Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-01-30
Shall We Have a Healthy Summer.

:, AS old, almost, as the Englisd language
is the quaint adage tibet "a green Christ
mas makes full churchyard;' and like mos'
Of these old adages there is enough science
and truth in it to keep ita hoa5 on the steady
tide of time. 1t is natural that any violent
revulsion of the accustomed laws Of nature
or yicissitudes ofthc seasons, should produce
sooner or later, evil effects upon public health
the human constitution having been con.
trlyed for the purpose of existence under anc
IN obedience to these laws, and in accordane
with the regular revolutions of the seasons.
Experience. as far as that goes, certainly
shows that those seasons are the healthiest.
which are preceded BY the least unusual
weather; that a wholesome summer is nat
urally preceded by an ordinarily cold win
ter, and SO on.
1t is rot unnatural, therefore, that the
very marked nlildness Of the weather this
season should excite remark and anxious
inquiry as to the hygienic prospects for the
year. It is in order that the doctors should
be overwhelmed by questioners who want to
know whether the com ing Summer has a
chance Of being moderately healthy, and
when the hot weather comes.
| # is doubtful whether any one, in or out
OF the faculty, can predict an epidemic with
anything like respectable accuracy. Still
there are some facts patent and palpable,
from which any one may draw deductions.
1t is obvious, for instance, that yellow fe-
yer is on period Of increase, that it has
not-as many supposed last summer
reached it's climax, and begun to decline. -
It is now raging at Havana, very unusu-
al occurrence at this time Of year. It is in
active operation, and peculiarly yirulent at
Rio. Para, St. Thomas and the other South
American and West Indian ports where it's
vlsltations have been usual When the
summer comes, it viii, without doabt, ad-
vance northward to its old haunts. Last
spring everybody expected it here; every
body was disappointed Itmay be doubted,
however, whether it usually advances regu-
larly, IL. consecutive years; there are rea-
sons for believing that il often passes over
year In its progress, and reappears the Sc
icond summer, to- continue its desolation.
Under the circumstances, though Of course,
nothing can be said as yet with even a
plausible appearance of certainty, it would
not be utterly preposterous to look out next
June for another visit from terrible "Yel-
low Jack
There are persons who look to see the
green Christmas revenged by yisitant
from another quarter. It has been calcula-
ted that the movements of Asiatic cholera
are regulated by fixed law, according to
which it ought to come among US this sum
mer. The law is, to say the least, purely
conjectural F; as in boys mathematical cal
cnlations, as much allowance must be made
for foreign disturbance" as for the opera
ton Of the law itself. But its appearance
IL Europe last year was ominous
Ofall this we can only say that We are in
the hands Of Providence. IF yellow fever
or cholera come, it must be met as manful-
| ly as possible; and we hope the doctors will
try to learn their business little better
than they knew it year before last. It is
also to be hoped that our new Mayor will
bestir himself early to see that no invita-
tons are held out to disease to settle among
US, in the shape Of filthy streets, accumula-
ted garbage, or any other generator Of etf1u-
via and miasmi The most yir1ient attacks
of even the worst epidemics acquire their
severity from local causes IL these things
are done in the proper time, we can leave
the rest to the overruling Power in whose
hands we all lie.-N. Y. Herald