The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-08

The Weather Bureau has been hunting
up statistics about people who are struck
by lightning, and 1t is found that on an
average about three hundred people die
from this cause each year. This is not
a very alarming percentage of seventy
i've millions.
One of the curious phenomena of the
nresent age Of the world is that among or
binary people there is much less fear of
lightning than formerly. Fifty years ago
it was quite common to find people, espe-
cially women, who were in paroxysms of
nervous terror every time there was a
thunderstorm; and an especially violent
storm was cause for solemn and anxious
emotion among the entire population of a
country town. Nowadays a person who
suffers severely from this fear is rarely
found
There are two or three reasons why this
should be So One is that people in general
are more Intelligent and know more about
the chances Of being struck or of escap-
ing the calamity. They know. also, that
when house is properly protected by
lightning rods 1t is generally safe, and that
the chances are ten to one that il will
spend its force on the iron and steel ap-
purtenances, and not on the human beings
People are less emotional than they for
merly were, and less subject to commissions
OF nervous terror. 1t would be very hard
to stir up panic by predictions of an i'm
mediate Judgment Day. in any reasonably
Intelligent American community; but in
the Millerite scare of our grandfathers'
or twice, but In hundreds of villages
skepticism is growing more common than
credulity, and that is a good thing. The
more skeptical people can be about mirac-
ulous or unusual happenings of any kind
the more they will be inclined to discover
the truth about evils and dangers that ac-
tually exist II man expects that fire
will descend from the sky and burn his
house, with himself and his family in il.
at any time, he is not half SO likely to
worry about the sewer gas and the yenti-
lation as he would be without the greater
terror on his mind.
Another reason for the decrease in the
fear Of lightning is that the average person
is not SO afraid Of sudden death as for
nierly- II a new prayer book were TO be
written 1t is doubtful If sudden death,
would be included in the group of evils of
which the other two are battle and murder.
The human civilized being is gradually
losing TIE idea that 1t would be a most
awful thing for him to go suddenly out of
this fffe. without chance to prepare for
DEATH He is coming to recognize that
the only way In which he can prepare for
whatever may await him after this life is
by living properly now, and that il 1t is
right for him to be where he is when he
dies. he is no worse off for dying suddenly.
Does anyone suppose, for example, that
IN engineer who sticks 10 his engine. in |
the hope of saving the passengers. and u |
thrown into ditch and crushed scalded |
or burned to death. does not have Just as |
good chance in the next world as he |
would II he jumped Oh the engine and Sc |
cured few hours or years in which 10 |
prepare for death? 1t is more and more .
generally recognized that the important |
thing for any man. Ia this world, is to do |
his duty. and not worry about his soul. |
II he spends his time helping other people
to be good and happy IT will not matter
whether be ever thinks about his own eter-
nal salvation or not. With the gradual ,ac-
ceptance Of this view mankind is losing
the terror Of death which hung like fear
full shadow over the human imagination in
the Middle Ages. which made men craven
towards or reckless ruf,ans, and dis
torted the whole moral perspective OF the