New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-28
ST SWITHIN: HIS DAY.

The present remarkable but by no means I'M
preccdcnted spell Of weather has PROVOKED
much talk about st. Swthin's Day and It's
meteorological tradition. People are saying that
because it rained on St. Swihin's Day 1t has
rained every day since. and will continue so to
do until forty days from that date have elapsed.
Thus will be fulfilled the saying Of the FAMILIAR
but usually misquoted lines:
ST. Swihins Day. II thou dost rain,
For forty DAYS 1t will remain
ST. Swithin's Day. II thou be fair
For forty days twill rain nae mair.
Truly. the outlook seems favorable for such
fuldlmcnt. THE rain it raincth every day and
there is no prospect Of abatement. But-we
shall sec.
For this much is to he said in confidence, that,
unlike many other old traditions. the st. Swiihins
Day legend has no basis in reason or in fact.
St Swithin was, indeed. a real person lie was
born about the year 500, was made Bishop OF
Winchester by King Ethelwulf, whose tutor he
had been. died after Il career Of good works in
S,i2 and. at his own express command, was
buried not within the cathedral. as was the Gus
tom. bur in n mean place without its walls. SO
far 80 good More than a century latcr-to wit.
on July IL. 371-his body was disintcrrcd and
placed within the cathedral. As rebuke TO
those who thus dlsobeycd the saints command.
says the legend. there came on that day ire
mendous downpour Of rain. which continued for
forty days and forty nights and ever since the
rule expressed in the rhyming saying has been
fulfilled
Now the facts are these: In the first place,
July 10 OIL when St. Swithin's body was re-
moved was fair and bright and not drop of
tbn
place. there is no instance on record of the full
filment of the rule There have been plenty OF
rainy July 1JthS but not one has been followed
by forty days Of rain. Some years ago the mat
ter was carefully investigated by the authorl-
ties of Greenwich Observatory. II was found
that in period Of twenty years there had been
several stormy ST. Swthin's Days. but not one
of them had been followed by forty days of
rain nor had any of the rainless ones been fol-
lowed by forty raincss days. On the contrary.
the forty days following the wet 81. Swithin's
DAYS were on the average dryer than those fol-
lowing the fair ones thus indicating the reverse
of the rule
Finally, and most to the present point. st.
Swithns Day this year not rainy. 1t was
one of the most cOnspicuouSly rainleSS days of
this whole year. There few light local
showers in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. but
otherwise not drop Of rain fell that day in the
whole United States. 1t had rained daily for
some time before. ana il has been raining daily
ever since. but that one day seemed 10 be singled
out of the whole wet month to be dry and fair.
The wet weather we are now having * follow
ing. therefore, not Il rainy. but a fair 81. Swth-
ms Day. 4 more direct contradiction of the
old legend could not well be conceived. Never
thelcss. people will continue To quote the saying
is a Gospel truth and to avoid walking under
ladders and 10 decline 10 sit down in thirteen
at table It may be true that error dies
among his worshppers." but he takes a weary
long time 10 do it.