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Copyright, 131J, by th* Star Company. Great Britain Rights Bjejrved. ALL OVER How to Be Your Own WEATHER PROPHET T HE Government Weather Bureau would like to teach the people to be weatherwlse on their own account A little ordinary gumption, with the help of a few properly chosen proverbs having relation to weather, will go a long way. The predictions of the Weather Bureau relate to weather changes over wide areas—on a sort of whole sale scale, one might say. It cannot forecast for defi nite hours of the day, or for particular farms and vil lages But hour-to-hour and villageto-village predic tions are often of great value, and may be made with a fair degree of accuracy by any Intelligent and ob serving person. The forthcoming Year Book of the Department of Agriculture contains a most interesting discussion of this subject by no less an authority than Dr. W. .1 Humphreys, who !;i Professor of Meteorological Physics in the Weather Bureau He says that many familiar W'eatber proverbs represent 'results of accurate obser vation. A proverb is wisdom In a nutshell Many proverbs are only half truths, others are altogether misleading But not a few are correct summings-up of the obser vations of the wise. Among the seasonal proverbs that are rationally founded, according to Professor Humphreys, are the following: "Frost year, fruit year," or, “Year of snow, fruit will grow.” FAMILIAR PROVERBS Which Contain Actual SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS That these statements commonly are true is evi dent from the fact that a more or less continuous cov ering of snow through a cold Winter not only delays the blossoming of fruit trees til) after the probable reason of killing frosts, but also prevents the alter nate thawing and freezing no ruinous to wheat and other Winter grains- In short, as another proverb puts it, “A late Spring never deceives," A different class of proverbs, but meaning practi cally the ame thing and justified by substantially the same facts, I e„ that an unseasonably early growth of vegetation Is likely to be Injured by later freezes, is il lustrated by the following: “January warm—the T,ord have mercy,” and, "January blossoms All no man’s cellar.” Among the best weather proverbs are those which have to do with the color of the sky and the appear ance of the sun, moon and stars, for changes in their aspect are caused h.v changes in the atmosphere, which usually precede definite changes in the weather. Take the following for example: "A red sun has water in his eye." Redness of the sun is caused most commonly by a great quantity of dust or smoke particles in a damp atmosphere. When the atmosphere is heavily charged with dust particles that have become moisture-laden, we see the sun aR a fiery ball. And. inasmuch as the formation of raindrops depends upon dust or other particles, about which the water vapor gathers, it follows that a dusty atmosphere is favorable to rain. Molecules of water vapor in the atmosphere have the same sort of optical effect ” There are many proverbs, some of them good and useful, concerning the color of the sky at sunrise and sunset. From Shakespeare we have the well-known lines: "A red morn that ever yet betokened Wreck to the seamen, tempest to the field. Sorrow to the shepherds, wop unto the birds. Gust and foul flaw* to herdsmen and to herds." A jingle that expresses substantially the same idea puts it thus “Sky red in the morning, sailor's sure warning; Sky red at night is the sailor’s delight" if the evening sky, near the western horizon, is yellow or greenish, the prospect is for clear weather, for these colors indicate a dry air. Hence we may ac cept the following lines from Shakes peare as the expression of a general truth: The weary sun hath made a golden set, And by the bright track of his fiery car Gives token of a goodly day to-mor row." If, however, the evening sky is overcast with a uniform gray, then we know that numerous water drop lets are present in the atmosphere, and that the dust particles have be come loaded with moisture. Such a condition of atmospheric saturatoin necessarily favors rain, and justifies the familiar proverb: "If the sun set in gray. The next will be a rainy day.” Many proverbs for telling rain and had weather are based upon the ap pearance of colored rings around the sun and moon. Inasmuch as these are observed only when there is much moisture in the air, sayings of this class are well founded. Through all the ages it has been widely believed that the moon exercises a great Influence over weather, and upon this notion many proverbs are based. There is no truth xvhatever in the idea. Nevertheless, the appearance of the moon depends upon atmospheric conditions, and therefore proverbs based upon such optica] phenomena often have much value. “Clear moon, frost soon" is true, for on clear nights the heat of the earth is radiated into the sky, thus cooling the land surface. On the other hand, clouds act as a blanket, interfering with radiation and keep ing the earth's surface warm. The stars, like the sun and moon, have furnished a number of weather proverbs, some of which have de cided merit. For instance: "When the stars begin to huddle. The earth will soon become a puddle." This proverb furnishes, in general, a correct fore cast. When a watery mist forms over the sky. the smallest stars cease to be visible, while the brighter ones shine dimly with a blur of light about them, each looking like a small, confused cluster of stars. Hence the notion that stars huddle together before a rain. DIAGRAM SHOWING HOW A THUNDERSTORM IS FORMED. AA—Growing Wisps of Clouds. BB —Warm Surface Winds CC—Squall Clouds Forming m Great Tower Like Shapes, Just as the Old Proverb Describes. DD—Onrushing Thunder Squall EE—Dust Cloud. In middle latitudes the norma! direction of undls turhed winds is from west to east. Therefore a wind from a radically different direction commonly indicates an approaching, or, at any rate, not very distant, storm. There Is, then, some justification for such proverbs as the following: “When the smoke goes west, good weather is past"; "When the wind’s in,the south, the rain’s in its mouth"; "The wind in the west suits every one best.” The height, extent and shapes of clouds depend upon the humidity and upon the temperature and mo tion of the atmosphere, and consequently they often furnish reliable warnings of coming weather. One ? proverb correctly says, "The higher the clouds, the finer the weather." This proverb, however, does not apply to the thin, wispy clouds, the highest of all, that float at an eleva tion of five to eight miles, for, as everybody knows: “Mackerel scales and mares’ tails Make lofty ships carry low sails." , When the air is rather damp and the day is warm, great cumuli, or "thunderhead" clouds fire apt to form, and produce frequent local showers. Hence the following proverb: , "When clouds appear like rocks and towers. The earth's refreshed by frequent showers." When the atmosphere is damp, and therefore ho mogeneous, it carrie.s sound much better than when filled with inequalities of density and temperature, such as prevail during dry weather. Hence there is good reason to accept the proverb which says: “Sound travelling far and wide A stormy day will betide.” One can see best, as well as hear best, in a ho mogeneous atmosphere. Hence the proverb: “The farther the sight* the nearer the rain." A number of proverbs are based upon accurate ob servations of decrease of atmospheric pressure and increase in humidity as presaging storms. Tlyis it is commonly noted that the approach of a storm is marked by the rising of water in wells, by the more abundant flow of certain springs, by the bubbling of marshes, and hy bad odors of ditches—all of which phenomena are due to the lessening of atmospheric pressure which ordinarily precedes a storm. Increase of humidity (favorable to rain) is noted by the gathering of moisture on cold objects, the collec tion of perspiration on our own skins, the damp ap pearance of stone walls, the tightening of cordage and of strings of musical instruments, the settling of smoke; etc.—all of which phenomena are commonly recognized as foretelling a storm. How GAS MAKES GHOSTS and “HAUNTED HOUSES” S CIENCE with its proved and tabulated knowledge regarding all things ma terial, is gradually turning the awe of the superstitious into the ridicule of the en lightened. and making it harder and harder for romancers to earn a living. Modern "miracles" are explained in terms of chem istry and psychology, and the special science of bacteriology has "laid" many a ghost. For a long time 11 appeared that the “haunted house" would lie spared to the novelists and to the credulous multitude. Evidently that was because no concrete prob lem was presented for the scientific mind to grapple with. At last, however. Dr Franz Schneider, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has grappled with the subject, and with results that might have been ex pected. Dr. Schneider undertook to explain ex actly what was the matter with a certain house in the fashionable Back Bay district of Boston which had long suffered the repu tation of being "haunted." The experiences which led to the investigation were too serious, the symptoms too real, the reports too often repeated and reliable to be over- j looked or regarded as mere hallucinations. The slumbers of the inmates in the upper stories were disturbed hy strange sensations such as those of oppression or paralysis; they frequently continued after the sleeper was thoroughly awake, and even after the lights had been turned on. The involved chil dren appeared pale and sluggish in the morn ing, even cold water losing its power to en liven them. A careful Inspection of the building gave the key to the situation. The theory of un detected leaks of illuminating gas as a source of intoxication could not be verified in this case; but it developed that the gases escap ing from a "viciously defective" hot-air fur nace were sufficient to cause the trouble. The separation between the firebox and the hotair ducts (on which the hygienic integ rity of the outfit depends) was badly broken, and as a result the inhabitants of the house were bathed in an atmosphere of diluted flue gases. The Journal of the American Medical As sociation is confident that this condition might he discovered in many other American homes Flue gases contain, especially when the combustion is incomplete, considerable amounts of distinctly poisonous elements. NEW VACCINE That Really CONQUERS SMALLPOX A CURE for smallpox has just been announced by Sir Almoth E Wright, the well-known medical authority of London. Had this treatment been known in the days of Jenner vaccination would never ; have made the progress which it has, for it w-ould have been unnecessary and should the medical world accept ) this cure generally the need for vaccination will pass ’ away The treatment which Dr. Wright announces is that of certain injections in the very early stages of small pox, as soon as it is identified as this dread disease. ! The injections consist of antl-st.reptococcic and anti- > staphylococcic vaccines by which the formation of the later pug infections are absolutely prevented. It has been know for many years that death in cases ' of smallpox was due to the formation of the pus infec- < tion, and it was supposed that If its formation could be ’ prevented the disease would run its course much more j quickly and with a minimum of danger. This supposi- l tion has been proved true, for after using the injections ; mentioned the cases take on a very mild character, so < mild indeed that they are scarcely recognizable as smallpox. With the pus infections banished it seems almost like chickenpox and the deaths are reduced to a ’ minimum, the suffering being very slight. In the light of this practise smallpox may now be regarded as a curable disease, with little accompanying pain and no evil after effects Experiments have proved that if the two injections of antistreptococcic and anti-staphylococcic vaccines be administered to an infant, and then it be vaccinated with the usual Jenner vaccine, no signs of inflammation follow and little discomfort is felt. Experiments have been made upon calve3, immuniz ing them in this way against the staphylococcus pyo genes aureus and the streptococcus, and they do not develop any signs of inflammation around the vaccinia vesicles, which will dry up and not go on to the pro duction of pus. This is a most important demonstra tion of the anti pus producing quality of these vaccines. It has been known for some time that if vaccine be heated it will cause a skin reaction, but late experi ments prove that a sterile Jennerian vaccine will bring about this skin reaction in those alone who have already been immunized to vaccinia, and this reaction may be mistaken for a successful vaccination or “take.” It has been ascertained also that if an unprotected person be vaccinated every day for eight days in succession the several inoculations are progressively more rapid in developing and all mature at the 3ame time. It is sug gested that this is caused by the system opposing less and less resistance to the invading organism of vac cinia. Here then is the basis for this new treatment The physician is not fighting the smallpox germ itself, which does not bring about any great damage directly, but he is fighting against the skin-suppurations which really poison the patient to death. The smallpox germ has reduced the power of the skin to r<»i3t the invasion of pus organisms, and light-rays are apt to increase this action. Dr. Finsen was of the opinion that if the short rays of light were excluded soon enough the smallpox poison of itself had not enough power to destroy our natural anti-pus immunity. It is generally admitted that short rays are irritating to the skin, and tbc- lighter the country the worse are the pus infections fol lowing smallpox. In the tropics they are worst of all. The pus vaccines are then especially useful in land of sunshine, like ours, but their powers might be ds creased or destroyed altogether by exposure to exces sive light It is therefore wise, when using these injec tions, to keep the room closed off from sun light, and the artificial lights should be subdued and contain no short rays whatever. A red or yellow' light may be used, preferably the red. as it has no actinic effect. In the light of this discovery it is now possible to produce Jennerian vaccine free from pus germs, instead of trying to kill the germs in it and risking the destruc tion of the vaccine. This treatment ought to mean the absolute wiping out of smallpox, especially when coupled with the almost universal vaccination. When YOUR BRAKES FAIL By WILLIAM LEE HOWARD, M.D. A T the coroneFs inquest over the late railroad acci dent at Stamford. Conn., the engineer testified that "the air brakes would not work." He tried to get them to halt the speed of the train, but the power which he depended upon to control his engine was not there. It is just so wdth the man w’ho speeds up his brain and nervous system in the rush to get money—“to get there," as the expression runs. When he has a signal from his body to slow up. he puts on the brakes and finds that the power has been exhausted. And then he is wrecked—brain and nerves. The dangerous element in this condition is the sud den impulse to self destruction You can never tell at just what moment the slender nerve fibres, which con nect judgment and duty, will snap asunder—when the brake power is lost, That is if you have been making all kinds of speeds in your life. With the men or women who live on their nerves it is impossible to tell to what extent they have stretched the endurance of these nerves and how much brake power there is left for control. These money-mad and society-crazed people generally run past the danger sig nals—many do not know' how to read them. The kinds of wreckage resulting is often revolting, much more so than the mangled bodies of a railroad wreck. Sometimes it comes in exposure of moral death, some times in such outbreaks of animalism as to pronounce the victim insane; often it terminates in alcoholism Any stimulant taken to enable the individual to force exhausted nerve cells to further output of energy is ruinous It is like trying to put air in the emergency brake while speeding. It is like burning the planks of a vessel to push it on when the coal is exhausted. The majority of people do not understand the dif ference between nervous energy and nervous capital. Nervous energy is that which goes to make success in any line—mental or physical The more care taken of the nervous capital the greater is the daily interest on that capital, it is the spending of Jhe principal that ruins men and women. In other words, they must have power enough in reserve to put on the brakes There is another injurious phase to this defective brake power in our civilization, especially in this coun try Many men do not marry until they have rushed with vita] speed through the best portion of their lives in pursuit of money. They live on their nerves, run past the danger signals nature flashes to them and end with exhausted power in the human machine. \nd what kind of children can we expect from these side tracked men? Children born of exhausted force? Children of unstable nervous systems and moral fibre?: ^Udren who grow up without anv brake povr what eve The man who wastes his vitality in early life to pile up wealth lor the future leaves nervously bankrupt descendants. The girl who pursues a life of Bocial speed and rushes along the open tracks of pleasure is unfit for motherhood The drunkard who marries, the morphine fiend who essays the role of motherhood are looked upon by the world as unfortunate beings doomed to misery, and their children are partially excused fo any loose habits or eccentricities they may possess. Yet the man who has been careless and regardless ot his nervous capital, has drawn on It to the last strug gling hit of protoplasm, and who then marries is the greatest sinner and criminal of all. The future race of men and women is to suffer for all these neglects to heed danger signals along the road of life, and the excuse, “the brakes would not work." will be of no use to the human wrecks they leave behind. YOU MIGHT TRY-- Peppermint for Rats. TT> ATS and mice have been found to possess a strong antipathy to the odor of peppermint, ano will flee from any place where it can be smelled. Cleaning Gilt Frames. T HE water in w'hich onions have been boiled is excellent for cleaning gilt frames and furniture. It removes grease and specks and bright ens the gilt. It should not be used till cold. Preserving Leather Upholstery. T O improve and age the life of leather upholstery and prevent cracking, use one part of best vinegar and twm of boiled linseed oil. Apply with a soft rag, then polish with a silk duster or piece of chamois. Do this weekly. B Work and Play That RUIN WOMEN’S CURVES (EAUTY is not merely skin deep. It is much deeper; ’way down to the bones, it is seen in the full curves, the rounded joints, the undulating lines of the whole female figure. These beautiful curves and full fleshed figures are due to. the muscular tissues and their fatty bedding. Deprive a woman of these proper physiologic and anatomic elements and we see the skin stretched and wrinkled over wasted tissues and showing bones. Both man’s and woman’s muscular actions to be natural should be of a curving or slightly swaying nature. These movements follow the architecture of the bony structure of the body. All muscles are so placed that every action brings into play a curving or semi-rotary motion of some portion of the body. When a woman reaches for a book on a shelf she will slightly swing on her hips and sway the upper arm and shoulder. This is due to the way the limb is attached to the hip and the arm to the shoulder. Each movement causes a rounding development of the parts—a natural development. It is the same in walk ing; there is a slight out swing of the upper limb at the hip joint and a similar motion of the arm. Every natural muscular movement makes for curves and di minishes angular outlines. But there is a great dif ference between the male and female structures in this respect. For example, watch a baseball pitcher and note the wonderful swing, the curving swing of his motions. It develops hack, shoulders, neck. But let a young woman try the same kind of movements of the upper arm and instead of round shoulders and full curving neck, she will soon be flat shouldered and have a scrawny neck Just to prevent this one defect of woman's beauty 'Pitching a bcjeball is 3001! exercise for a man. but ruinous to the proper development of a woman's symmetri cal curves, just as machine work is." nature placed a little bone somewhat different in woman’s shoulders than in man s. This little bone prevents her, unless as a young girl she has displaced it by trying to emulate her brothers, from using her upper arm in forcible throw ing. This was done for a good reason—to prevent the stretching of the bosom, which would distort woman's beauty and usefulness as a nourisher of future men. The universal use of machinery is destroying the curves and lines of young women. Machines work in and out on straight or angular lines. These move ments must be followed by the girl at the machine. Back and forth, up and down, straight, accurate, quickly, must she move her arms and legs if she is to hold her place. There is no chance in the present method of speeding up, of so-called manual efficiency, for that rounding de velopment which makes for health and beauty in the girl. Her forip takes the shape of the machines. Sharp, incised lines, flat bosoms, bent backs, thin neck's and shallow hips.- It is deplorable, but nevertheless scien tifically true. If the girl who is compelled to work as part of an ugly machine wishes to avoid some of these troubles she should try during vacations and holidays to take up natural movements of limbs and body. Not in a tire some way, but in a pleasureable manner. Swimming is the very best form of exercise to correct the defects During the Summer in the ocean; Winter in swimming pools. If an employer of girls and women really wants to do the right thing by his employees, he would have i big swimming poo! connected with his plant in w'hich the tired girls and women can get both health and beauty. It would rapidly repay any outlay in the greater physical efficiency and happiness of the em ployees. REINDEER MEAT to Lower LIVING Cost k <r^ EPORE ver >' ,on ® we may d |- aw a considerable part of our meat supply from the reindeer herds of Alaska.” So says the Government Bureau of Education, which has charge of all the Alaskan reindeer—the reindeer service in that Terri tory being part of the school system. Aleady considerable quantities of reindeer meat are being shipped to the United States from Alaska. A recent shipment from Nome to Seattle comprised 125 carcasses, bought by a cold storage company from Eskimo herders, the total weight being 18,50 pounds. It found a ready market in Seattle at 25 to 75 cents a pound, according to cut. This, however, is only the beginning, it is estimated by the bureau that there are in northern and western Alaska at least 400,000 square miles of treeless country, worthless for agricultural purposes, which would furnish pasturage for 10,000,000 reindeer. Advantage of the op portunity is sure to be taken because of the money in the business, and undoubtedly our Arctic province will become in the not-distant future a browsing ground for herds of reindeer such as have never been seen any where in the worid. The animals breed with astonishing rapidity. It is estimated by the Bureau of Education that, at the pres ent rate of increase, the number of reindeer in Alaska may be expected to reach 2,000,000 within twenty-five years. How far this estimate is justified may be judged by a brief reference to facts already accomplished. The first reindeer. 171 in number, were brought to Alaska from Siberia by the revenue cutter Bear in 1892. Sub sequent importations, during the three following years, brought the total up to 1,280 head. In June, 1911 (later figures are not obtainable), there were in Alaska 33,029 reindeer. Of this number. 20,071 (or 60 per cent), were owned by native Eskimos, among whom they had been distributed by the Government. Nearly 5,000 were owned by Lapps, and 3,9lil were the property of the United States. The first Lapps were fetched to Alaska by the Bureau of Education, to teach the Eskimo how to care for the reindeer. They liked the country and others have followed them. Reindeer meat is in demand by both whites and natives throughout Alaska The skin, with its long hair, is the most satisfactory material for Winter cloth ing. To the Eskimo, the reindeer is food, clothing, house, furniture, implements and transportation. Its milk and flesh furnish food. Its hide is made into clothes, bedding, tent-covers, harness, ropes and fish lines. The hard skin of its forelegs supplies an ad mirable covering for snowshoes. Its sinews are con vertible into strong thread. Its bones are soaked in seal oil and burned for fuel, and its horns are fash ioned into various household implements and weapons for nunting. When there are 10,060,009 reindeer in Alaska, at least 2,000,000 of the slaughtered animals can be shipped out of the territory annually without reducing me stock. >