Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-08-30
THE WEATHER.

SdJlOH Un0S6 udyS OF any Quiet lOI
that matter, is the weather. 1t re-
quires less brain equipment than
any other topic, and the man with
a very limited knowledge of! books
and current events can discuss and
denounce the weather fuently and
an occasional mixture Of profanity.
The weather is always a safe topic
to discuss, because the argument
is all on one side, and nothing is
more satisfactory than the last word
in an argument. 1t requires no
courage and no resources. The
only ability displayed is the ability
to wag the tongue.
There are plenty of people who
denounce the weather and the power
which regulates and controls it, who
would run from their shadow on a
moonlight night, and who would be
as dumb as an oyster if an answer
ing voice came back from these un-
seen forces.
It was claimed last year that the
corn crop Of Wisconsin would be a
total failure and when the first of
September found the cereal less than
half matured, everybody knew that
even a crop OF nubbins was out of
the question.
The weather was responsible for
these conditions, and there were
plenty of people who were confident
that under their arrangements, corn
would have had a chance.
But the weather logged along, as
it has been jogging for many GEN.
turtles, redeeming the promise OF
seed time and harvest with old time
regularity.
Down in the southern states is a
vast rritcry covered with pine for
ests, known as the turpentine dis.
trict, where an army of men find
employment in extracting and col
Letting the sap of the trees for com
merciel purposes.
A slow process of girdling grad.
ually takes the life of the tree and
in ten years the forest is destroyed.
Talk to the men who are making
money out of this destructive in
dustry, and they will tell you that
the capital invested is literally re-
warded.
Ask them what the next genera
ton will find to do for a living in
the barren territory and, with a
shrug of the shoulders, they reply
that they are not interested so far
ahead.
This doctrine of selfishness is not
confined to the turpentine district of
the south, but is largely universal,
and is never more pronounced than
when the weather is under discus
sion.
The farmer wants a calendar
adapted to his locality. If he could
have the weather MADE to suit him
he would have it rain nights and
Sundays, with a period Of day
weather for haying and harvest.
His neighbor across the way would
make few changes and if every
man was delegated with power to
be weather maker, a cyclone at
least twice month would be nee
essary to clear the atmosphere.
The automobile tourist wouldn't
have any rain from May till Novem-
Der, if he could prevent it, and the
hotel man at the summer resort
would like to have a uniform tenn
perature of 80 through July and
August, with perpetual sunshine
thrown in.
The expression. "We never had
such weather before, is very com
mon and people of an investigator g
turn of mind are trying to account
for the excessive moiS tire of the
past three years.
The theory is advanced that TIE
use Of electricity, with the network
Of wires necessary to the service, at
tracts the lightning and creates the
storm. If there is any satisfaction
to be derived from this, and various
other theories, the people who ex,
plot them are entitled to it, but the
fact remains that sunshine and rain,
heat and cold have appeared with
old time regularity, ever since the