The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-06-11
miscellaneous.
Weather Warnings.

Weather Warnings
The weather is merely the state or condition
ofthe air. Heat and cold, moisture and drouth
wind and calm, all make themselves felt by us
principally in and through this element. The
study of the weather is but the study of the
variations of the air.
Man is so dependent upon the weather, not
only for his comfort but even for his subsist-
cnce, that to be able to ascertain its coming
changes has naturally always been to him an
one of the subjects upon which the credulity
of mankind has in every age been taken adj
vantage Of
Many people remember the prophetic and
weather almanacs with: "The dull, though
mild, ""fair and frosty" mild for the season,
frosty and more fair, "rain, perhaps hail,
"windy, perhaps rain" and other phrases
which were scrubbed at intervals along the
calendar and were sometimes lucky guesses.
About forty years ago an Irish schoomaster
named Patrick Murphy, who was great
mathematical scholar, published weather
Almanac" in London, in which he predicted
the nineteenth of January to be by far the
coolest day of the season, and, as luck would
have it, so it was. The fact was noticed in
the papers, and there set in most enormous
demand for Murphy Almanac" Over $50,
600 copies were sold in three weeks, and for
several years "Murphy's Almanac" continued
in great demand, though it never again made
any decided hit in the weather prophecy line.
In various countries, and of course, in various
languages, there are many proverbs in rhyme
as well as in prose about the variations in the
weather and their causes.
The belief that Saint Swithin's OF Swithum' S
day (the fifteenth of july appears general
that if rain should fall on that day there will
be rain on each of the following thirty-nine
days. Swithin was Bishop of Winchester,
who died A ID S6S Iedesired that he might
be buried in the open churchyard "where the
drops of rain might wet his grave" thinking
that mo vault was so good to cover his grave
as that of heaven" This was done; but in
965 some of his admirers removed his remains,
with the intention of placing them in the choir
of their church, but just when the funeral
rites were commencing terrible rainfall
drove every person under cover, and it rained
so violently for forty days that the design was
abandoned. There are many weather rhymes
about Saint Swithn's day. A Scotch proverb
runs thus:
Saint Swithin's day gif We do rain,
For forty days it will remain
Saint Swithin's day. an ye be fair,
For forty days twill rain nae mair.
In 1907 it raincd in England on The day in
question, and rainy time followed; and the
same in 1903. In 1918 and 1919 it was dry on
the fifteenth, and a very dry time in each case
followed. The other summers between 1907
and 1918 appear To have come under the gen
eral proposition, "that in Il majority of the
summers of England, a showery period which,
with some latitude as to time and local circum-
stances, may be admitted to constitute daily
rains for forty days, does come on about the
time indicated by the tradition ofSt. Swithin."
The raining saints in France belong to June,
and are Saints Medard, Gervair and Protars.
In Flanders it is st. Gadelcve, and Germany
has three. The traditions as to the forty days
rain applies to each. In Scotland, where
saints days are not observed, July Bis the day.
In different climates the date varies.
From out of mass of old weather rhymes
and sayings we have collated the following
The evening red and the morning gray,
Is the sign of bright and CHEEKY day,
The evening gray and the morning red,
Put on your hat or you'll wet your head
The corn swells into ripencss in July, and
the farmers saying is;
shower of rain in July,
When the corn begins to I'll,
Is worth plough and oxen
And all that belongs there still.
The sailor notes the tightening of the cord
age on his ship as a sign of coming rain
Swallows fly close to the ground orwater be-
fore rain. When hens are observed to pick
themselves more than usual, rain is near
Swine carry straw in their mouths and toss
about their bedding before storm. Cats are
observed to scratch the wall or post before
wind and to wash their faces before a thaw
Winter thunder
Bodies summer hunger.
"Who doffS his coat on winter day
Will gladly put 1t on in May"
The following is full ofpoetical expressions
If the moon shows like a silver shield,
BE not afraid to reap your field
But If she rises haloed round,
Soon wen tread on deluged ground.
A farm-yard couplct very terscly informs
every one that
If tho cock goes growing to bed
He'll certainly rise with watery head
In the winter, when the moons horns are
sharp and well defined, frost is expected.
Clear moon
Frost soon.
If the old moon embraces the new moon
stormy weather is FORBIDDEN.
i saw the moon late yestreen
WI the aud moon in her arm.
And If we gang to sea, master,
| fear well come to harm.
This observation used to be regarded as in
fallible: '
| If there is in October much frost and wind,
January and February both mild you'll find
| But when in the autumn the weather is clear,
The cold wind full soon will appear.
The following is hint to base ball player,
and housekeepers:
Do not let October flies
Lead you to expect warm skies.
The following prediction is based upon thu
law of equality