South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-22
Thermometer Rules
Your Head and Hand
To Be At Your Best, Go To
England, New Zealand,
Oregon or Patagonia.

The ideal climate is said 70 be found
in many parts OF the world, but no
one knows exactly what II is. The
whole matter depends on our def
milton Of ideal" II we are looking
simply for rest and pleasure, a warm,
sunny climate is probably the best II
we want 10 go fishing. something diff
tial fact in the lives OF the majority
Of mankind is work. Therefore the
climate which is best for work is ideal
from that point Of view.
If we take efficiency in the daily
work Of life as our standard, IL is pos
sible TO measure what people actually
do under different climatic conditions,
and thus TO form an estimate OF the
best kind OF climate. From the work
OF about 500 factory operatives in
southern Connecticut and Of about
1900 students at West Point and An
napolis I have prepared curves show
ing the relative efficiency under diff
ferent conditions Of temperature, hu-
nudity, and storminess. These curves,
based on Investigations among a large
number of individuals agree with sim
liar curves prepared on the basis OF
a smaller number Of people by two
Danish psychologists. Lehman and
Petersen, in Copenhagen. The two
sets Of data show that the physical &C
tivity Of the races OF western Europe
is greatest when the average tempera-
ture is about so degrees-that is, on
days when the thermometer goes
down to perhaps so or 55 degrees at
night and rises to about 65 or 20 de-
greeS by day. Mental activity, on the
other hand, is greatest when the av-
erage is a little below 40 degrees
that, Is on days which may have
frost at night.
Since life consists OF both mental
and physical activity, and each is es-
sential to success, the most favorable
conditions would seem TO be those
where the temperature never falls far
below the most propitious point for
mental work, or rises above the OPP
timum for physical work. In other
words, If the mean temperature were
the only thing to be considered, the
best climate would De one where the
average in winter is about 40 and the
average in summer about SO degrees
Only few parts Of the world are
blessed with such conditions.
The most important OF these, both
in area and in population. is England
Next comes the northern Pacific coast
Of the United States. from Oregon TO
the southern part of British Columbia.
Here, unfortunately, the mountains
rise close to the sea, and so prevent
trating far inland. third highly
favored area is found in New Zealand,
especially the southern island This,
like its two predecessors, is recognized
as one OF the highly advanced parts
of the earth The fourth and last Of
the places where the mean tempera-
ture IL particularly favorable is not
generally SO recognized II lies IN
Patagonia and the corresponding part
of Chill between I9iitudea as degrees
and so degrees south Few people
live here, and we are apt 70 think OF
II as Of relatively slight value. 1t
differs from the other three regions in
having a deficient rainfall except in
the western parf, which IS extremely
mountainous
From what has just been said it
must not be inferred that the climates
Of England, the northern Pacific coast
OF the United States, New Zealand and
Patagonia are necessarily ideal Mean
temperature is by no means the only
important condition In the first
place. not only a deficiency Of mois-
ture, as in a large part Of Patagonia
but an excess as in the mountains of
southern Chill or in Ireland, which
otherwise is almost as favored as Eng
land, may hamper a country. Such
conditions prod ice not only an ad-
verse economic effect by making ag-
riculture -ifficult, but also a direct
effect upon peoples capacity for wol k
A moderate degree Of dampneSS-that
is, a relat. &c humidity OF from 65 per
cent in summer to go per cent in win
ter-is favorable, but when the sum-
mers are wet or the winters very dry, |
people do not work 50 well - Els
worth Huntington. in Harper's Mag
azine for February