Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-04-22
Astrological Wisdom.
OLD TIME SIGNS OF THE CHANGES OF THE
WEATHER.

OLD TIME SIGNS OF THE CHANGES OF III
1. WEATHER.
| A popular idea is that the Weathe
changes with the moon s quarters, althoug
of course, there is no truth in this piece
astrology. That educated people, as Dr.
Taylor has truly pointed out, to whom ex
act weather records are accessible, shoult
still find satisfaction in this fanclful luna
rule, is an interesting case of intellectual
surrender. Yet, however, the fact remains
and in every day life one of the most fire
quent remarks appsrtaining to wet wealth
er is that it will no doubt change with tn
moon.
In many parts of the country great at
tention is paid to th g day of the week or
which the change of the moon occurs
Thus, if the moon changes OF Sunday
we are tolel 'sthere will be flood befor
the month is out.n whereas new moor
on Monday is nearly everywhere welcom
ed as being a certain omen not only fol
fair weather but good luck. A change
however, on Saturday seems universally
regarded sssa bad sign, and numerous pro
verbs to this effect are found, scattered
here and here, in most parts of England
as we'll as Scotland. Some of the most
prevalent are the following.
A Saturday Is change and Sunday full moon
Once in sew en- years is once too soon.
In Norfolk the peasantry say:
Sat lrday new and Sunday full
Never was good and never wull
The same notion exists on the continent
Wednesday in Italy, and Friday in the
south of France b. ling regarded as unfa.
vorable days for change of moon. Again
various omens are made from the aspect
of the moon. At Whitby, for instance,
when the moon is urrounded by halo OF
watery clouds, the seamen say there will
be a change of weat her, for the moon
dogs'' are about. This halo is called in
Scotland s'burgh, y the early Teutonic word
for circle. as in the following rhyme:
About the moon there is burgh,
The weather will be cauld and rough.
A pale moon, too, is equally unfavora'
BILE; a piece of weather lore to which
Shakespeare alludes in MIDSUMMER
Nights dream" (Act ii. sc):
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods.
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound.
When the moons horns appear to point
upward it is said to look like boat, and in
many parts there is an didea that when it
is thus situated there will be no rama
supers tition which George Eliot describes
in ga dam Bede:" cit 'ud ha' been better
luck i f they'd ha' buried him i the fore
noon, when the rain was fallin' j; there's
no lib elihood of drop now. An the moon
lies b Ike boat there. That's sure sign
of faj r weather. According to the sail
ors, when the moon is in this position it
denote fine weather; for to use their
phrase, "You might hang your hat upon
it. In Liverpool, however, it is consid-
cred sign of foul weather, as the moon
is low considered to be like basin Of wa
ter about to fall. The Scotch proverb in
culcates the following admonition:
The honeymoon is on her back,
Mend your shoes and sort your thack.
Whenever large planet or a large star
faring men to prognosticate boisterous
weather, for, to make use of their term,
"a big star is DIGGING the moon" Some
years ago, says correspondent of ''Notes
and QUERIES" fisherman of Torquay told
me after viol eat gale that he had fore
seen the storm, as he had observed one
star ahead of t he moon towing her, and
and another s.stern chasing her. Many
other superssit ious fancies are associated
with the moon Is supposed Influence on the
weather, varying, of course, in different
localities. Thus clear moon is generally
supposed to aU.gur bright weather in sum-
mer and frost in winter. One proyerb tells
us:
If the moon shows silver shield
Be not afraid to reap your fields
But if she rises haloed round,
Soon we'll tread on dsluged ground.
In winter time, according to popular
adage,
Clear moon, frost soon.