The Louisiana populist., 1897-10-15

er uegeneraCeS lntO 4 MuuQy anu
variable stream full Of bars and
uncertainty. The smaller rivers
become wet-weather streams. And
the beautiful little creeks in which
we fshcd and swan half a century
ago, and whose ripples were al
ways there to dance when the mu-
sic of the sunlight foil upon them,
where are they +!
Gone forever The channels
filled up and no mark of their ex-
istence survives save the pain of q
wounded memory. Of course the
settler was compelled to destroy
much Of the forest in the prepara-
ton of lands for cultivation, but
with this necessity he did not stop.
t.c has applied fire to the carpet Of
leaves spread over the remaining
forest, burned them up with tbe
fallen timber, leaving the ground
bare to dry and bake in the sun to
an extent beyond the prohss'srain
point. Extraneous causes may
produce occasional cloud gather
ings from which reluctant showers
shall be precipitated by the deto-
nations Of thunder, but the rains
are irregular, if not violent, and
falling upon a bare, hard earth de.
nuded of leaves and logs by fire,
the waters speadily run of into the
lower lands, deluging them with
floods while the locality upon which
they fell is left to drouth and fam
inc. Continued long enough the
foregoing causes lead to the impos-
sible rain point, and a desert re,
suits. 1t is q fearful fact that large
proportions Of earth may become
so thoroughly dry that no rain can
fall.
Having outlined the causes that
lead to universal dcssication l shall
now proceed to say something Of
the mode of operation of these
causes in The production of the
phenomena in question.
Like the human body earth has
its system of fluid circulation,
which is not explainable, as IS
generally supposed, upon the ny,
pOthesis of graviAtion. 1t Is we'll
known that DIR. Harvey long ago
received full payment for discov-
ering the circulation OF human
blood, but although not SO we'll
known, it is a fact that he only dis
covered one-half Of tho process,
and the other half remains to 10
clucidated by some transcendental
medical philosopher. He recog.
nized no force save that OF heart
propulsion. But we can see evil
dences of a tractive force opera.
ting upon the skin. The process
seems to be akin to electricity, and
if the lungs do not represent the
positive, and the skin the negative
poles of the vital battery it will be
found that while the air moves the
lungs to action and starts the blood,
there is some force in tho air which
acting upon the skin and through
it, attracts the blood and starts it
upon its return. This force is to
US intangible. but it exists. So
also upon carth's periphery there
is an intangible force controlling d
venous and n capillary circulation
somewhat similar to that in the
human body.
Through soils reckless and po'
rous the small veins which supply
our wells and springs make their
way down the hillside, under tho
hollow, or ravine, and up another
hillside, and thus in nearly all dis
tricts that have not l,cen SO thor
oughly dried ont IA to paralyze OF
kill the earth the little water veiaa
near the surface and the sOil..n,ois
ture comes up to some hidden at
mosnheric command. or demand
We can see evidences of certaia
results that come from aerial (prob
ably solar) forces acting upon ter
restial possibilities or forces. Ant
this phenomena of attracting mois
ture to tho earth's surface bott
from above and from below is ont
of great interest and Importance
to science. The suns influence W
may we'll term electrical, and fol
want of a better name we might
call the earth's influence aural, Of
magnetic, Isuppose. Atall events
here arc two separate influences OF
powers that, when conjoined, pro
duce ,,henomena of which scienct
does not reckon. To facilitate th'
production Of certain phenomen,
through the cooperation Of thes'
two forces moisture is necessary
It is necessary in all electrical pro