The morning call., 1891-05-31


though the growth of that wider knowledge
when is characteristic Of our times has
brought most Of them into disrepute, some
few still hold their sway even to-day, more
especially among the uncultlYated Ia the
outlying districts of the land.
One Of tie most widespread and popular
Of these old weather supcrStItlonS vas that
which attached peculiar and miraculous
importance 10 two particular. days IN the
wear The first of these was January 18th,
known in the calendar as ST. Pauls day,
from the fact that this Is the alleged amt
YeTSaTy OF the conversion OF the great apostle
10 the gentiles. The vulgar opinion was
that from the aspect of the weather on this
day representations might safely be made
for tie ~ hole subsequent course OF The year.
III, says a very old writer referring 10
this subject, ut be a fair day, II viii be
pleasant year; if it be windy there will be
wars; if cloudy it doth foreShaduw the
plague that year." while Shepherds A.
manack, dating back to the year 1916, fur
Their informs us that if on that day there
WAS mist there would be famine in tie COM
ing months, and if thunder then high winds
and great mortality.
These opinions, as usual. found expression
in verse. For instance, there was an ola
Latin StauZa which was
VERY POPULAR,
And Of which the following lines form one
Of several English versions:
II 81. Paui's day be fair and clear
i doth betlde "A happy year.
II clustering winds do blow a'Oft,
Then wars viii trouble oUr realm fun Oft:
And IL Il chance 10 snow or rain,
Then Will be dear all sorts Of grain.
Even more important for the weather.
wise of tie past was the 18th Of July, a day
which, as the feast of st. Swiihin, is even
to-day ley no means shOrn of all its former
reputation. In England, at all events, il IS
not unusual TO hear people Of some pTetenSe
TO education, frequently in Ike, perhaps,
hr1F tafTr rfl in arlr
that as ST. Switnin'S day is wet or dry las
the case may be-, so for forty days there
after there would be a continuance Of the
same kind Of weather. Thus the old rhyme
ran:
St Swithn's day. IL thou dost rain
For forty days il will remain:
81. SwIthn's day II thou be fair
For forty days twill rain no more.
The commonly accel ted explanation of
this ancient and widespread superstition Is
too curious 10 be omitted, though its value,
even as tradition, has been authcTitatlvely
impugned. ST. STithin was a Bishop Of
Winchester, who, after bis death in S62, was
cauOnZed by the Pope. 1t IS said that he
had expressed a wish 10 be buried in the
open ChurchyaTd, and not, as was usual in
the case OF Bishops, in the chancel Of the
Cathedral some time atterward, however,
the monks Of the establishment were seized
with ff Of p,Ous Indignation at the thought
that so great and good a man should sleep
his last sleep IN so humble, and, for saint,
% uuseemly a spot; and needless of his
Wtll-Temembered desire, they determined to
convey the body ID great state into the
cathedral and RENTER IL there. But Just as
they were on the point Of commencing their
operations a heavy rain burst forth, v hich
continued without interm~Siou for forty
succeeding days. The monks, every ready
30 regard any departure from the ordinary
course Of nature Ia miraculous light, at
0nca interpreted the tempest as a special
warming from heaven, and reliuqu!shed
their HdeTtaking-wEeRce, 1t Is said, St.
SwIthin's day derived its prophetic chaTac-
ter in relation TO the condition Of the weather
for the ensuing six ~ eeks
Unfortunately for the value Of the old
time Tradition as regards this and St.
Paul's day, it has to be remembered that
owing to the alterations IN our calendar,
the festivals Of the two great saints have
not continuously fallen upon the same
days We are therefore driven to ask
with Ho- ace Walpole, whether the old
proverbs can possibly be made to fit the
new calendar and whether St Swithin
and St. Paul would be likely to be a-com-
mOdating enough to bring themselves and
the atmospheric arrangements into keeping
with the requirements Of the modern as
Economical calculations.
But for thOse-if any such should read
these lines-whO are possessed of any lin-
gering faith in the value of trustwOrthiness
of such Ordcular utteTances, it may be we'll
20 add that il has been expeTimentally
proved to demonstration that the popular
belief has not the most meager vestige of
foundation in fact. la the strict tally kept
Tor twenty years at Greenwich Observatory,
England, it was shown that in no one case
was the proYerbisl statement borne out
In the days when st. Swithin's day was
wet. the highest number Of wet days was
20, and the lowest -; and in years when it
was dry, the highest number of rainy days
29. and the low est u. These
CURIOUS FIGURES
Speak for themselves Did we not know
how blindy men and women will ever cling
to the old traditions and superStiti0ns Of
their childhood. we might indeed suppose
that in face Of these absolute certainties the
Well-wOTn legend about st. Swthin would
die natural death. But it takes a great
deal more than aScertalned and proven facts
90 shake the faith Of some people, as daily
experience shows.
But when our fOrefathers were content to
4imiI themselves TO less extensive field Of
Visinn-When, instead of undertaking TO
settle the weather for weeks or months be-
f0rehand, they simply attempted to provide
against the changes Immediately approach
ing, they we're a great deal more successful.
Many OF the wise laws upon which they
placed such implicit reliance are not to be
laughed at or thrown aside with scorn,
based though they were not upon scientific
data or reasoning, but on simple observation
and experience. Everybody, / suppose, is
familiar with the curt little verse which
runs:
A rainbow In the morning
is the shepherds warning;
rainbow at nignt
Is the shepherds delight.
But not every one VINO repeats it is aware
that the statement which il contains is ca "a
bic of scientific verifcatiOn. So. too, with
such common adages as
II red the begins his race,
BE sure the rain viii fan apace.
And
Evening red and morning gray
Set the Traveller on his way;
Evening gray and morning red
Bring down rain upon his head,
Are something more than old wives fables,
Tor they embody at least a rough apprOxi-
nation TO establish truth Both of these
latter proverbs, indeed, seem to be fash
I0ned directly upon words found in the Cos
pei OF 81. Matthew, where we read Chapter
XVII: I'm the morning, We say it will be
foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and
lowering; and again, when it is evening.
red"
It is not always, however. even at the
present day, that eODle are willing to con-
tent themselves with such comparatively
Eafe representations as these, and many
others of the same which might be men
toned. They desire, if possible, to make
certain of the weather long time in
advance; and hence the prophetic al
manaes which have long enjoyed, and
still continue TO enjoy. so extensive pOpu-
Iarlty. One may smile at the quiet auda-
city of the reader Of the future who does
rot hesitate TO predict on the LIST of Deem
Der Of oae year the precise state Of the at
nOsphere on the 1st Of December in the
year to come; but it is an amazing instance
Of the guIlibility of the great public that
theEe are still so many people ready to take
such statements seriously. All such pre-
tended forecasts are. Of course, matters Of
guess-work merely. By happy chance the
prophet may be now and then correct, but it
. hardly needful to add that he Is far more
often wrong than right.
In these stTietureS hoYeYer we must not