80 future's 



quantity, so to speak, before it could discharge. 

 These heavy discharges when the cloud is some 

 ; list mice from the earth would be dangerous to 

 life, while the light ones, when the cloud is 

 in contact with the earth, are not. 



Many wonderful and destructive effects 

 come from these lightning discharges and 

 many lives are lost every year from this cause. 

 I do not suppose it is possible to be on one's 

 guard continually, but many lives are need- 

 lessly lost either from ignorance or careless- 

 ness. Although there is a just prejudice 

 against lightning-rods as ordinarily con- 

 structed, it is still just as possible to protect 

 your house and its inmates from the destroy- 

 ing effects of lightning as from rain. If, for 

 instance, we lived in metal houses that had 

 perfect contact all round them with moist 

 earth, or better, with a water-pipe that has a 

 large surface contact with the earth, the light- 

 ning would never hurt the house or the in- 

 mates. In such a case you simply carry the 

 surface of the earth to the top of your house, 

 electrically speaking, and neutralization takes 

 place there in case the lightning strikes the 

 house. A house that is heated with hot water 

 can easily be made lightning-proof by a little 

 work at the top and bottom of the heating sys- 

 tem. All the heavy metal of the house should 

 be a part of the lightning-rod. Points should 

 be erected at the chimneys, and if there is a 



