THE PARADOX OF THE EAST WIND 293 



It is a wind from the sea, and whether it comes as the gentle, welcome 

 sea-breeze of summer or as the sea-turn due to the advancing cyclone 

 from the west, it is still a recognizable ocean wind. Such winds are re- 

 garded in most lands with favor. Why then, do we, of the eastern states, 

 hold it in ill repute ? At Athens, the east wind, the wind from the sea — 

 the Apheliotes of the Tower — is typified by a young man with hair flow- 

 ing in every direction. The youth has a fine open countenance and holds 

 with both hands the skirts of his mantle which is filled with fruits and 

 flowers. Along the shores of the ^Egean, tillers of the soil, prone to take 

 the weather an-clia-Allah (as Allah wills), bow when the east wind blows, 

 echoing the words of one Dervish Mustapha in his greeting 



This is a divine wind, for it wafts the blessings of Allah to U9 from Mecca. 



On the Atlantic coast, as elsewhere in the United States, the prevail- 

 ing winds are westerly. In fact the general movement of the surface air 

 in temperate northern latitudes is from west to east. It is interesting 

 and perhaps worth while to speculate on the climatic changes which 

 would occur if the prevailing flow of air were reversed and the surface 

 current moved from east to west. Then the east wind, the Apheliotes 

 ~$ov. Ang. would become the prevalent wind. It would not be as 

 now, a shallow intermittent current, but would extend to some height. 

 The Atlantic states would have a balmy, equable climate, with occasional 

 storms from the sea preceded by west winds, rather dry, and followed by 

 moderate east winds and showers. The climate would be like that of 

 Bermuda. East of the Mississippi there would be fewer hot spells, like- 

 wise fewer freezes. The cold wave which now follows the " low " would 

 be unknown. The climate of the country west of the Eocky Mountains, 

 however, would be rigorous. Temperature changes would be pronounced 

 on the Pacific coast. 



Let us examine now the records of the flow of the air from sea to 

 land and from land to sea, at different levels, as shown by the Blue Hill 

 records. Owing to the sensitiveness of the instruments and the open 

 character of the scales employed, also because there has been no change 

 in exposure or methods, the data are thoroughly comparable and in them- 

 selves constitute a unique and valuable contribution to American aerology. 

 It is doubtful if at any other station in our country records of wind di- 

 rection and velocity are so detailed and complete. Checked by numerous 

 experiments with kites and balloons, the records show that there is twice 

 as much wind from the west as from the east. This will surprise many, 

 for the impression is widespread that the climate of the Atlantic seaboard, 

 is determined primarily by the east wind. On the contrary, west winds 

 dominate and control both by duration and velocity. The indictment may 

 seem somewhat sweeping ; but so far as we can at present determine, the 



