New-York tribune., 1901-07-05
HOT WEATHER ETHICS.

The effusive individual who wants to know 'Is
1t hot enough for youT' is by common consent
regarded n nuisance and treated social
outlaw. That is quite right. But what better
is TO be thought or said Of those who go about
procaimng in loudest voice or biggest type
that there is no hope Of relief and that the
heated term is practically sure to last week or
so longer? Such conduct may create sensa-
ton. 1t may attract public attention to its au-
thor. But il is not at all certain that either OF
these is worthy or desirable end. The I'M
questionable fact is that such statements.
bruited abroad, do a vast deal of HARM They
are annoying to all-and annoyance Is harm
They are positively mischievous 10 many, upon
whose heat enfeebled minds they work with
depressing and disheartening effect. 1t is to be
believed that TO some they are actually deadly,
driving them to collapse. madness or death.
We all know what grievous results panic has
in time of pestience Equally serious may be
the results of fear, provoked by these injudicous
forebodings. upon minds already enfeebled and
put into unstable equilibrium by the long con-
timed strain of excessive heat.
Far less offensive. yet by no means free from
criticism have been some of the utteranceS OF
official weather forecasters. These men are not
expected TO be infallible. As matter of fact
their margin of errors Is often surprisingly and
gratfyingly narrow. But at least in times of
trying weather il would be we'll If they should
lean somewhat TO the side of comfort and or
hOpefulness so as TO err, If they err at all, In
that direction. Unhappiy, the very opposite is
what they have seemed to do in this last week
of horrors. Thus, Tuesday, when a particu-
lary violent though brief storm was actually
visible upon the horizon. they insisted that none
was 10 he expected. On Wednesday, veri-
table day of grateful showers. the forecasters
were reported as saying that no showers were
TO he looked for. And yesterday there was the
same ominous prophecy of continued heat,
when ms a matter of fact the thermometer was
falling to a comfortable point. Perhaps the
predictions were according TO scientific rules.
But they did not accord with horse sense"
Everybody who has. even in the most empiri-
cal and unscientifc manner, paid attention to
the weather knows that after two or three days
of intense heat thunderstorms are reasonably to
be expected. and also that after a week or more
of very hot weather a change for the cooler is
more probable than continuance Of the heat.
We are not railing against weather forecast
| ers for making mistakes. But we should like
| TO suggest TO them and 10 all the desirability
| of inclining always toward the hopeful side.
When one is in doubt 1t is A good rule TO choose
| the thing one would wish TO be realized In the
| case of the weather during the last week, as
we have already said the probabilities have
| been in favor of respite and relief. But even if
| they had not been even if they had been just
| about equally balanced, it would have been bet
! ter for forecasters and editors and all to take
! the cheerful hopeful, optimistic view, and TO
| declare daily that the end Of the hot term was
| 10 be expected soon. Such statements even il
| not Immediately realized, would have buoyed
| up sinking hearts and strengthened waning
| vitality, while the gloomy predictions of con-
| timed heat for days and weeks have caused
not few 10 give up hope and sink in despair
| And as matter of fact, the hopeful predictions
| would have come much nearer TO the truth than
| the forebodings which were uttered. 1t is best
| always to hope for the best. and in the long
| run such hopes are more likely to be realized
| than are predictions of woe.