National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-10
THE COLD WINTER.
Its Wide Extent-Some Reflections ss to the
Causes Of its Severity.


1t is being conceded that since the advent Of
the new year the weather has been more contin-
uously cold than during any preceding winter In
many years-it is said. during the present GEN.
tury. This assertion may be extraVagsnt. We
are very apt to say Of an extreme Of weather that
it is the coolest or the hottest in great number
Of years, when only reeollectioRs are at fault
Still, this winter is an exception to the ReHeral
routine of winter weather, and is not confined to
this latitude or to this continent. In the East,
however severe 1t may be, all classes Of people
calamitfes, but on tine plains and prairIes Of the
West reports OF severe or natal freezing are OF
daily occurrence. Snow fslls in Arizona, the land
OF flowers. In Southern California the combined
reports that trosts never inure the growing crops
are disputed by the cold and rain. In the Sand
hei Sin ~ are ana Ene6
with taking home with him not only the customs
Of Washington, New York and Boston, but too
much of their climate. The snov-slides In Utah
are almost unknoWp before In the Canadasuni-
VerEal complaint is heard.
The came comes from across the Atlantic; the
cold In Europe is almost unheard OF. The cold
and iceberRs in the Atlantic, which delay or de-
stToy everything afoat, add their frigid testimony
and, altogether, we have a chapter whi:h might
be titled not "the testimony Of the rocks" but
"the Testimony OF the icebergs." The old Scotch
couplet, running something thus:
aft Candlemas day be fair and clear,
TheTe'll be twa winters in the year"
is proving true with a force. No doubt this old
traction, like all traditions, had It's foundation
in some observations confirmed by years Of ex-
peTience in that cold country, and we must GEN.
clUde that a tradition go long banded down must
have its origin in fact In this age OF scientific
research it remains for science 70 ferret eat the
causes whose effects have entered into history or
TO prove them untrue,
The intense cold OF this winter aud the preva-
3ence OF disastrous storms and cold of last fall
and summer all over the world, presents a theme
for the most scientific research. NOneaoubt that
effects follow natural causes. Let our scientists
put their heads together and discover, IL they
can, the causes Of these thermometricsi extremes,
and arrive at important practical results to the
world Astrologists attribute these extremes to
the effects Of certain planetary combinations,
and have, for seyerGl Years back, predicted at
about this time great mundane ocmmotions, re-
maIkRble storms, extremes Of heat and cold, na-
uOnal calRmities by droughts lie some sections,
EcOurges like the ''plagues Of Egypt" wars and
pestileDces, fall OF empires and all sorts Of V1i-
versal eslaEites; which We are witnessing, how
ever much We may reject the authority OF
aEtrOlogy.
There is no occasion to place any reliance upon
these projections In Scientific point of view,
to give any importance to RstrOlOgy, for 1t has
never been able to lay any iust claims toecien-
titic origin, but it must be conceded to be older
than astronomy, and If 1t is able to fOreshsdOW by
its fallacieS more Of the future than astronomy
can discuss by its fact7, the more at fault is as
tTOnOmy. SOwe say of all science. naoy super
stitiOn is able to foreteI more than mathemAtcI Il
calculations can demonstrate, IL is not necessary
to accord supremacy to superstition, bVt 1t is to
be regretted that science tails to supersede super
stitiGn zDdipnOranpa