Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-03-30
Che Nous Wlraufr.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

NOIES AN II COMMENTS.
INFLUENCE OF TIE MooN.-Among all the old
traditional notions which, one after another, are
yearly melting away before the lightof science.
there is no one, perhaps that still more generally
retains its place in the public mind, than that
the changes of the Moon have their effect on the
weather, crops, nawly-sown seed, and even on
the meat Of .nowly-slaughtered aniinals. But
will this notion bear tho test of common sense
any better than of science and philosophy Let
us think little. What are tho changes of the
moon' Is there. in fact, any change in the
moon' When the light first begins to appear
on one edge of the moon, it is called the change
OF the moon, and a new moon; when that light,
gradually increasing, and without any pause in
the progress of increase, is seen to cover half
the moon we sall it another change, and the
first quarter; and when it covers the whole
moon, We call it still another change, and full
moon. But has there really been any change in
that so'ly, atthess periods! None at all. Sup
pose we had distant view of certain reach of
road, on part Of which was picce of woods,
and SAW team on that road enter the woods,
and, like the old moon, become lost to view;
but presently emerge into sight on the other
side, like the new moon after her observation.
should we say, or suppose, there was any change
In the team Well let the eye follow the team
along till one-Aalf the given rMch was gone
over, and still was keeping on without pause,
would there be any sense in calling that a
change No! Bat the cases are parallel and
there is no more any change of the moon than
u change in the team, and there is no change in
either except nominal or imaginary change,
which, Of coars,, can have no effect on any
thing. But, perhaps, it might be said that 1.-The
effect contcnded for, does not happenj just at the
particular day Of the so-callslehangs, bat takes
place according to the eSsdhtQ1si yMfs cbsered
with liglt4iso.as a. ] sskina tIsse al
1.-THE quart tinors 1T tie FSIl Chen tic aaeslsl
tion, consequently, becomes one 81 q she power
and effect Of lnoonlighssa sgslbs Don 'sws Ill
know that moonlight, although cohcantra ted by
the most powerful glasses, has been found to
produce no effect on thermometer or baromctere
And would this be SO, if the atmosphere was the
least affected And if the atmosphere is not
affected at all, either in heat, moisture, density,
or rarity, by the moonlight, by what kind of
magic can it effect the weather or crops! We
believe in no such etlact-even on the tides for
we can see neither common sense nor philosophy
~, IL, o., I.l,.
be, in more senses than one, Notwithstanding
but moonsh'nc-and scarcely deserving of more
consideration than Moll Pitcher pretended art
of telling fortunes by tea grounds.
] Why DID The TIN PAIL RIsE!-One of ouI
contemporaries, the Scranton Herald, we think,
gives an account of Il tin pail, which had been
sunk in welfrising to- the surface during
thunder shower, and asks, :" if any body can
give the reason!"
If the pail did SO rhs. it must have been
standing bottom upwards On the ground surface
, at the bottom of the kelL and became sufficient
ly filled with hydrogen gas, which the Earring
of the thunder diseugagpd from the mud be-
meath it, to raise it to the surface 1t would re-
qure but small quantity of this light gas to
effect it and whether this story is fact, or
not, such thing, might very naturally have
happened
EDUCATION OF IDtors. 2 j'of all tho new projects
, of philanthropy which characterize the times,
no one would seem more hopeless than the one
started, year or two ago, in New York,for. the
education of idiots And yet, we learn from
the First Annual Report of the Trustees of the
New York State Asylum, established last year,
for the ameloration of the condition of idiots,
and experimenting on their education that the
experiment has been attended with success that
transccnds the expectations of its most sangune
, projectors. of the forty pupils admitted, from
those who could not feed or take the least care
of themselves, or even speak Ineligible words,
> to those who could take care of themselves, but
were supposed to be utterly unable verto learn
to read, nearly every on. has been taught to
take care of themselves, have made marked
progress in the use of language and inthe use of
tools, while in those of the higher grade. there
has been marked improvement in their habits,
manners, and considerable actual progress in
school studies Who would have dreamed of
! such result, and who shall hereafter say that
there are any made in Gods image whose cond
; ton is too low to be looked upon as hopeless
TO WHAT SIZE DO THE COMMON OR GENUINE
Book Trout ATFANI0ur natural histories
are very vagueand contradictory in respect to
the size to which the common spcckled or brook
trout attain, some placing its largest weight at
three or, at mOsf. five pounds, and classng'a all
the fish of . larger She, having the appearance
of trout, among the Lunge>species; while 9th
ers assert that it reaches, in many waters, the
weight of twenty, thirty, and even fifty pounds.
Both these classes Of writers, and those who fol-
low them, are wrong; and had they personal
knowledge of what they write or speak, theys
would at once perceive their error. The distin-
gushing characteristics between the trout and
lunge are found in the forms of their tale: The