The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-04-30
THE GEORGIA HUMORIST.
SOME suPeRsTITIoNs REGARDING THE
EARTH's SATELLITE.
Some Interesting Lunar Facts---Though
Science Has Exploded Old Beliefs Regard.
ing the Moon, Many People Still Adhere
to Them.


larger one nor brighter one nor one
that balanced itself so proudly in the
western heavens. Not drop OF water
would it spill and some say that means
we will have dry month and some
saw we will have a wet one. 10 my
nnlearned mind the moon is the most
complicated and wonderful piece OF
machinery in the realms of space. 1t
makes my head swim to study its
elliptic orbit, its lunar time and side.
real time, its Vibrations of latitude and
longitude and diurnal libration; its
ascending and descending nodes and
their retrograde motion which takes |
eighteen years and .219 days to COM
plete; its apogee aud perigee, the two
points of which are movable and
move along the circumference OF
the ellipse from west to east and
complete the circuit in eight
years and 800 days. Sometimes it
comes along a circle in the heavens
that is near the zenith and sometimes
it's course is low down in the southern
sky. Its speed is not uniform as it
moves around the earth, for sometimes
it gets ahead and sometimes lags be-
hind. It's axis is inclined to its orbit
and seems to nod backwards and for
wards for three degrees. Then there
are the eclipses, which add to the won
lerful complications, and yet every
chase and every motion obey q law
and are Ineligible to men of science.
It is the regularity Of Irregularities.
But men of science like Otis Ashmore
understand it all and can make an
almanac and foretelf eclipses for a
thousand years. I have unbounded
respect for these mentor Greer and
Ashmore and DIR. Means, all of our
own state, and for the lamented Pro-
lessor Mitchell, who was the greatest
Of modern astronomers.
/ But this beautiful new moon pro-
koked another line of thought. l saw
it over my right shoulder and in a
clear sky and was satisfied, and yet l
am not superstitious about it. had
lust little rather zee it that way and
30 had the majority of civilized peo-
ole. Luna means the moon, and most
people are lunatics. Even Blackstone,
| the great jurist, defines lunatic to be
one who is insane at times but has
lucid intervals during certain changes
Of the moon. And although the med
ical world has long since exploded the
supestitious theory of the moons in
duence on the mind, the name lunatic
till obtains and is applied to all in
sane persons. After South Carolina
had seeded, man asked Mr.. Petit
yrew which was the road to the lunatic
asylum. 'tAny road-all the roads, y
he said, ''the whole state is one vast
lunatic asylum" Almost everybody
has some superstition about the moons
influence on vegetation. My good
neighbor, Mrs. Fields, told me last
week that she had been right busy al
day planting her potatoes, '.for, said
she, "you know it is the dark of the
moon now" She is the best gardener
in the town and always succeeds, bu
she does herself injustice when sh'
, gives the moon any credit for her sue
cess. Many years ago I made fai
5 test of the moon theory, for planted
: four rows in my garden in the dark o
the moon and then four more right be
0 side them two weeks later and gave al
the same culture, and I found no diff
, ference in the yield. The best time t.
. plant potatoes is when the ground i
leady for them, and it may be yer.
I unready if we wait for the dark of tn
moon. But I have found that goo
farmers differ about how many day
: are included in the dark Of the moon
: Some say one, some say two or three
: and others say all the days of tn
moons wane, which would be abou
thirteen.
But if there is anything in the moo
theory, why confine it to Irish pota
toes and peas and beans? Why nc
. apply it to sweet potatoes and groun
peas and corn and wheat?
But there are other superstition
that even the most sensible and we
4 educated people cannot shake off. Th
J. roasted chicken on our table today VIC
garnished with parsley and we hay
6 none in our garden. asked my viii
y where it came from. ssFrom Mr.
!, Postell's, she said. 81 will get som
from her." said /, "and plant it.
sowed the seed last spring, but it di
not come up" "No," said my wifi,
s'you won't get it from Mrs. Postel
. unless you go in the night and ste
it. She believes that it is q gift thu
carries death with the giving, and sf
wouldent give you plant for tt
world. Why, she declares that
always causes death in the famil,
and only three years ago neighb'
pulled up some by the roots again
: her protest and took it home ar
planted it, and the woman died with
d weak /"
Il Well, now Mrs. Postell is q We
= smart, cultured and well-balanc'
6 woman, but she is lunatic on tn
4 subject, and fear that my wife
u showing syptoms of the same malad
Z Certain it is she will not hear of n
d getting parsley plants from anybo'
s as a gift, and certain it is am n
le going out at night to steal any. We
!. maybe thatsif person has faith
m such things what they believe W
d happen, for faith will remove mou
II tains, and if there is faith cure the
$. may be faith kill. These supers
tions are deep-rooted, for they coy
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