Willis Luther Moore

“ In the great cycle of world building—birth from the nebulæ, growth, maturity, decay, disintegration, death, and then possibly back again to the nebulæ—the atmosphere, be it light and tenuous as at present, or be it filled with the hot vapors of earth and metal, is the vehicle and the medium of the builder, transporting and transmuting, in mysterious ways and to wondrous forms, the materials of planets. Its work as a builder may be further illustrated by showing that the body of man itself returns not to the earth earthy, as we have been taught, but largely to the air whence it came. ”

“ The islands of Bermuda rise some 15,000 feet from the floor of the ocean, and project above the water to heights varying from 50 to 260 feet above sea level. Like jewels nestling upon the bosom of a sub-tropical ocean these islands, from one half to three miles wide, are strung along so close that one almost can hop over from one to the other. ”

“ We shall endeavor to show that civilization and the greatest human potential follow the storm tracks of the world, and that climate is the most important factor in his environment, for without its proper adjustment to his needs the richest soil and the most beneficent form of government fail to bring out the best that is in him. Empire is determined as much by direction and force of the wind and changes in the weather as by the scheming of politicians, the deep-laid plans of diplomats, or the marshaling of battalions. ”

“ In due time—some hundreds of millions of years—the [4] cooling of the sun will leave the earth to freeze and all life to become extinct, unless, perchance, the oxygen of the air is so far absorbed by its rocks, or filtered away into space, as to destroy life before that time. No matter what may be the achievements of the human mind, what wonderful civilizations may be developed, what powerful empires created, or what wonderful secrets of creation discovered, it seems certain that these all will pass away, and finally the surface of the earth be as if man never lived. ”

“ Thus we see that the body of man, the cereal and fruit that furnish him food, the structure that gives him shelter, aye, the many things that please the eye: the landscape, the beautiful flowers, the green fields, the babbling brooks, even the rose blush on the maiden’s cheek, [2] —really come from this wonderful fluid surrounding the earth, and well may it be said that the queen of life rides upon the crest of the wind. ”

“ The vast vaporous atmosphere that flows inland from the Atlantic Ocean to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, deluging our cereal plains with its life-giving precipitation will continue its pluvial generosity without any heed whatever to the puny scratchings of man upon the surface of Mother Earth. Nothing that man can do will intensify drought conditions on this continent or augment the volume of floods. ”

“ The American cold wave should be welcomed as the mighty scavenger of the air. Its high velocity [37] and great density cause it to search into cracks, crevices, sewers, and cellars and expel foul accumulations. How sweet and clean the air smells and how vigorous physically and buoyant mentally one feels after a rain and high winds! All nature smiles and every form of life adds its pæan of joy. Rain washes out the carbonic acid gas (carbon dioxide) from the air, with dust and other particles in suspension ”

“ The Great Ice Cap may again cover New England, the region of the Great Lakes, and flow southward to the Ohio River, but the change will be so gradual, if it does come, that there will be no great cities to be ground beneath the feet of the boreal monster; cold that will precede the ice cap will destroy them and they will be buried beneath the dust of accumulating ages before their icy tombstone is erected. Then the healthful and invigorating climate of the north part of our country will be transferred to the region of the Gulf of Mexico. ”

“ If there were no other achievements to the credit of the institution founded in this country through the benevolence of the English philanthropist, James Smithson, who, by the way, never gazed upon our fair land, the work of the Smithsonian Institution in connection with practical meteorology would always give it a warm place in the hearts of those who believe the crowning achievements of science consist in giving to the world knowledge which results in the saving of human life, the amelioration of the sufferings of human beings, and the acceleration of the wheels of commerce and industry. ”

“ Enough has been said to indicate that climate is nearly as important to animal life as it is to the vegetable existence, and that a cold climate, if it be not so extreme as to limit the production of cereal crops, and has frequent changes in temperature, pressure, sunshine, and cloud, favors the development of hardy and resourceful races of men; in fact, that no dominating race can exist without such stimulating conditions of climate. ”

“ It is not at all visionary to assume that the heat of the earth’s interior in near time will furnish the power necessary to do the drudgery of mankind, give warmth and light to habitations, and operate transportation systems; and the New World Above offers pure, electrified, [19] and highly stimulating air into which helium-inflated dirigible balloons will sail, and in which they will remain not only days but weeks or longer, with their multitudes of people. ”

“ EXPLORATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE DISCOVERIES AS VALUABLE TO THE FUTURE AS THOSE MADE BY COLUMBUS
An entire new world is coming within the range of man’s vision. Its possibilities for adding to the health and happiness of mankind are almost limitless. The geographic poles have been conquered and the jungles of Africa traversed; and deep borings have been made into the bowels of the earth until heat has arrested further progress. ”

“ If now we incline the axis of this water-covered earth and introduce the complication of seasons, we shall not only have variation in the hours of sunshine, increasing as we go from the equator toward the poles, but, the capacity of air for moisture being less and less with falling temperature, we shall have downpours of rain as the summer slowly merges into fall and the latter into winter. Although the air will be saturated, there probably will be no rainfall from the time when the temperature begins to rise after midwinter until it reaches and passes the maximum heat of summer. ”

“ How the Earth Cools at Night. Radiation from the earth goes on day and night, winter and summer. During daylight the gain of heat is greater than the loss, while at night the reverse is true. After sunset both the earth and the air continue to cool by radiation unchecked by the incoming heat of the daytime. The earth loses heat, even under a clear sky, more freely than the air, with the result that the surface of the ground and of vegetation may fall to a temperature ten to fifteen degrees lower than that of the air at a few hundred feet elevation. ”

“ Over small areas and in exceptional cases as many feet have been known to fall in that time, as fresh, vapor-bearing winds steadily blew into a storm center, rose, discharged their burdens as they cooled with ascent, and then flowed away, again to be charged with moisture when they came into contact with wet surfaces. It is impossible to drown the entire earth with rainfall, no matter how long continued. ”

“ Tyndall could hear the sharp chirp of thousands of insects that were inaudible to his guide as the two climbed the Alps, but the guide’s ears responded to the long, slow waves that came from the dull tread of the donkey’s hoofs farther up the mountain, which waves the scientist was unable to hear. Likewise some eyes are able to penetrate far into the violet, or the red, or both, and some are unable to distinguish between certain colors. ”

“ Differences in temperature, changing the specific gravity of the air, are the cause of the general circulation of the atmosphere about the earth, modified by the rotation of the earth; likewise the local circulation between land and water is caused by the different quantities of heat radiated by the two widely differing forms of matter, each attaining to a different temperature under the influence of the same solar radiation; and the inflow of winds to the cyclone and the outflow from the anti-cyclone are due to the same forces that cause the general and the local circulations. ”

“ While there is evidence that the climate is drier now throughout all of the Holy Land than at the birth of Christ, it is highly probable that when He was born the stars were shining brightly and the hills were green and beautiful and the weather smiling its benediction upon the Son of God.
We now will glance at the weather that experience teaches us will probably prevail in some of the principal cities of the world on Christmas Day, and thus have impressed upon us the fact that on any day of the year humanity lives under widely differing weather conditions throughout the world. ”

“ Air doubles its capacity for water vapor with each increase of eighteen to twenty degrees. On a hot day in summer, near large bodies of water, it may constitute as much as one twentieth by weight of the lower air, while on a cold day in winter it may form no more than one thousandth part. When the air contains all the water vapor it can hold, it is said to be saturated; no more can be added to it until its temperature is raised, and but a slight lowering of its temperature will precipitate a part of its water vapor in the form of dew, frost, rain, hail, or snow. ”

“ On the contrary, we know that each atom consists of particles of positive and negative electricity. The negative electrons arrange themselves about a positive electron for a nucleus and, rotating about it as if it were a central sun with planets, constitute an atom. All matter reduced to the ultimate electron is precisely alike. The difference in matter is determined by the number of negative electrons that are attracted and held in place by the positive nucleus that is at the center of each atom of which a particular kind of matter is composed. ”

“ Long Life in the Open Air and the Sunshine. It is difficult to decide which most conduces to health and longevity: cheerfulness of mind and kindness of thought, or life in the open air and in the blessed sunshine. ”

“ Difference between Weight and Pressure of the Air. Air at sea level and at 32° temperature weighs one and one third ounces per cubic foot. A room twenty by twenty by ten feet contains some 333 pounds of air. The pressure of the air is a quite different thing. It is the sum of the weights of all the cubic feet of air that are stacked up, one on top of the other, clear to the top of the atmosphere. This is why the higher one goes, the less the pressure of the air, because there are a less number of cubic feet above. ”

“ One may speak of the weather of to-day or of some time that is past, but not of the climate of to-day, or of any day, month, or year that is gone: for the climate of a place is determined by a study of its weather records for a long period of years. Climate changes so slowly that we speak of the movement as a mutation rather than as a change. The time that has elapsed since the discovery of the barometer and the thermometer—about two and a half centuries—is so short as to show little if any change in climate, while the weather changes from day to day. ”

“ Few persons are familiar with the simple problems of the air which have such important bearing on the distribution of man into realms above those he has been accustomed to occupy. They do not know that the northwest wind brings physical energy and mental buoyancy because it has a downward component of motion that draws air from above, where it is free of impurities, and where high electrification has changed a considerable quantity of its oxygen into ozone, in which condition it remains but a short time after reaching the lower potential near the earth’s surface. ”

“ When a holiday or any day of special interest occurs, while the weather cannot make the occasion a success, it can quite effectively destroy all pleasure in the event. When we approach the day of all days in the year when two fifths of the people of the world celebrate the natal day of Christ, interest in the weather increases. The little ones of our clime pray that a mantle of snow may cover the ground, so that dear old Santa Claus may come with his reindeer and sleigh. The boys and girls long for the snow-covered hillsides and the glassy ponds ”

“ Bermuda has a wind velocity much greater than [258] that of any of the resorts named in the tables, and its relative humidity is about that of Florida.
The charm of Bermuda is that the flowers bloom, vegetables grow, and the trees remain green the year round. Even though frequent short showers may fall each twenty-four hours more than half of the days during winter, the soil is so porous that there is little or no mud, and life is largely one of the open air, with a winter temperature that conduces to activity ”

“ It is doubtful if such an earth would be suitable for life,—certainly not for man.
The Real Earth of Land, Water, and Inclined Axis. The different manner in which land and water surfaces absorb, radiate, and reflect the heat from the sun has a profound influence on climate, which also is modified by latitude, elevation above sea level, elevation above a valley or above a surrounding plane, direction of wind, height and trend of direction of hills and mountains, the position of lakes and inland seas, the relative position and magnitude of continents and oceans, storm tracks, and ocean currents. ”

“ Experience will teach him that Lows from the southwest are reasonably sure of causing precipitation, and that if his temperature be sufficiently low—anywhere from zero to 20°—the fall will be in the shape of snow; that Lows that only skirt our northern border will be deficient in precipitation, even if they cause any at all; that the slow settling of a High over the South Atlantic States means heat for all the rest of the country east of the Rocky Mountains in degree that will be dependent upon the magnitude and the intensity of the southern High ”

“ The trade winds, mostly moving over water surfaces, are laden with moisture, but, gaining temperature as they move towards the equator, their capacity to hold water vapor steadily increases, and therefore they do not become rain winds unless forced to ascend by the interposition of mountains, or until cooled by ascension at the equator. In no part of the world does the air rise so steadily and in such great volume as in the equatorial belt of calms and low pressure. ”

“ There is enough air here to refract light slightly, as at twilight, and to render luminous the meteors that rush with fearful velocity against its widely scattered molecules. At this distance from the earth there probably is no more air than would be found under the receiver of the best air pump, and, the reader will be surprised to learn, darkness is practically complete, although the hour may be midday, for there are no dust motes to scatter and diffuse and render visible the light rays of the sun. ”