The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-10-11
INFLUENCES OF THE MOON.
Popular Delusions.


Popular Delusions.
An article, translated from the German, in
Iittells Living Age, says: What OF that myste- s
rioEs disease, somnambulism ? Can 1t be dis
puted that the moon causes somnamoullsts
to walk In their sleep! ! answer, no but let
us see how the moon acts, In order TO con-
vince ourselves that 1t has no Wish 10 lrater.
nlze with mysticism. It may be assumed tnat
sleep-walking is an aonormaliy vlYld state-oi t
dreaming, not only Of the reproductive, but
also OF the volitive faculty. Now, it Is estab.
lished that such vivid dreams are promoted by
everything causing unQuiet sleep, g. g., a
heavy supper, stimulating drinks, and other
causes. IL is fact which has been frequently
nambulists, or sleep-walkers, often make
their perambulations at times when moon
light is not marked In the almanac, and we all
know that there are many persons, quite
healthy, too, who can not sleep at ALL or only
badly, when a light is burning in their bed
rooms, by reason of being unused to 1t. Pre-
cisely the same influence Is exercised by the
moons light on persons inclined to somnam-
bullsm. Hence some have hit upon tie excel
lent idea to prevent the-mooniight from enter
ing the sOmnambulists sleeping room by
means Of shutters or thick curtains, and be-
uOlu LuC TeUdlucu III
his bed, not troubling himself about the full
moon that shone brightly outside. The ex-
pertinent was reversed, and, at time when
there was no moonlight, brightly burning can
dies having been brought into the somhanbu-
lists chamber, he was seen to walk in his
sleep as though the finest full moon were
ruling the sky. 80.
As has already been said, things are the
more readily believed the more they tickle the
fancy, and hence 1t is no sufficient reason"to
regard thing as true because 1t has been &C.
cepted for years or even for centuries. Un.
prejudiced observation must decide and 1t
proves by thousands of cases that the condi-
ton OF the Intestinal tube, and the effect of
vermifuges, is precisely the same at the in
creasing as at the waning moon. If, there
fore, there are physicians who to this day ad-
minister yermituge during the moons wane,
ton will be the same as if administered dur
ing the moons increase.
The belief in special lunar influence Hpon
the growth OF plants results from very de1ec-
tive observation, and is altogether unfounded.
1t Is said, for instance, that wood cut during
tha moons increase rots faster than that felled
during the moons wane; but at no time and
nowhere has this assertion ever been tested
by single and sensibly made experiment.
One person echoes this absurdity after the
to fell two trees, equally sound and OF the
same kind, to keep them under like circum-
stances, and then to watch the changes. The
same remarks are applicable to the assertion
That certain plants thrive only when planted
during the waning moon, while the contrary
is the case with others. We all know that not
everything which is planted, or sown, thrives,
nevertheless, these people are very careful in
noting every Instance where plant put into
the ground at the wrong time of the moon, did
not thrive as new confirmation Of their rule;
the instances, however, where plant, planted
In the right time, did not thrive, are attributed
to the weather.
And the weather Does not experience
teach us that the moon surely has an impor.
tant influence upon it? Ny answer fs, No
~The moon has not only no important influence
on the weather, but not even any which is IN
appealed to, reply that 1t Is that very expe-
Hence which contradicts the opinion of the
moons weather-making. do not, 1t Is true,
mean that experience which is gained by the
Individual and experienced observer who oc-
casionally notes when rainy weather happens
to set In about the time Of the new moon, or
fair weather at the moons tull; but that expe.
rience which Is acquired in observatories, and
at meteorological stations, where the general
nature Of the weather, the state Of the barome-
ter, the direction Of the wind. and the degree
OF the moisture In the atmosphere, are record
tables at the Munich observatory, kept more
han forty years, and with the greatest care,
inform us that on the days of the full moon, of
the new moon, and Of the two quarters re-
spectively, the weather does not change more
often or more rarely than on any other day.
Only such experience Is entitled to considerar
tion.
The moons physical influence upon our
earth is, in common life, very greatly over
rated. This influence, according to the known
laws Of physics, can be exerted In only three
ways-by the moons attraction. by the reflect
80 Oh 10 RI hA
and by the emission OF heat. The moons at
tractive power being six times less than the
earth's, dwindles into mere nothing for OBJ
,ccts on the earth's surface, as, owing to the
distance of $1,000 miles, it is greatly prepon-
derated by the earths attractions; SO that Its
action may, Indeed, be calculated, but, on ac-
count of Its extreme smallness, cannot be an
object of perception. If, when the moon is
overhead, we send soap bubble or feather
into the air, we shall not t BILE to perceive
the moon eXerting the least attraction. But
how is it with the phenomena OF the tides
They depend, as is known. on the suns and
moons attraction, the moon, much smaller,
but much nearer, attracting by third more
strongly than the sun. The elevation
caused by this combined attraction contains
about one hundred cubic miles OF water,
mass which. in round numbers, weighs the
trife of one thousand billions hundred weight.
But 1t woulo be grievous error to suppose
that this enormous weight is raised by the
moon in the same manner that man lifts a
hundred weight, or magnet attracts nail.
Looking at the CLASSY surface OF an island
lake, and, though it be ever so large, when
the moon Is in the zenith, not the slightest rise
of the tide will be marked.
The conditions upon which the high water
is dependent are furnished by the extraOrdi-
nary.. facility with which small particles of
water are displaced BY that vast body OF water
called the Pacific Ocean, extending over more
than one-quarter of the globe. Other causes
cooperate, which, to explain, would lead me
beyond my design. An explanation OF the
whole may be found in good physical geog-
raphy.
fo confirm the belief in lunar influence
upon the weather. it has been asserted that
the moon must act on the ocean OF air-the
atmosphere-in the same manner that 1t acts
on the ocean of water, producing Kind Of
ebb and flow. Theoretically, this had long
been assumed; but it required the incest OBJ
servatlons of years, upon the most delcately
constructed barometers, before philosophers
succeeded in proving certain very minute
fluctuations due to the action of the moon.
Yet what are these fluctuations against those
OF the barometer in our latitudes, often
amounting to several lines at time, and
10 10