Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-10-26
NO.43.
The "usrres," and "sIun,cr'-" Moon.

Inv ana hOOmes
In an article in Appeton's journal for No
vember, which treats well of autumn, is this
explanation Of something apparently pop
ular mystery With our poor habits Of OBJ
servaton, expectation is essential to recogni-
ton. Many persons, therefore, see nothing
special in the autumnal moons, though, il n
class of sky-gazers were regarded. we should
conclude that all the moons Mt this season are
"harvest-moons' These moons are among
the things that have been sadly iumbled with
what are disconnected phenomena. One of
our most genial and accomplished prose poets,
in an autumual sketch, refers to the soft ad-
vance of Indian summer. with It's harvest
moons round and red" Bottom. the Weaver,
however, when preparing for the drama Of
'Pyramus and Thisby," did not attempt any
such nsh reorganization Of the celestial seem
cry since, upon the mere suggestion of Snug
the Joiner, he cried: "A calendar Look in
the almanac and find out the moonshine."
For convenience sake, they finally substituted
an artificial moon, which. nevertheless, was
quite as real as the most of the so-caled char
vest-moons." But the genuine lluminator as
provided by nature may be used without in
convenience, and we may always know when
and where TO look for it, if we are not nbove
the rustic appeal to the ld-fashioned alma
nae. What then. is the harvest-moon and
what is its sign Twice in the year, when
the sun is in Virgo and Libra. the moon be-
ing near her full, in the opposite quarter Of
the sky, astronomers tell us that the latter orb
rises near sunset for number Of nights in
succession. The first moon appears about
the time of the equinox. September 22d, be-
ing called the harvest-moon, because at that
time in the mother-country, the crops are
brought in and the second occurring about
October 23d, is called the hunters inoon,"
for the reason that it indicates the opening of
the chase. Whoever may be on the watch at
these times is likely to witness brilliant spec
tacle nightly repeated. and one by which
even the thoughtless person is sometimes sur
prised, almost fancying for the moment that
there has been some invasion of natures law.
In the olden days. when the. British yeoman
studied the earth and the stars instead of
questionable cheap newspapers the recur-
renee of the harvest-mOon was long antici-
pated, and was hailed with merry making.
The explanation of this phenomenon, con-
stanty occurring in some parts of the earth,
is found in the fact that at this time only
very small angle is made by the ecliptic and
the moons orbit with the horizon. When fat
tened by refraction these moons are some
times called horizontal moons. 1t is the hun
ter's moon that is to be associated with ''the
soft advance of Indian summer" a season due
about Nov list. All-Sants day, on which ac-
count it has been called ''the Summer of All
Saints" Whittier alone, of all the prominent
American poets, allows the hunters moon to
stand in its true connection -
"From gold to gray
Our mild, sweet day
OF Indian summer fades too soon
But tenderly
Der land and sea
Hangs, white and calm, the hunters moon"