Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-10

IL "Ould certainly cause wide surprise among
the selentistsh the theory advanced py MIR. n. g.
jenkins, r. K A. =, In a letter In the Uonaon
Times should prove 10 have a sound practical
o . ana the influence Of the moon upon num-
dane Affairs other than sea-tides. as persistentlv
maintained IN the traditions OF Farmers and ola
fashioned housewives, should be shown TO be a
iae' past sAinssying. Mir. jenkins thinks he has
o4ScO'ered that The periodic curves In the baro-
Iue.'C iecOru correspond with certain movements
ana phases OF the moon From this he as
]i7 existence OF a constant reIa-
tLoh oet"eeh The moon and the weather, so that,
IRON table showing what the lunar phenomena
VII be FOR any given period In advance IL will one
Gay oe possible 70 prophesy what the weather will
nc 10Y 'he same period. OF course, the moon alone
is not 10 De taken into consideration as modlfier
oi the climate OF the EARTH but all the bodies OF
our solar system, each OF which, Mr. jenkins be-
Aie'eS e1n De given, By patient scientific invest1-
gael0h' us proper value In this respect. In gen.
'iA, IL may De said, the relations OF the
sun moon, and earth TO each other de-
ternine the condition OF things here:
Out the other planets come In also with their In
huence, not yet fully measured. The three bodies
most closely connected complete a cycle OF
changes every sixty-two years; that Is at the end
Oh That period the sun, moon, and earth stand in
precisely the same attitude toward each other as
AT the beginning OF II. Hence. in making compar-
isOhs, III these three were TO be studied without
reference TO anything else, 1t would be safe Mr..
Jenkins theory 10 take the weather record OF
Is6 ana forecast the weather OF 1883 from IL; but
there Is saving clause In his scheme, which
recognizes the other planets as disturbing ele-
nents Mercury Is the cause OF the greatest per-
turbations, and Vulcan is another body which
gives him great deal OF trouble. Vulcan Is nat
urAIly safe planet on which TO throw response
biitJ Of this sort, since its nature and perhaps
even IT'S existence, is still somewhat proDlemat-
icaL Possibly that may account for the gross
discrepancy between the weather waves OF 1916
and 1878, which would, in the natural order OF
things as expounded by Mr.. Jenkins, have CORE
spOndeL The year 1916 is known throughout
American and European annals as ''the year with
out a summer" farmer I'm Vermont was frozen |
10 death In the snOwdrfftS in one OF |
his pasture lots on the 18th of |
June. Another, at Tewks0ury, Mass, raised the |
only crop OF corn in the whole region roundabout
by building nres every side OF the field 10 keep
the cold out on the 5th OF july ice formed on the
windows OF dwellings, in New England. New York. |
ana PennsyIvauia; and 50 on 10 the end OF the |
chapter. In 1873. however some OF the hottest |
weather waves ever known swept over the coun-
try. People dropped DOWN In the streets OF Chit |
cage, ST. Louis, and New York day after day. and |
terrible visitation OF yellow fever decimated GER
tain cities OF the south, where the panic
stricken Inhabitants had to wait well into
the Ial for their first welcome frosts |
Probably other failures OF the promised |
coincidence, equally striking, could be found by
search through the weath-r records or years a |
cycle apart but, thanks 10 Mr.. jenkins easy dis
posai OF such matters by referring them TO the |
disturbance caused by our sister planets nothing
would be accomplished by citing them. IL seems |
therefore. that this most extended lunar influence
theory Will nave TO wait for general acceptance
TIL Its inventor can furnish Us with some ade- |
quate data for not merely proving the fact but |
calculating the amount Of those perturbations
CAUSED by Mercury and vulcan, which so upset |
the application or his principle as a WHOLE