14 
MENDENHALL. 
tremely unfavorable for rain. No results could be seen at 
first, but on Friday the sky became overcast with clouds. 
On Saturday a high south wind prevailed, and on Saturday 
night some rain came from the southwest. On Sunday rain 
fell all day, and at night a norther arose. Reports from 100 
to 150 miles around this town show that rain fell on Sunday 
in most localities in considerable quantities.” So convinc¬ 
ing was this to the buying company that the secret process' 
was purchased by them for the sum of $50,000, “ after which,” 
the account rather unnecessarily adds, the selling company 
“ left for home.” But a business so profitable as this w T as 
not to be long without competition, and a few weeks later a 
telegram is sent to the leading newspapers of the country, 
announcing that a professor in a Western State (it is pleasant 
to note that most of these public benefactors are “ professors ”) 
is prepared to furnish rain more promptly and at less cost 
than the genius whose machinery and methods have invited 
public approval. Proposals to do the county sprinkling at 
so much per acre are invited and offered, and at one time 
it seemed as if the whole business would be ruined by over : 
production. 
One of the most interesting phases of this subject was the 
attitude in reference to it assumed by a large part, possibly 
the greater part, of the intelligent public. It was one of ex¬ 
pectancy and limited confidence. “ Why not ? ” was com¬ 
monly asked. “ Look at what science has done within the 
last twenty-five years. Can anything be more astonishing; 
and is the artificial production of rainfall more difficult and 
more wonderful than many things which are now common¬ 
place ? ” To many the logic of the experiments was con¬ 
vincing. After many battles rain had fallen, long lists of 
examples have been prepared, and hence it must be possible 
to produce rainfall by cannonading. If these views were 
entertained by a considerable number of intelligent people, 
and it is believed that they were, the situation is one which 
ought to be full of interest to men of science, involving, as it 
does, both a tribute and a warning. 
