22 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



he assures you that what we really know beyond all peradventure is as 

 nothing compared to the unknown ocean of truth still to be explored. 

 I trust that you will sympathize with my enthusiasm over the study of 

 the atmosphere. Does not the wonderful glory of a sunset sky stimulate 

 one to study its causes and to discover what its clouds and colors have 

 to do with the weatlier of to-morrow ? "Who can watch the approach or 

 recession of a thunder-storm and not be impressed with the dreadful 

 majesty of its appearance ? We may dream of the immensity of space 

 as we contemplate the star-lit sky at night, for the stars are far, far 

 away and men are always dreaming of them — but we can not merely 

 dream of the clouds, the weather and the storms ; the atmosphere is too 

 near at hand for mere dreams ; it forces us to action ; it is close to us ; 

 we are in it and of it. It rouses us to both study and do; we must 

 know its moods and also its motive forces; we must conquer it in our 

 struggle for existence. Now that our aeronauts Orville and Wilbur 

 Wright have learned to fly, we must learn to utilize the air just as the 

 mariners have learned to utilize the winds and avoid the storms. 



In the days of Columbus (1437-1514), Drake (1540-1596), 

 Dampier (1652-1715) and Halley (1656-1742) the mariner long ago 

 knew of the trade winds and the seasonal monsoons and the prevailing 

 westerlies, and took advantage of them. It took two more centuries to 

 acquire a knowledge of whirlwinds as they advance over the globe; and 

 only the present living generation of men has seen the growth of na- 

 tional and local weather bureaus in every part of the civilized globe 

 established to forewarn mariners of storms, or landsmen of rain and 

 wind, frosts and blizzards. We are not yet able to speak of such 

 weather forecasts as anything more than probabilities or indications, 

 they have not yet become certainties, but surely you are all convinced 

 that already, even in the present imperfect state of our knowledge, the 

 meteorologist is worthy to be recognized as a benefactor of mankind. 



Has any community in this country or in the whole world profited 

 by the steady daily watchfulness of such a weather bureau more than 

 this very city of New York ? Thousands of your law cases are decided 

 annually on the testimony of official weather records. Your business 

 men are forewarned of every storm. Whenever current weather condi- 

 tions threaten misfortune to any special branch of industry you make 

 a hundred inquiries by telephone, telegraph or personally, asking for 

 details as to what is going on overhead. Your morning papers and 

 your evening papers are consulted by every one for the weather forecasts ; 

 your business matters are arranged in accordance with the conviction 

 that one can not afford to neglect this little item of information, any 

 more than he can afford to neglect ordinary insurance, even though he 

 knows that there is a chance for an occasional mistake. The daily 

 weather map is distributed as widely as possible for the benefit of all 



