Evening star., 1897-07-31
MIDSUMMER MADNESS.
The Relation Between High Tempera-
ture and Morals.

ture and Morals.
From the PHILADELPHIA Record
Rev Dr. Da Costa of New York. who in
his time has done some good historical
work. as well some poor sociological
work, recently arraigned summer weather
or better. perhaps, people distracted with
heat and humidity-for seasonal immoral
ity. The sermon was sensational and of
little value. except for the reflections it has
aroused. The question which promptly sug-
gested itself is: Is morality dependent on
the weather? AS corollary 1t may be ask
ed: Is hot weather productive of immor
ality? Were the latter question true one
could understand the law of northern the
ology on :he principle of elective affinity
which consigns the incorrigibly wicked to
the hot climate of Tartarus to spend their
endless wicked days But if badness be the
product of the weather the theologian
should surrender his function of converting
men to the weather bureau. to the ply
sician or to the biologist. In other words.
DIR. Da Costas line of argument tends to
the destruction of his function a preach
er. If crime vice be a matter OF sea-
sons then character is a concern of the
pharmacist.
Yet there is a curious confirmation of the
doctors theory to be found in vital sta
tistics, especially in the official records of
France. June is the great month of the
year for suicides. This Is especially true
in the United States. and. indeed, is prac-
tioally problem of isothermal lines The
explanation lies in the dep1 ession of ner-
vouS energy consequent upon the reaxa-
ton of fiber due to the transition from cool
to warm weather. The summer soIstice
comes about June 20, and then the tropi-
cal summer of our latitude begins. As soon
as the constitution has become adjusted
to heat the suicidal impulse ceases 1t is
the transition which taxes personal energy
Men miss the tonic of cold air stimulus and
OF the oxygen of low temperatures. Once
adjusted to the change, then character
haDits become normal 1t is the atmos-
pheric changes which the thermometrical
man has moral reason to dread. Thus on
the eve OF storm ones muscles get rheu-
matte in age or under bad pathological con-
u1ttons In certain sense moral character
is dependent on meteorology
but exception must be taken to the no.
,lon that summer is worse for good be-
havior than is winter There are many
reasons why the warm season should he
IaVorabie to morals, among which is tha.
people live more cut of doors and are near r.
er TO nature, the great. good mother of us
all. Inc less artificial We are and tho
more we i've as nature provides the less
we violate the best standards of social
conduct This is study worth an extend
ed research by socioIogists: but o,,r tbanr,,
Will stand investigations
J., mere is another point to consider Dante
M III ms ln1erno puts the devil in ice up to
ms M cnin and in the uttermost mir or h.u ~
rms is a distinct concession to a so,,.l
dread of cold ~ southern
When the colored minister told his con-
o. o saeoil .iiat pad negroes would be frozen
as soon as they were dead he iustified hts
ooctrlne on the ground that heat wonId nnt
scare negro. So weather has color conGi.
.o ions What is more to the point is this. a
n,etai Pi.acner "a hnds his congregation de-
peled IN the hot season: collections are
sthaii' ana 1t Is an arduous task to financo
the pa!1sh through the summer. How will
a reaIy sincere and honest man regard
tris,, tnns problem! We do not believe in at
1riputing t1I sordid motives to such men
Ihere are sufficient grounds for taL;ne
other views A man naturally thinks that
What ne Is unaccustomed to is necessarily
out OF JOINT Twenty years ago one Of
the foremost of PHILADELPHIA rectors s.td
at public funeral over a baby. thar he
never saw a poor man leading a child along
tne street without thinking of the uplifting
worth OF that child. But WHY poor man o'
1t would have been more annronriata 70
nave said that rich men, diverted by a
score OF considerations were huma nized Inv,
young me. rms rector simply felt that
the people who did not come to his church
and whom he could not reach. were bad
from the start This idea is common. A
puritan woman, looking at an Italian we'd
uLng .Ig IN thls country. condemned the whole
thlng as an orgy, chiefly because the lam
guage was unfamiliar: and to her all
unknown tongues were immoral.
NOW, IT Is true that summer girls are not
wlnter girls IN dress or in manners. This
crate. 1t is change of costume that
makes change of character in the opin-
ion OF many people. What we are not used
to we think wrong. Now, let roue try
any salacious experiment with a girl in a
bath1ng dress or on the dancing pavilion of
seaside hotel. and see If he be not called
DOWN promptly! The fact that people in
their leisure resorts are more exuberant
than in their winter homes is of no earthly
moral account. Henry James story Of
Daisy Miller" is true and genuine. The
summer girl only transfers her ecclesias-
tfcal allegiance from her rich town church
to the needy summer church. People take
their character everywhere. And it is the
American rule that there are no places
climates or conditions " mere honor changes
1t Is glorious thing that our girls are re-
ceived and cherished their own terms
everywhere. There is no country OH the
globe in which morals between the sexes
are SO discreet, chivalric and fine as in the
United States. 1t is not low-cut gowns nor
bathing SUITS nor a suspension of contri-
buttons to the parish, which touches the
question Of morals Honor of the sexes is
Indigenous: and our girls take glorious care
of themselves and of whole national
character. There is nothing finer than our