PROTECTION FROM LIGHTNING. 



99 



PROTECTION FROM LIGHTNING, 



THE apprehension of danger from lightning, and the solicitude to discover 

 and adopt means of security against it, are proportionate to the magnitude of 

 the evils it produces rather than the frequency of their occurrence. The chan- 

 ces which any individual of the population of a large city incurs of being struck 

 with lightning during a storm are infinitely less than those which he encoun- 

 ters in his daily walks of being destroyed by the casual fall of the buildings 

 near which he passes, or by the encounter of carriages crossing his path, or 

 from the burning of the house in which he lodges, or from a thousand other 

 causes of danger to which he exposes himself without apprehension. Still, 

 even those who possess the greatest animal courage are struck with awe, and 

 affected more or less by fear, when exposed to the war of the elements in a 

 violent storm ; and there are none who, in such cases, will not willingly avail 

 themselves of any means of protection which they believe to be availing. AU- 

 GUSTUS entertained such a dread of lightning that in storms he took refuge in 

 caves, thinking that lightning never penetrates to any considerable depth in the 

 ground. 



Strong fear, operating on ignorance, has prompted, in times past and present, 

 a multitude of absurd and unavailing expedients, among which, nevertheless, 

 chance seems to have flung some in which analogies to the results of modern 

 science are apparent. When a cloud menaced thunder, the Thracians shot 

 their arrows at it. The arrows being metal, were conductors, and, being 

 pointed, had the virtue of attracting lightning. PLINY states that the Etruscans 

 had a secret method by which they could draw lightning from the clouds, and 

 guide it at their pleasure. NUMA possessed the method, and TULLUS HOSTIL- 

 lus, committing some oversight in the performance of the ceremony, was him- 

 self struck. For NUMA substitute FRANKLIN, and for TULLUS, RICHMANN, and | 

 the Roman legend is converted into a true historical record of the last century. 



It was formerly believed that persons in bed were never stricken by light- 

 ning ; and a modern meteorologist, Mr. Howard, apparently favors such an 



