Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 68.djvu/146

 142 Central Meteorological Observatory is published in foreign languages. This contains the results of investigations of meteorological and allied problems.

Turning from the practical to the educational side of meteorology in Japan, we find that in the College of Science of the Tokyo Imperial University a chair for meteorology has recently been established in the department of physics. In the College of Agriculture of the same university Professor Diro Kitao has been giving excellent lectures on meteorology for the last twenty years. Lectures on the same subject are also given by Professor Goto at Tokyo Higher Normal School, by Professor Baba at Tokyo Navigation School, by Professor Y. Wada at the Naval School and by Dr. Inagaki at Moriaka Higher Agricultural School. It is also to be understood that meteorology is taught in all other schools of agriculture, navigation, commerce and technology, as well as in military and naval academies. At the Central Meteorological Observatory a temporary school is opened every year for the training of meteorological observers at provincial stations. The term of this school is usually six months, during which period are given courses of lectures on meteorology, seismology, physics, instruments and methods. This temporary school has been an important factor for securing a uniformity and a higher standard in the attainments of observers.

The most convincing evidence of the popular interest in our science is the fact that Japan has supported the Meteorological Society of Japan for more than twenty years. We understand that meteorology has no recognized place in such a popular gathering as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and that the American Meteorological Journal was long since discontinued. The Meteorological Society of Japan is composed of two hundred and sixty-four active members, only three being honorary. This society publishes a monthly journal, partly in Japanese and partly in foreign languages. At its general meetings held annually in May meteorological papers are read and discussed.

So much for Japan's contributions to practical meteorology and its diffusion. Now let us examine what has been done by Japanese meteorologists for theoretical meteorology. Any one who has paid close attention to meteorology must be aware that the progress of this science lags far behind that of some other physical sciences. Within a century the world has seen astronomy, physics, chemistry and other well recognized sciences emerge from their previous uncertain and indefinite condition; but meteorology is at present inchoate, and its ascertained facts are too scanty to allow of organizing any system of fundamental principles. Fifteen years ago, von Helmholtz turned his attention to the hydrodynamics of the atmosphere, but, so far as meteorology is concerned, this great man left his work unfinished. Recently theoretical researches have been undertaken by von Bezold, Neuhoff, Brillouin, Pockels,