The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-24
WEATHER SIGNS.
POrtents and superstitiOns of the
Past and Present.
From the Philadelphia Times.

From the Philadelphia Times.
Weather talk is seasonabIe just now and,
for a few days at least, cannot be con-
mdered the last conversational resort of
a mind that is interiorally bald-headed.
Since the original shipbuilder, Noah, de-
fed the terrors of the flood, the weather
has been fruitful theme of lingual ex-
ercise for mankind. There is no one sub
ject in which the mass of men in more
greatly interested, and whether we are
hopping our brows in the dog days, or
rubbing our chilled hands, as we have
been for week past while the snow flies
and the mercury makes a cowardIy re-
treat back of the zero barrier, we find
In the pending condition of the atmos-
pnere, and the future prospects of Their
mometrical risings or fallings, something
ABOUT which we can all talk upon an
equal plane of mental briliiancy. Just
NOW, because we have experienced an
unexceptionally prolonged siege of bitter
hy cold weather, many people are predict
ing an early spring. Nor are there idle
reasons for this belief for year an and
year out the mean temperature for this
fdutude varies but slightly, and conse-
quehtIy in order to equalize the thermome-
Ter average condition the Individual who
manages such things must begin turning
vi lower temperature earlier than his
wont. This sounds reasonable, and so it
with all weather predictions.
some folks will tell you that people who
are otherWise entirely leVel-headed and
not Vulgarly prejudiced are superstitious
~ matters pertaining to rain and snow
ana WIND. This is not so. Or at least, if
euch so-called superstitions are held, they
an nave basis of reason, no matter how
ny they may appear. Nature sends
loith her harbinger of weather conditions
WIN almost uufailing accuracy. In the
iaH OF 1897 there were few chestnuts or
p nm, nuts in the country surrounding
uhsoeiphia. Old farmers said that the
pVlloWlhg winter would be mild because
oie squirrels and other small wild animals
VI me helds and woods had not been per
"n'leu TO lay in store of food in defiance
NJ ~, rigorous weather. This proved true
mere was no snow. Sleighs sold at dis
L. Last autumn the growth OF chest
"utS was almost unprecedented in this To-
eahty. Those living along the Nontgom-
y PIKE ana the Lancaster road comment
u upon the fact that the thousands of BIZ
icters VINO Travelled those perfectly built
Hsu"ays' upon their homeward Journeys
ttulInS the month that succeeded the first
negaFS frost were almost Invariably laden
.n paSs of chestnuts The weatherwise
s,icuiturlsts sagely said 1--WE will have
l.na'li uer winter than we have ever
@ NJ Robert Martin of Radnor laugh
a1 tlis prediction to scorn two weeks
1, No when he told his city friends that his
--usscoVy ducks had begun laying. and that
an ing was near at hand You all know
e SEQUEL It does not follow. that the
tbora were perverts. They had within
ill., premonition OF early spring; but
gns tnelr eggs they were fresh and they
ssuessed too soon. You ali know what has
moved wed So do the ducks. They have.
business. e'S '"' Vi tne ess
ms said before. all weather theories
.ley should no longer he called snrers,i.
C,ois-have back of them a meteorological
me-. 'ural reason. Red clouds in the
n,,ra i especially If the red has a tinted
rrl PIE, portend fine weather on the NOR
Nv, whereas a copper.y or yellow sunset
be.' e3odes rain. This you have often
out do not know the reason. II is