Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-05-20

What 1t Is Naturally--what It IL SUI
pernatursily = Antiquity OF the
Disease.

4 Among the blessings enumerated a
belonging and accruing to the faithful
followers of Jehovah. the Psalmist says
among various safeguards and posses
sions
1.-THE sun shall not smite thee by day,
Nor shall the moon by night"
The first part Of the promise Is easil,
understood by the aid Of an arid plaiI
and burning MONDAY sun, and tn
weary traveller, oppressed with thirs
and faint from heat. is glad to claim thu
promise sung by the Psalmist in thu
heated land Of Syria, twenty-nine cen
turtles ago. But the latter promise il
regard to the subtle influence of thu
Empress Of the Night" is not SO wei
understood and seldom claimed. Ant
Though the thought may be secuted b,
the ignorant, and treated US a visionary
idea Of the ancient poet, 1t really hal
claims to consideration Of grave ant
important nature. The brilliant moon
beams OF the clear atmosphere Of syria
and of Southern California have powel
over the nervous system Of mankind
that is subtle and strong. The moonbeam
that fall into the face Of thu sleeper
or the astronomer as he lies in its ray
waiting for tho transit of stars across hi
instrument. unless arrested. will produc,
an unrest and q delicate WEAKNESS that
soon causes strange pressure in tn,
brain that comes like slow, relentless
heat, confusing the brain with refined
invisible torture, that induces the mos
fanciful vagaries, and if too long con
tinued, producing mild form of lunal
lunacy.
In the Syrian country, like many parts
Of our own southwestern land, the people
spent the night on the housetops, ex
posed to moonbeams Of the brightest
radiance, and unless protected by somt
covering usually made Of palm leaves
we're liable to lunacy from the effect Of
tho moons rays ,on the sleeping. unre
sisting human system. When the hu
man system Is in state Of activity the
moonlight is pleasant exhilerant. but
when it lies passive and absorbent, it i,
on intellectual poison. The halls Of the
hospitals Of Napa and Stockton echo to
the tread Of the uncertain steps Of hun
dreds Of lunatics, who
As shepherds watched their aocks by night,
All seated on the ground"
on the great plaius Of Califor-
mia, fell into dreamland under the
lunar rays so often and 80 continu.
ously that their reason became over.
thrown by the subtle, silent force Of the
moonrays. and in their present night Of
years they know not what brought
them where they are. The disease
which affiicts them with death in life,
has travelled through the centuries, for
thousands of years and is still marching
on and will never stop until men become
wise enough to protect their persons in
sleep from the silent. moonbeams.
The sunshine will also accomplish the
same effects in shorter and more vio-
lent manner, when sleeping, and some
times when waking. il the victim is too
long exposed to its terrible force,
The herders Of California are exposed
to the burning sunrsys by day and the
moonrays by night and succumb to
these great imponderable forces and
throng our hospitals with their mourn
full presence. A few tees, or gourds
like those that sprang up to save Jonah
from like fate, or sheds or green tents.
would prevent this great calamity that
now marches across our plains Of pas
turage.
But there il another class Of persons
who used to believe in ghosts and
witches, who are moon-struek. and
ascribe the rains and SHOWS to be pro-
duced by the changes Of xhe moon, and
arbitrarily divide up the innocent moon
into new moon, old moon, first and last
quarters and give each quarter q pc ;uliar
control over human affairs. Pork had
to be killed in the old Of the moon, and
children and calves wesned at the same
suspicious moment. Corn was to be
planted in the new moon and hay cut in
full moon, and potatoes and cabbages
planted in the frat quarter and trees
grated in the same time. Such luuacy
recently cropped out in this city in the
publication Of the Herschell prognosti-
cations which are the most worthless
trash that can engage the attention Of
the people of Los Angeles. That docu-
ment said that "if the new moon, first
quarter. full moon, or last quarter, haI-
pens between midnight and 2 o'clock,
there will be frost unless the wind is
southwest. That is about as foolish as
thing can well be. II the same things
occur "between 2 and 4 p. M. there will
be snow storms. How is that for nom
sense? II the same occurs between
and 6 A. NJ. 1t will rain" III
between 6 and SA. NJ. 1t will be stormy"
''If between 9 and 10 A. N. there will
be q cold rain il the wind is west, and
snow ii east." IF between 10 and ~
a. n. showers in summer and cold, high
winds in winter" If between IL and 2
P. NJ, very rainy in summer" Be
tween and P. NJ, fair; between 8 and
5P. NJ, fair If wind is northwest; b. E.
tween 8 and l0P. NJ, rainy; between 10
and midnight. fair"
VIII any reader Of the HERALD be.
lieve such stuff What is the difference
between the change OF the moon from
first quarter to second quarter, 1t Is
the work Of an instant, an idea Of the
mind, but there is no difference in
the business of the moon; it changes
1856 days in year, and those
changes, so wondrously small, have
no more influence on the weather than
the King Of the Cannital Islands. Take
the first case, in October last, the 18th,
when the changes mentioned occurred
betweed6 and A. NJ, when the luna
tics" said it should rain, but it didn't.
In Novemher tho fsluuafic tablen said II