Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-09-14

ton, &C., is Of the opinion that all or most
Of the changes that commonly occur in
the weather, vegetation, &c, while the
moon is in or is passing through parti-
cular phase, are not caused by the moon
at all, but by some other cause or causes,
not vet fully or distinctly known. And
DR.. ID. Lar liner, a distinguished English
philosopher, who lec'urcd with great cclat
on scicnt fc subjects, few years ago, in
Philadelphia, New York, and elsewhere,
and who derived much of his material in
relation to lunar influences from NJ. Ara
70, concludes his review Of them Thus, viz
ain conclusion, then, it appears that ofall
the various influences popularity supposed
to be exer,ed on the surface Of the earth
tby the moon) .fro haze any foundation
in Jlct" (Sec l Lardner's Lee. 5O3-5O9.)
And another scientific writer in the Liter
ary Record and Journal, published at
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1915 and 6,
takes the same position, for he says: "None
of the known laws Of Nature have as yet
been able to explain uhy the moon should
influence the movement Of sap in plants,
the durability of roof shingled in par
ticular phase, the time of telling of timber,
and thousand other things which are
commonly received as facts. Popular OPT
nion has inyest.l our little satellite (the
noon with almost unlimited power, and
the most extraordinary and opposite effects
are attributed to its influence. 1t does
not follow, however, that that which is
generally believed must necessarily be
true and if the foundation on which these
opinions rest be very Slightly examined,
it will be found that few of them are eoen
apparently sustained Iy .facts.' CLiterary
Record 2 vo. p. 210-l)
Now let some practirul man, by way of
contrast, and for the purpose of illustrat-
ing and enforcing the correctness of his
moon theory, tell US what experience has
taught him as respects the moons influence
upon gardening and farming operations,
and We may, perhaps, all learn something
that We do not yet know or sufficiently un-
derstand.
l have already shown you that Pliny,
of ancient times, believed in the moon 5 ma
teriaNy influencing the weather and veg
citation, and that NJ. Arago, DR.. Lardner,
and other scientif3 men of our own day,
disbelieve in it, while NJ. d. Monceau, a
prac,iealFrenehman, has proved by actu-
al experiment, that the moons various
phases, or changes, have no effect what
ever in changing or altering either the
quoltty or the durability of timber, no mat
ter in what phase of the moon it may have
been cut. Now let me add few more
scientific authorities.
The Messrs Chambers, in closing their
very interesting subject entitled, "Meteo-
roiosy-Thc Weather." say According
to an ancient prejudice it has been sup
posed that the moon, on entering Its diff
erent quarters, exercises an influence over
the weather but this is ascertlined by
men of science to be ri,hoW Foundation
IN truit The moon affects tie tides of
the ocean, but in no other known manner
has it any influence over the ordinary pho
nomenou of planets.
at has been even said that the riads
are the grand disturbers Of the weather
and that to them We may rroximately as
cribe the occurrence of clear skies, fogs,
clouds, rains, &c As the winds originate
from circumstances frequently far beyond
our horizon, and cannot consequently be
forcseen, every prognostic Of either fine or
bad weather is liable to complete dcrange-
mcnt The chance floating Of an ice6ery
from the Nothern Polar regions to tem-
perate latitude in the Atlantic has been
known to shed such 4 cold over Britain as
to destroy The best hapcs .f summer (See
Chambers Information, |. yo., P. 2SO)
BY the best hopes of summer they here
evidently mean the husbandman's hope
of good harvest.
And Brande, another high authority,
says: alt has always been favorite pre-
judice that the weather is influenced in some
mysterious manner by the moon. The moon
can be supposed to act on the earth only
in one of three ways, namely: j. By the
light which it reflects ,. by Its attrac-
ton; or 3. BY an emanation of some un-
known kind. Now the light Of the moon
does not amount to the loo, ,000:h part Of
tha. of the sun; aud the heat which it
excites is so small as to be altogether in
apprcciable by the most delicate instru-
men,s or the best devised experiments.
No effect can, therefore, be attributed to
the moons light. With regard to the at
traction Of the moon, VIC see its influence
on the tides Of the ocean and miGht,
therefore, be disposed to allow 1t aS'H'tfdF
influence on the atmosphere; but Wheh
VIC take into account the small specihc
gravity of atmospheric arr, IN comparison
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