The Republican journal., 1883-03-15
Weather Sharps.

We have not lost faith in human nature, but
it makes one grieve to see how knaves and
charlatans fatten on creduity and superstition
There is no proposition too absurd to find be-
levers; no humbug so transparent that it fails
to find dupes. In the cities, astroogers and
fortune-tellers flourish on the dollhrs of those
who fancy they are permitted to lpok into the
secrets of the future as well as of the past
There are eager purchasers Of articles to be
sent through the mails, tictitiously valued at
fifty times their real value and sold at profit
of two or three hundred per cent bn their act
ual cost. Quacks get hundreds of dollars from
those who never think of paying the modest fee
of a regular practitioner. Mock auctions flour
ish in the cities and in the rural districts the
tightening saw sharper and others of his class
drive "A thriving trade. Indeed, one is led to
conclude, with the poet, that:
Doubtless the pleasure is as great
OF being cheated, as to cheat.
Nor do people learn from experience The
same old swindles,-the confidence games of
various kinds. the brass ,jewery marked 1Sk.
the gold brick made of lead, etc, etc,-never
fail to find victims. OF late NUMEROUS weather
sharpS have sprung up, who, taking advantage
of this weakness, md ready market for their
almanacs. 1t matters not that nil he times out
of ten their predictions, which REALLY are en-
titled to no more credence than those in the
Maine Farmers Almanac, fail of fultilment.
They have believers who will accept summer
breeze for Il predicted gale and fog drizzle
for a heavy rain. For time Prof Tice wa>
the fayorite Then Prof. Nennor- thev are all
professors, in the profession of htambug-had
the floor. Now comes Prof Virgins. the most
unsuccessful Of them all in his guhsSes at the
weather. and who yet has achieved greater
notorlety than any of his predecessors.
No doubt there are those who will continue
TO pin their faith on Virgins, whatever may be
said of him, until more conspicuous humbue
makes his appearance. But it is worth while to
expose fraud who has caused so much unncc-
essary anxiety and direct pecundry loss. II
will be remembered that Virgins predicted q
storm in February; but on the day appointed
from every signal station on this continent
came reports of fair weather. This was some
thing unusual. and should have been a settler
for Virgins, but he pretended to have made
an error in his calculations and said his Marcel
storm, which was to be tie storm Iof the age
would be on time. Now. as some may be in
inclined to accept the brief snow Squall on Sat
urday afternoon as Il fultilment of tllis prophecy
LEI us see what it was that Virgins predicted
quoting his own words. He said that "a grea
storm would first be felt in the Northern Pacific
on the 9th of March, and would strike this con
tlnent from the southeast Oh the afternoon OF
Saturday. the 10Th" 1t would be f'one of thu
greatest storms that has ever occurred in tho
memory of any one now living" Ship-bud
trs Were told to put their prospective vessel,
high up on the stocks,'' and he warned farm
crS having loose v3iuables. rs Hay, cattle
etc. to remove them to a place of safety
| Neither here nor elsewhere We're these prcdic
tons fulfilled in any degree. We have had on
of the usual March storms and if weIeNpcricnct
nothing worse before the month is oKer we MAY
count ourselves fortunate. Halifax Nova SEQ
tia, had the worst of the storm the wind there
on Friday last attaining a VeocityIof 81 mile
an hour. but that was a zephyr compared t
the gale predicted by Virgins. In thi> connec
| ton it may. b. interesting to see the scale by
which th, strength of tn wind i, recorded. /
| is known as Beautort>. is universally used, anc
is Il, follows.
| Velocity of miles