The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

48 The Wreck of the South Pole. “Yes, dear,’ Costa replied, “I looked last night. It will he a fair day.” I smiled at their childlike trust in the weather prophet, and said: “So you have almanacs and weather prophets in this country, too?” “Yes,” he replied. “We could do nothing without our weather bureau.” “Do you really believe that they can predict the kind of weather you will have on a certain day?” I asked. “No, certainly not,” Costa replied. “They do not pre- dict. They make the weather.” “Make the weather?” and I laughed, thinking he meant his remark as a joke. “Yes,” he continued, quite seriously. “Our weather bureau has quite different duties from those in your coun- try. There they study conditions and predict what may possibly come. Here the bureau is composed of the strongest minds in the nation, and their duty is to decide upon the proper kind of weather for certain seasons and days and then see that the country has it.” My smile at his speech was so pronounced that he could not help noticing my skepticism and entered into an ex- planation. “The matter is quite simple and entirely in line with theosophy. The human mind can control the elements, bring storm or sunshine as it wills. Hence our bureau is chosen with direct reference to ability of mind. It de- cides upon the proper kind of weather for certain seasons, ECoOnnicloooks (E(@)