FALSE NOTIONS IN REGARD TO THE WEATHER. 91 



them what we will, all come from this cause, and whenever a " Low" passes we 

 are Uable to have the terrific wind-storm, but fortunately for us the conditions are 

 not always favorable; if they were, we, in the United States, would have one 

 every three or four days ; for about every three or four days the storm-centre 

 *' Low " passes over our territory. 



There is a notion that a storm may last two and even three weeks. Before 

 we had the weather-map we were unable to know when one storm ended and 

 another began. Now, we see that it is impossible for one storm to last more than 

 two or three days at the furthermost, and that when a stormy season is extended 

 into weeks it is a succession of storms and not all one storm. 



The storm-centre " Low" is continually on the move, on general lines from 

 the west toward the east. During the early part of the season his course is such 

 as to pass immediately over or near us, say on a line from Texas or Kansas to 

 New England, later in the season he works further to the north, and passes up 

 into Canada. He keeps up his regular passage across the country but goes so 

 far to the north as to cause little or no precipitation south of the " Lake region." 



To enumerate all the little absurd and false notions of the weather and to 

 comment upon them would require more time and space than I can at least at 

 present command. If the reader will take note of all the notions of the weather, 

 absurd or sensible, that present themselves to him, and will then familiarize him- 

 self with the weather-map he will see wherein they are absurd or reasonable. 

 He will understand them better than ever before and will perceive whether or 

 not they may have some origin in fact or are the mere whim of some ignorant 

 person. 



Without regard to the movement or location of the planets, whether in op- 

 position, conjunction, in one part of the ecliptic or another, whether the moon be 

 large or small, new, half, full or old, whether or not there be icebergs off oar 

 coast — whether the sun, moon or stars are in eclipse, comets visible or not visible 

 in our sky, old "Low" keeps on his way; ever on such lines as he pleases, or 

 perhaps better, as the sun dictates. "Low," in connection with "High" ac- 

 counts for all the changes not accounted for by the position of the sun in the 

 ecliptic — only through this system can the meteorology of our globe be understood 

 and explained. 



The weather-map reveals to us the fact that the sun, through his enormous 

 heating power, is the cause, and the only cause, of our daily changes as well as 

 being our great agent of light and heat. These changes come and can only come 

 through heat and through the power of ' ' Low " as generated by the sun. As for the 

 moon, her heat and therefore her influence, is too contemptible to speak of. As 

 for the planets, they have about as much influence on the weather as a diamond 

 in a lady's finger ring. 



Now that we have something tangible, reliable and instructive in the weath- 

 er-map, something which brings us face to face with nature, common sense bids 

 us direct our intelligence to it, and to waste no time on " mathematics," " cycles " 

 or even " weather-prophets," for they are of no value. The intelligence of the 



