38 THE AIR. 



they form conductors (although very bad ones) to the 

 lightning; being bad conductors, instead of allowing it to 

 pass quietly to the earth as do the wires, they are generally 

 destroyed by it. It has been often stated that we should 

 select an open space in a thunder-storm, but this would 

 render one liable to be struck, especially if there were no 

 object near of larger dimensions, the best plan is to stand 

 near to any trees or houses without touching them, the 

 danger would not then be so great, the trees or buildings 

 being taller, would be most liable to conduct the lightning 

 to the earth. The danger of touching or leaning against a 

 tree in a thunder-storm, arises from the person thus making 

 himself (as it were) part of it and incurring the same risk. 



Thunder-storms, which would at first thought appear to be 

 of no utility to man, are indeed of great service ; it is a 

 common saying that thunder clears the air, this is the result 

 ' of feeling and experience, but chemists have demonstrated 

 the fact that a substance called " ozone " (a peculiar state 

 of the element oxygen) is produced by thunder-storms ; 

 this ozone possesses the wonderful power of correcting 

 (decomposing) putrid and unwholesome gases and exhala- 

 tions which might otherwise produce fever, cholera, &c., 

 it moreover destroys the ova or germs of many animals and 

 vegetables which might otherwise be injurious to vegetation 

 of more importance, the slight injury which these storms 

 inflict here and there should weigh as nothing in the balance 

 of utility with such universal good. Thus it is that the 

 works of Grod have all the stamps of goodness, and this 

 ought to inspire us with so much thankfulness as to over- 

 come every fear for personal safety. Were these grand 

 phenomena of nature, (as materialists would make us 

 believe) the result of laws depending solely upon the 

 physical co-operation of mere matter, good would be the 

 exception instead of the rule, and most of them would 

 produce effects, if not injurious at least not beneficial, but 

 such is not the case, and throughout all the wonderful 

 operations of nature there is not one but tends to good, for 

 God often inflicts a small injury that a great good may 

 result ; we say a small injury, but it is questionable if the 



