The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-23
POTENT MOONBEAMS.
LUNA's SUPPOSED INFLUENCE ON
MEN AND THINGS.

Deal OF Dependence In the Moon.
AS Cupid's Charm It Plays On In
teres ting Part in Love Affairs.
From the Pittsbur0 Commercial Gazette.
There is trouble on the moOa. Leastwise.
Prof. Ray of Ashland, Va, says he noticed
a great commotion the other night. To
him it looked as il large bodies OF water
were lifted up and thrown a thousand miles
or so. Prof. J. L. Ray is connected with
Macon College at Ashland but is not widely
knewn as a moon sharp. Ii it is true that
he is the discoverer of a connection on the
face Of fair Luna-a fact that has been so
long held to be dead and cold-he is in great
luck.
The moon is our nearest neighbor, and we
ought to be on very intimate terms with it.
| but for some reason it seems to be neglected
by astronomers. Were it not for the atten-
ton given TO it by farmers and few others
| who are pretty well up in moon lore it might
as wei be marked off the list Of heavenly
bodies
Not long since scientist bobbed up and
| offered to prove that the moon had nothing
to do with the tides. He viii have a hard
time beating that into heads OF seainen and
those who have grown 40 near tide-water.
If the moon doesn't raiss she tides there
must be a remarkable coincidence in their
| movements.
Farmers used to put a great deal Of de-
pendence in the moon. They planted crops
| built worm fence, put on shingle and clan
board roofs, killed hogs, hung meat, cut
timber, chopped weeds and traded horses
according to its phases.
Almost any old-time farmer will tell you
a worm fence built in the light of the moon
and ascending node will worm around and
finally fall down. If you plant potatoes
4 4 81, sla,.
| tops and the tubers will be- small and
watery. This is the time, however, to plant
cucumbers, especially when the sign is in
/ the arms
The southern darby says the dark Of the
moon is the best time for gathering chick
\ ems.
The carpenter of former times would not
| think of putting shaved shingle roof on
| building In the dark of the moon, because
the shingles would curl up, pull the nails out
and soon leak like a sieve. Neither would
| he cut timber for a house, nor would he paint
it until the sign was right.
| Your grandmother OF veteran aunt can
tell you that when hogs were killed in the
/ wrong time of the moon the slices of ham
would shrivel up more than half. ard fitch
would all fry away, leaving only small
! cracklings. Apples or any kind Of fruit
| dried in the wrong time were certain TO mold
or get wormy, and cider vinegar refused to
| become sharp.
1t was to the moon the farmer looked for
| indications of the weather. II the new
! moon lay well on its back it was sign OF
day weather, but if it tipped up to such an
extent that shot pouch wouldn't hang on
| the lower horn you might depend upon the
| water pouring out
| The time Of changing had good deal to
do with the weather, but there was "a lack
| Of agreement upon this point, but it was
4 cd hok oba hoF
noon, or before midnight indicated fair
weather. A circle or halo around the moon
was sure siRn Of rain, and the number of
stars visible within the circle indicated the
number of days before the rain would
| come.
| The health, growth and development Of
| children and animals were supposed to be
influenced by the moon. If the sign was
right at the time of birth they would be
| we'll formed and intellectual but if it we're
wrong there was no telling what sort of
| creatures they would become
| Every worthless fellow, every dog. root
| ing hog, fence-junlping COW, or kicking
horse was believed to have been born under
an unfavorable phase Of the queen of night.
| Queer people, or those who were of 1ateful
| disposition, were children OF the dark Of
the moon, with the sign below the heart
1t is unfortunate for the moonlsr that
| careful records are not kept.
IA
| sign in the head, with ascending node, in
sured large brain, exalted intelligence.
aud progressive spirit. If the sign was
IN the heart the individual would be Of a
| generous, jovia, kindly disposition; if in
the stomach great eater, with a tendency
| to grow fat and pussy; if in the legs he
would be very active and a great traveller
| or gadabout; if in the feet a good dancer
and hard kicker.
The same lunar conditions that caused
| cooking meat to shrivel up brought thin
ness and lankness to the individual, while
those that induced shingles Co curl up,
weatberboards TO warp and chimneys TO
lean gave to individuals gnarly dispositions,
distorted features and warped morals
1t is quite natural that the moon should
have more or less influence in love affairs
There is that well-known and oft-repeated
couplet
Happy is the bride that the sun shines on.
Happy is the corpse that the rain rains on.
1t is the moon, however, that the maiden
looks to for a charm to bring her lover. If |
she wishes to see him she must wait for the |
new moon, and at first sight of it over her |
right shoulder, kneel at her bedroom win |
dow and repeat these lines:
New moon true moon. come tell unto me,
Before this time tomorrow,
Who my true love will be.
IL his clothing do wear
And his children do bear,
Blthe and merry may I see him
With his face to me.
If his clothing don't wear.
And bis children don't bear
Sad and sorrowful may see him.
With his back to me-
Then she must crawl into bed quietly, |
compose her mind and wait for him to ap- |
pear to her in dream
While the weather bureau WINS under |
control of the war department the moon |
scarcely got fair show, although a volume |
was published containing all the weather
signs that could be heard Of, including the |
moon signs. Now that the bureau has been |
transferred to the department OF agricult-
-ure. it is possible that Uncle Jerry Rusk
will see that the moon gets a better show. |
He is farmer and a descendant from a |
line of German farmers famous for their |
moon lore.
Any one having one or more sure signs in
relation to crops or weather should write
them out and address them to the depart-
ment of agriculture. Washington. D. C.
The present muddled and unreasonable
weather is said to bbuGiae to sun spots. a
number Of which haze been7 plainly visible
on the face of the sun for two ar three |