30 
ABBB. 
NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
Devotion to any science brings with it the formation ol 
special organizations for its promotion, not only private 
academies, observatories, and universities, but national or 
state institutions ; and meteorology has had its share of these. 
Of course, these organizations are not always mainly and 
directly for the benefit of knowledge and science, but more 
frequently for the material benefit of the people. In Amer- 
ica, Henry and Maury; in England, Glaisher and Fitzroy; 
in France, Le Verrier; in Holland, Buys Ballot; in Austria, 
Fritsch, were the first to start organized national efforts to 
make what little we know of the atmosphere available to the 
practical needs of mankind. Our sister sciences, astronomy, 
chemistry, and biology, have given us examples of the general 
principle that neither the people nor their rulers will support 
scientific research as such, unless and except in so far as the 
research directly benefits or promises to benefit them. Popu- 
lar appreciation of science is expressed by the question, 
“What good will it do us?” This is the inevitable outcome 
of the strenuous struggle for existence. “Knowledge is 
power,” says one; “Knowledge is money,” says another; 
“Knowledge is fame and position,” says a third. Only the 
few enthusiastic individuals pursue knowledge for her own 
sake. The majority of the people and even of university 
students necessarily take the so-called “practical view” of 
the subject. Appropriations of public money are made in 
order to obtain results that are of value to the business 
interests of the whole nation. It remains for the administra- 
tive chiefs to decide how much of the time and money at 
their disposal can profitably be spent on research and how 
much on daily routine work; therefore the scientific and 
national organizations have had quite various experiences. 
It is within bounds to say that the meteorological offices of 
France and Germany began with the feeling that we know 
little of meteorology and must make great additions to our 
knowledge before attempting practical forecasts; hence in 
France, under Le Verrier, several years of experience were 
