The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-03-22
Weather.Pronhets.


The failure of Wiggins is calculated
to undermine popular confidence in
prophets of all sorts, but particularly
weather prophets. TO be sure Wiggius
bas risen to explain; but the expIana-
lion Is worse than the failure itself, and
increases the popular disappointment,
rs it heaps failure upon failure. Thin
hs the storm was, the explanation is
thinner. After Wiggins had failed, it
was little cruel to interview him. but
Wiggins was ready with his reasons.
He said: THE astronomical day begins
at noon on the meridian of London and
our day begins at twelve o'clock ut
1ight. overlooked this fact, so that
,hc side of the earth presented to the
planetary face was the opposite to that
which gave. l did not notice my mis-
take untn this evening, so tho storm fell
on tho Pacific instead of tho Atlantic"
1t will strike the unscientific and un-
prejudiced reader that it was q very
serious mistake in the calculations of a
man who was astronomer, astro'ogc
and metcorolOgist combined to get the
wrong side Of one planet turned towards
the sun when making predictions o. an
earth-Shaking storm. Nonnor fell into
obscurity for smaller mistake, than
that, and It is safe to say we shall soon
hear no more Of Wiggins. The Canadi-
an prophet will sink farther out of sipht
than the St Louis ono, indeed. and de-
Servedly, for a. man who cant toll
whether he is on his feet or his head
when he is making predictions and gets
tho whole world wrong end to is not TO
be trusted with tho weather.
In tho Wiggns' prophecy, however,
there is n wheel within a VIII eel. It
now appears that Wiggins Is about to
spring an almanac upon the public,
and his predictions for February and
the one yet to be fulfilled in March are
only advertisements for the almanac
1t Is ono Of the strange phases Of tho
human mind, perhaps we should sa,
one OF the most conspicuous weaknesses
! that II takes to almanacs, although al
manacs from time immcmorial have
becn gay deceivers. Not ono of th"u
| could ever be trusted from /adkicl' 5
down to Josh Billings. The only one
That ever told tho exact truth was that
immortal ed by Washington Irving in
the "Sketch Book" which had About
tn s-timc-cxpect~w wet weather. or some,
thing OF that sort, stretched clear down
the page from the first to the last day
Of the month. And vet, knowing its
absolute falsity, tho human mind Graves
the almanac. No house is without it.
1t is daily consulted, and, though it may
guess wron% ninety-nino times in hun
| drcd, the hundredth guess is hailed
with rs iubilant acclamation "a the one
sinner in hundred. No amount of
| Failure underminos the popular faith
| In the almanac. The old reverence
for he aatrologcr and the prophet still
survives when the predictions arc put
upon record in the almanac When
| Mother Symptoms dircful vaticination
was printed 1t was universally believed,
ana there are many people even TO-DAY
who bolleve that it all can @ true in
i"oi' 1T is not so much the compiler OF
the almanac rs the almanac itself which
Is regarded with the same cur osity and
awe that inspires tho African rs he ap
Pfoachcs his fetish. No per on in New
England ever knew who was tho rea
author Of the old Farmers Almanac
and yoc an attack upon its verify or q
doubt OF the absolute correctness Of its
weather statements, even at this late
day, would raise rs great storm OF in,
dlgnation in that section rs would ar
outrage committed against the grass
hopper or Fancuil Hall. We may OK
pc that Wiggins will disappear, bu
Nlgglns almanac, like Vcnnor's s
though Vennor has passed out Of sight
will be widely sought for. There is nc
method of getting before the world sc
easy rs that of the almanac. The pub
Usher who refused to pay Josh Billing.
| $3.50 for his almanac has kicked himsel
over since he heard that another pub
Usher took it and has paid j. B. $25, 0O(
In copyrights.
Fugitive prophecies for woathc
| prophets have been irretrievably injured
| by WiRgins. Though he has imriore,
| both the Dominion and the American
Governments not to allow any vessels
to go out on the date of his Marcl
storm they will go all the same Bu
the weather-prophcts may yet live il
their almanacs. Even General Haze,
| would bo considered as moro reliable i
he calculated his areas Of low thermom
eter and barometer for year TO com,
and printed thom in an almanac, an,
he certainly would I've spared from tn,
searching criticisms which have beer
made upon his management Of the Sig
nal Service. - thica0O IribuNc