The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27

SO considered by the advocates of a d.
rect relation between the sun spots and
various terrestrial phenomena
1t is only by the exercise of considerable
ingenuity that the bulk of these relations
have been maintained. even in theory.
The foundation of such theories lies oh
viOusly enough, in the question as to
whether the presence of spots on the sun
detract from the heat and light ordinarily
diately Influences the weather and crops Of
our own planet.
Such an influence could only be shown
by a series OF deadly parallels. i'll Il very
literal sense between the presence OF
spots on the sun and the occurrence of
bad harvests. panics. shipwreclIs, suicides
and other disastrous what not on our own
planet, something over 100000 miles dis
tant.
And in the first place. without going in
to the scientific details there are three
and the heat and light, of the sun; first.
that the spots show great activity in the
sun. and. therefore, increased hcat-emit-
amount of heat available for radiation
and SO diminish the heat rays; third. that
the effect of the spots Is counteracted by
and, therefore, so far as any change In
the amount of heat received by the earth
Is concerned, they produce no effect
whatever.
CURIOUS coTNcIDENTs.
Granting. however. that they do affect
the heat Of the earth. there has been
evolved no completely convincing parallel
between the, sun spots and our own
AS in the case Of Sir william Herscher.
famous comparison between the sun spots
and the price of wheat during a certain
period there have been many curious CO.
medicines. which. however, are evidently
more coincldental than real In view OF
the fact that the great number of other
causes affecting like conditions make It
impossible to place any definite response
bility on the sun, and the observers
themselves have turned up conflicting
As one astronomer has recently said, It
would be quite possible. given sufficient
study, to establish an apparent connection
between the planets and the rise and fall
of any given railroad stock. tho relative
numbers of Democratic and Republican
Congressman from year to year, or al
most anything else with which the heaven
" bodies have as little to DO.
Sun spots and bad harvests. sun spots
and shipwrecl15, sun spots and commercial
crises. sun spots and wars. or even sun
spots and race suicide may therefore be
relegated to the subjects that are at pres
ent of primary interest only to the IN.
gentous.
TANGIBLE CONNECTION.
Although weather connections have NOT
been established. in one direction there II
much stronger reason for belief In q
tangible connection between the sun spots
The presence of the sun spots Is appar-
emily closely associated with the magnetic,
condition of the earth. and although many
electrical storms are purely local, many Of
the great magnetic storms Of tho past half
century have been found to coincide with
sun spot periods-a condition, however,
that still awaits any convincing scientific
explanation.
Stripped. therefore. Of the picturesque
extremes to which the subject has bean
often carried. the sun spots are still al
most as much mystery as when the drsk
discoverers shocked humanity By the
even be such thing as spot on the suns
surface.
AT all events, no one apparently rssd
lose any sleep over their appearances,