons shall be fOretOld months i'm ad-
vance. But it will never be possible to
fOretell precisely where and when great
storms will rage. The factors are too
numerous and the possible combinations too
various.
AS for earthquakes, the immediate causes
are under the surface of the earth, and be
yOnd our reach by any known methods of
study. The remOter causes may be studied
with profit. But to fOretell an earthquake
ten days in advance. will probably never be
possible. Careful observations of the daily
tremOr of the earth are now made in many
points. and some general knowledge of a
valuable kind may be expected as fruit of
system of like observations stretching
round the globe. But let it be remembered
that man who talks about earthquakes
and the conjunction of the planets as re-
lated to each other, is using the methods of
medieval alchemy and not those of modern
science.
Scientific weather observation is. indeed,
in its infancy; and this fact may lead the
unwary to too ready belief in the weather
prophet. ''What." says the hopeful spirit
Of credulity. may we not expect in the
way of fOreknOwledge of storms? Why
should we not know everything. and why
may not this prophecy be foretaste OF
wider knowledge?" The answer is that
only quackS in science indulge in personal
advertising on their own account. and that
a scientific observer who has obtained some
new clue to the weather puzzle would sub.
NIT it to other men of science. and not, in
any case, make use of it to advertise him.
self and alarm the people. The proceedings
of these so called weather prophets are ut
terly unwarrantable-they are just line
less than criminal. They ought to be re.
pressed by public condemnation.
RAMEOUs.