170 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



ceive the hearty aid and appreciation of the people, and of the legislatures ot 

 their respective States. Every State should have a Weather Service, every town- 

 ship an observer and every chief observer at the county seat authorized to receive 

 monthly reports from the various observers within his jurisdiction and forward 

 the same monthly to the State Director of such Service. Each Director should 

 have the time and force at his disposal to thoroughly digest the meteorological 

 conditions of each and every month throughout the year, preparing and publish- 

 ing at the termination of each twelve-month a general summary of atmospheric 

 phenomena coupled with the evidence of earnest and well directed efforts toward 

 comparative study and practical results. 



Such funds as would be necessary to carry forward a work of this kind should 

 yearly be appropriated by the State Legislature. As so organized and in work- 

 ing order each State Weather Service should cooperate with the United States 

 Weather Service, at Washington, and thus complete a system of meteorological 

 work without parallel in the nations of the World, which would effect a marvelous 

 advance in the study of this most important science, and develop rapidly and 

 with practical results the meterological conditions of this great country. I can 

 here give but the merest outlines of a subject with regard to which I have given 

 much thought. 



There is no country on the face of the globe where meteorology can be 

 studied with so much advantage practically and scientifically as in North Ameri- 

 ca. The elementary principles of meteorology, especially in regard to storms, 

 should be taught in every school, country, town and city. In the colleges and 

 universities an advanced course should be prescribed. Speculation regarding 

 the weather is exceedingy rife, affecting every branch of the science and in a man- 

 ner quite without precedent in the line of methodical knowledge. In view of this 

 fact and the scarcity and uncertainty of desirable text books, facts and principles 

 should alone be considered in administering the prescribed course of any educa- 

 tional institution, from the lowest to the highest grade. 



The American people as a rule are too much in haste for the solution of 

 meteorological problems. They perhaps divine the benefits in store for them 

 from those already received and cannot wait for a judicious presentation of them, 

 but the law is in patience, possess ye your souls. Truth comes slowly but it is 

 worth the waiting. I do not consider that in this short presentation of most im- 

 portant facts, I have altogether met the supreme desire, or perhaps, the hope of 

 the people interested in the subject of tornadoes. Such desires or hopes may 

 never be realized, at least not until the investigation and analysis of these phe- 

 nomena have been perfected, yet you have before you in very brief form the 

 results of over five years of labor and an examination of over 600 tornadoes. 



I urgently request all persons who can give me any information on the sub- 

 ject of storms in general or of tornadoes in particular, to communicate with me 

 at their earliest convenience. Specially prepared circulars, on what facts to 

 furnish in tornado investigations, will be sent to any person whose address I can 

 obtain. 



