Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-15
A SPELL OF HOT WEATHER
Warm Wave Now Spreading Over the
Land.
1t is Simply Hot, and That is All-St.
Swithin's Day and the Saying
Concerning 1t.

These are hot days. Not excessively hot,
to be sure, but yet hot enough to make the
people realize that there is such season
as summer time and that 1t is upon them.
Monday the thermometer went up to w de-
grees, a good point for that facile instru-
ment to regard as it's limit, II the feelings
Of the citizens are to be consulted. 1ester-
day the official record was but IS. yet II
would be hard to persuade the people that
it was cooler yesterday than the day be-
fore Today the official report shows 80 de-
grees, and there is only a fair prospect that
there will be a let-up for some hours.
There is no particular use in seeking Tor
the cause Of this hot wave, which succeed
ed so closely upon the cool. damp spell OF
last week. 1t is just a case or summer
heat due here during this season. and to
be taken philosophically when 1t comes.
The sun Is high in the heavens, and the
chances always at this time of the year
are that 1t will shine down intense heat II
not obscured by clouds or tempered by
winds from the north. AS neither of these
conditions are prevalent here or to the
westward Of us, the city Of Washington Is
just now getting its quota of summer neat,
which Is matter that has little or nothing
to do with science.
The weather bureau folks can't explain
things any more satisfactorily, and even II
they could, what's the use? There Is pre-
cious little satisfaction in knowing just the
why and wherefore when the fact Is ap-
parent that it Is hot.
Today the local forecast was as follows:
District Of Columbia, Delaware and
Maryland, conditions remain favorable Tor
local showers and thunder storms tonight
and Thursday. with continued high tenn
perature; southwestern winds, with pros
poets for cooler Thursday night
Whatever the weather, whatever the rea-
son. the people Of Washington are trying
to get out of the heat that means SO much
discomfort to them During the day they
suffer compla inirgly, swelteringly. growl-
ingIy. and fan and use language and seek
everywhere for sympathy and soiace. IN
the evening they take to the rapid transit
street cars and the suburban lines, the
steamboats, and the dispensaries of cooling
beverages Electric f6ns are working over
time and the coal business Is In the dumps
Yet It Is not as hot as 1t probably will be,
and 1t Is good thing that the early sum-
mer comes with gradual accessions of
heat, so as to prepare the people Tor the
great warmth Of August and early Septem-
ber There was furry Of caloric In May,
then June followed with a cool spell. and
now July is frying the patience out of man
kind. The only real comfort there Is IN the
situation is in the fact that In all proba-
bility it will be much hotter before the
summer is over.
st. Swithin's Day.
But far more important than the ques-
ton Of how hot 1t Is today or how hot
it Is going to be tomorrow Is the question
Of whether or not 1t will rain before mid
light, for this is Saint Swi.hin's day, that
day when the Scotch look anxiously at
the skies and wonder whether they are
going to have deluge or not. This in
deed, is the midsummer ground hog day."
just as in winter, when at CandlemaS the
wcodchuck pokes his nose from his winter
hiding place and presages for an early or
a late spring, according to the state of the
sun, so today the weather Of the next
forty days depends upon the elements.
The Scotch proverb governing this mat
ter runs as follows:
st Swithins day, gif We do lain, for forty
days it will remain;
St. Swithin's day, an We be fair, for forty
days twill rain nae MAR.
The French have two similar adages. as
follows: "S'il pleut lie jour de st. Medard, II
pleut quarante jours plus tard," and ''S'il
pleut lie jour de st. Gervais IL pleut quar-
ante jours apres.
St. Medard's day is the eighth Of June
,, and st. Jervais' day the 10th of June.
Thus it appears that there Is difference
In the date not only between France and
Scotland, but also between some sections
of France.
Winchester. who died in the year 862, de-
sired to be buried in the church yard of
the minister. that 1.-The sweet rain Of
heaven might fall upon his grave" At
honor his memory by removing his body to
the choir. and fixed July 10 for the cere-
money, but it rained day after day for
forty days, so that the monks saw the
! saints were averse to their plan and per-
mitted the bones to rest in the place
chosen by the sanity bishop. The
French saint corresponding in France to
St. Swithin is st. Martin Of Bouillons.
Other countries have their humid saints.
In Flanders the day of rain is st. Code
lieve, and in Germany the Seven Sleep
ers" are famed for this propensity.
Therefore, If 1t should chance to rain
today the people Of Washington may look
forward to a period Of forty days of mois-
ture, without the interruption of q single
clear day. That Is to say, If there be
power In the adage.
The Rev. DR.. E. p. Gould lectured at the
Saratoga Summer School Of Theology yes
terday on Contemporary Literature and