The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-10-12
THE MOON.

Everybody accords to the sun the privi-
lege of regulating the course II the seasons.
Their majestic alterations harmouze well
with the march Of heavenly body that
constantly meets our eyes with the same
invaFiahle aspect. But changes of the
weather. SO un,xl ectod AID IN qu,nr, seem
TO require, people think, 4 more variable
origin. II we consider the daily vicissi-
tudes of rain and sunshine of fogs, winds,
clear skies, and clouds. the moon is the
only heavenly body whose rapid alterations
a. form and position answer To such un-
ccasing variations.
Ia truth. the moons course does really
offer humorous periodical changes, without
taking into account anomalous events, such
As cc!ipses aud others Ii the weathel's
capfices are more or ltss periodical, they
can hardly be richer in coutIastcd periods
than the moon herself j.. Moreover, pre-
diction makers have lie additional resource
of luuisiicts, when he moon is stationary:
Of the cpuchs when her declinatiou is either
north or south, when She crosses the ,qua-
WI va TIC tN4Hh4G. HACll Silc - On tue same
side of the equator as the sun. or on the
opposite side. Note well that all these cir
cumstauces really have somc influence on
the ebbinE and ilowin. Of The sea; whence,
sailors do not fail 10 conclude, they also in-
iiuencc tie tides OF on. aerial ocean.
Ii We accepted literally every lunar pgsiu-
dice, the moon wuuld rule raany things be
sides the weather. Nadincn aud Iuuatics
would be subject to her power. There are
veterinary surgeons who say that tie sight
OF certain horses becomes dim or clear ac-
cording to the phases of the moon Wood
men insist that if trees are felled with a
waning moon, the wood will speedily de-
cay. Housewives declare that If YOU kill
your pig, as you ought, with a crescent
Eoon the bacon will swell nicely in the
boiling; if, on the contrary, when she is in
the wane, it Will shr3vcl, shrink and be
hard and good for nothing. Finally, ali
sailors in a mass. except the most highly
educated officers, attribute every change of
weather 10 the moon. Whyo Nobody
knows.
II is exactly because pre- JUDGES are be-
yond the reach of discussion that il is SO
difficult to bring them to reason. Natural
philosophers have perfectly explained the
phenomena attributed 10 the red moon.
which are really caused by the state of the
atmosphere. Gardeners, nevertheless, per-
ssl IN making the red moon The lunation
81. Ill I
moons responsible for the morning frosts,
which frequently occur At that season But
the ancIents never entertained the idea that
the moons phases were the cause OF
changes in the weather; it was Jupiter's
privilege to assemble the clouds and 10 dart
the thunder bolts. The lacky and unucky
days of the lunar month belong to astrol-
ogy, and not 10 meteoroogy. Bouvard,
Arago, and many others have proved. by
long series OF observations, that the moon
does not affect the weather. Labor is vain.
The majority Of sailors intcrpre. the moons
age, each according TO his own private rule
of belief The only eirectual refutation
would be to strike at the root OF the evil in
early youth, and make school children re-
peatcdiy recite and copy truthful sentences,
such as: Il; is ridiculous to believe in
sorccrers, witches, werewolves, and red
moons; :" 1t is not true that the new
moon changes the weather, that the full
moon eats mp the clouds. that thunder
bolts are made of stone;' and other items
oil the vulgar creed. Accurate knowledge
OF facts might thus be promoted by n cate
caism of things not to be believed.