Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-04

First Discover Periodicity
"That established, we may have a
clear indication of it's origin and we
may trace the line back to it's inciting
cause. By this process we not only
discover the true genesis, character
and relations of the phenomenon under
investigation, but we are enabled to
do something else which is very won
derful. The physicist, having first de-
termined the true sequence of the
tides, ascertains their periodicity and
refers them to their melting causes, the
moon and the sun. The astronomer
comes in with his exact, data as to
periods OF revolution, variations, con-
functions and oppositions.
f'Acting on the we'll established doc
trine of science that natural laws are
immutable and eternal-that natural
processes are the same yesterday, to-
day and foreVer-the mathematician
takes the data of the astronomer and
calculates results far in the future. He
can and does inform us regularly in
advance as to the day, the hour and
the minute of a maximum high tide, a
mean high tide, a neap high tide, a
minimum lom tide-any and every kind
of tide that may swell the oceans sur
face. And his predictions are account
ed accurate beyond peradventure, be-
cause we find that they are regularly
fulfilled. BY a similar process the as
tronomer projects his vision into the
future and tells US the day, the hour
and the minute when an eclipse will
begin and end.
No Second Sight in Science
"The return of comet may be pre-
dicted with all confidence a generation
or many generations in advance of its
actual advent. Nearly every phase OF
the celestial sphere from our earthly
viewpoint may be charted and mapped
for any period of the past, the present
or the future. That is, assuredly, the
most astounding achievement of the
human intellect. And yet there is nc
claim of anything supernatural or su-
perhuman about it-there is no divina-
ton or inspiration or second sight as
sumed. 1t is accomplished, first, by a
full and accurate understanding Of nat
ural processes, and, secondly, by delib-
crate, painstaking, mathematical calcu-
lation. This is not prophecy, but sci
entific forecast. Discussing this phase
of the subject, Prof. A. e. Dolbear in
a magazine article, says:
ga prophet Is a foreteller of events,
but there are two we'll defined Glasses
of prophets-one who bases his predic-
tions upon knowledge more or less ac-
cessible to everyone; the other bases
his upon knowledge purporting to
come from mysterious sources unknown
to any but himself. The one takes for
granted that the multiplication table
will hold good, and that uniformity In
natures proceedings may be depended
upon. The other takes nothing for
granted.
Describes Prophets
"One tells US to the second when the
moon will be next time eclipsed and
how long it will take Niagara river tc
wear away the falls. The ultimate rea-
son for his prediction is that two times
two are four and likely to continue tC
be four. Calculated provisions are pos
sible because one may have all the
data needful.
Ion the other hand, If one should
predict European war in May or thai
diamond meteorite would fall on Bos-
ton common next Fourth of July, he
must need get his information from
other sources than tabulated human
knowledge, and such prophecies are
radically different from the former
sort. Any one may become one kind
of a prophet IL he be capable Of form
ing q proper judgment, and viii be tC
the pains to acquaint himself with the
sources of human knowledge. HEAVIER
alone chooses the man and the mes
sage OF the other kind OF prophecy
He may run away with his message