Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-08-30
Influence of the Noon upon isie
Weather.

Influence of the Noon upon file
Weather.
There is no more extensively known and uni
versally believed superstitition, than that the chan
ges Of the moon have some effect upon the weah-
er. The classic student finds traces OF this be
lief in very early times; and years and obserya-
lion seem rather TO have confirmed than to have
shaken mems faith. Virgil, in his beautiful songs
for the husbandmen, written before Christ was
upon earth, thus gives the signs of the new
moon =
:. If when the moon renews her refuent beam
Through the dark ar her horns obscurely beam,
In torrents erives the eongregated rain
But II tunerrlng slgn) tine orb of night,
Clear wheel through heaven her forth increasing light
Ram nor rude blast shall that haow ed day
And thus the month shall glide serene away"
Another Latin writer, even earlier than Virgil,
says that '' if the new moon have its upper horn
darkened, the last half of the month will be rainy
But if the lower horn be darkened, the first half Of
the month will be rainy while if the middle be
dafkened, the middle of the month viii be rany'7
In our day the popular maxim seems TO be that
we may look for change Of weather at every
change of the moon.
It appears that there must be something 10 dis
tnguish this from most other signs, or like them
it would have its day and be forgotten. 1t be-
comes one, before he rejects it as altogether un-
worthy his notice, TO account for its having taken
such strong hold upon mems faith We hear men
every few days uttering their grave predictions
concerning the weather. and, if you question
their signs, they solemnly assure US that mary
years observation goes further with them, than all
our scientific acePtcsm.
And there have been individuals, who, during
the greater part of their lives, have compared the
changes of the moon and weather Toaldo, Of
Padua, made these observations for forty-ive
years. Every change of the weather occurring
within three days, either before Of after change
of The moon, he attributed to that chenee: and
that is about the time generally claimed. He
gives as the result ofthese tedious calculations
That out of every seven new moons, six were at
tended with the change of weather out of every
SIX full moons five were attended with change
IND out of every three quarter moons, two were
lftended with change
Others have made similar observations and have
arrived at similar conclusons. Do we discover
my principle here 2 Or how shall these remarka-
lie condolences be accounted for! Let US see.
From the time of new moon till the time Of new
noon again, is just about one month. During that
me 1t goes through its four changes. This makes
IS changes occur at about a weeks interval. Now,
flowing three days after each change to 0e in-
uenced by that change, and it will leave but one
ay in the week independent.
Need we wonder, then, that out of seven new
Moons six were attended with rain A much
reatsr wonder 10 me is, that sixty-nine out of
evenly were not thus attended
In reading the faithful observations of these
atent men, am sometimes reminded Of the an
cdotes travellers tell of the North American In
ans. Sometimes they suffer severely from
rought; and after having tried sacrifice aud self
rture m vain, they resort to one expedient which
icy say has never failed to be followed by imme
ate ram. Spurn not to be taught by son of
e forest. The ceremony is simple; any one
IN try it at his will and my word for it, it Will
in the minute he is through:
One of the chiefs gets upon some hio,o hin or
'on the root OF hut, and commsnces shaking
$ lists al the clouds, shooting mis- arrows in the
y ana ueIyihg me strrm, god to aict them lon
T. "heh ne gers tired another takes his place.
q 81 SO 1hsy keep 4 up, day after day, week after
'eA' ana mo'.sh after month and, what is most
inscrutable-is, il always
hgs 'ne rain The clouds have to WELD The
,rn.-god gives over the battle.
Shoold we see such performance going on in
e of our towns, should pronounce it ridieu-
is. But am at loss to know how much
IS ridiculous TO consider 1t, when see a per-
n step up to corner on rainy day, take down
; almanac, and very sagely remark, :" All | see
lat made II ram to-day. The moon changed
zee days ago." or else "will change in three
vs." as the case may be; and that. too, when one
nute's thought would teach them, that not one
ar OF their lives is removed by four days from