The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-03-13
Weather Forecasts.
To the Editor of The Record:

weather Forecasts.
To the Editor of The Record:
desire to give public expression
to certain coincidence in connection
with my views on meteorological
changes and their causes, and the first
time since I have been making public
forecasts l find it necessary to refer
to the forecasts of the weather bureau.
The forecast issued from washington
yesterday and published in The Rec
ord yesterday afternoon predicted
generally fair weather yesterday and
last night for Columbia and vicinity
and also for South Carolina.
Now at sunrise yesterday meteoro-
logical conditions forecast precipita-
ton in Columbia and South Carolina
within 36 hours, the state Of tenn
perature determining whether pre-
cipitation should be snow or rain. OF
course it was not cold enough for
snow, so it has rainad within the
period of 36 hours. as meteorological
conditions at sunrise yesterday indf-
Gated unmistakably.
At this point is the coincidence. /
had been watching the weather dur
ing the day and was making some OBJ
servations at o'clock while on the
street, when my friend, Dr. Thornton
Whaling, came along and invited me
to go with him to the First Presby-
terian church and hear DR.. George B.
Stewart, president Auburn seminary,
New York, deliver his lecture, 'The
Sunernatural in Religion The dis
tinguished speaker in his Introductory
remarks necessarily referred to nat
tural phenomena in general way and
explained how individuals would
theorize about the unseen bounda1 4es
which they pictured IN uneil minds IS
existing between the natural and the
supernatural. This point was made so
plain in the lecture that a child could
almost have understood it, and as a
listener I was drawn as closely into
the thought and mind of the speaker
as | have ever experienced in my life.
Then as the theme was developed
and it was shown how the creator
exists in His work in nature, and
works, all who heard DR.. Stewart were
imrressed greatly and transported to
sublime heights of faith and conf
dence when he declared his unswerv-
ing faith in God as being in nature
and not "breaking in" now and then
in instances which We are wont to
call special providences."
Dr. Stewart declared man had
right to pray for everything he de-
sired. DR.. Stewart mentioned rain as
one of the things man sorely needs at
stated times. Was it right to pray for
rain on such occasions? DR.. Stewart
gave the answer in the affirmative
with most unmistakable emphasis. OF
course the distinguished speaker did
not relate any special instances where
such prayers had benefited man. He
was not speaking on taht part Of the
question, but it is most invigorating
and refreshing in this day to hear a
man of such high scholarship declare
in such positive and unmistakable
terms that "God :; in nature and with
out God nature is dead" These were
the concluding words of one of the
most remarkably Illuminating ad-
dresses on a difficult subject that I
have ever heard.
Well where comes the application
to my coincidence? 1t is just this fact.
Meteorological laws have practically
undergone no change since the crea-
ton of the world. Of course the sys-
tenn was developed and was perfected
when the earth emerged from chaos.
Scientists persist in ignoring many OF
these facts because they cannot ex-
plain the causes. DR.. Stewart declared
that because we could not explain the
supernatural was no reason why we
should not believe in it.
Now conditions which produced
rain within SO hours after sunrise
yesterday include the primary causes
of precipitation which are as old as
the earth itself. It does not require
either a barometer or a thermometer
in order to make an accurate forecast
Just why official meteorolog1sts
should issue a forecast four or FIVE
hours after conditions for some form
Of precipitation are manifest and pre-
dict exactly the opposite. based on at
mospheric pressure as shown by
the barometer, is one thing that they
must explain IT is not entirely in
ignorance that I confess that 7 have
never seen a barometer in my life
only pictures of the instrument.
In the summer of 1902. while living
in my native town of NeWrberry, rain
was greatly needed at a certain period
- IL l. e IL. ID Tara