The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1857-11-27
MSistslIanrous.
The Moons Innuence.


The belief in the lunar influence is
of all countries and Of all times. 1t
extends beyond the belief in month.
ly periods. We will recall circum
stance connected with our own col
umns as far back as lS49.
Our readers will remember, that
in December, 1S4s, DR.. Forester, OF
Bruyes, announced to the Astronom.
ical Society ,!that in weather journals
kept by his grandfather, his father,
and himself, from 1857, downwards,
whenever the new moon fell on q
Saturday, the following twenty days
were wet and windy. The Society
published this; and we expressed our
appreciation of their having done so,
not having any idea that the state
ment had ever been made before
Our correspondent, soon let US know
that the Saturday moon had this
character even in popular rhymes,
that it is widely believed in among
seamen, English, French, Spanish,
and even Chinese, We referred the
question to the Saturday new moon
OF March, ls49, which was then com.
ing on. and this moon rather favored
the theory; for after dry weather ii
little snow fell on the Saturday, and
the few following days were lower.
ing and rather wet. Now here ia a
curious circumstance: the whole
world has the notion widely scattered
that a Saturday moon brings wet
weather, and science has hardly the
means OF being positive in the neg
alive. And this ia only one such
case; curious effects Of the moon are
in the popular belief by scores, and
there is no reiutation except a priori
that is, no reiutation at all.
Every 294 days is divided into two
periods, one OF which has many times
as much moonlight as the other
That the moonlight must have a
great deal OF heat when it leaves the
moon is highly probable; that it has
none when it reaches the surface OF
the earth is certain. What then be-
comes OF all the heat which it seems
almost certain the moonlight brings
with itl Sir John Herschel thinks
that it is absorbed in the upper re-
gions of our atmosphere; and that
some probability is give, to this sup,
position by the tendency to disap.
pearence Of clouds under the full
moon; a fact observed by himself
without knowledge ofits having been
noticed by any one clse, and which
Humboldt, he afterwards found
speaks Of as we'll known to the pilots
and seameu of Spanish America
Ii this theory be correct, there is q
cause of weather cycles which must
produce some effect an enormous
quantity af heat poured into the at.
mosphere during one halfof the lunar
month, and q very small quantity
during the other half. In truth, i,
ha, been ascertained that the quail,
ties of the rain which fall in the four
quarters Of the moon are not quite
tho same in the long run.
But the popular mind gets hold o,
the question in a different way. II
seizes upon the geometrical phenom
ena of the moon, nothingness, half.
n ess, fullness, and makes the mo.
ments of these appearances the times
at or very near which change ol
weather is to take place. According
to the recognized old notions, it is
enough ifa change of weather takes
place within three days every month
in which q change is act down to the
moon. No wonder this theory is of.
ten confirmed. The whole question
of moonlight-not position Of the
moon-both as to its effects on the
weather and is asserted effects OF
vegetable and animal life, is in the
earliest infancy, so far as systematic
observation 10 concerned.