Evening journal., 1901-10-10
PROFESSOR SAYS MOON HAS
NO INFLUENCE OVER THE WEATHER

If mist's in the new moon, rain in the
old;
If mists in the old. rain in the new
moon
Another weather guide connected
with the moon is that to see 'the old
moon in the arms Of the new moon"
is reckoned a sign Of fair weather, and
so is the turning up of the horns of the
new moon. In this position it is sup
posed to retain the water which is
imagined to be in it, and which would
run out if the horns were turned down.
On This novel idea of a lunar basin
or saucer Southey writes from "Kes-
wick. December %, 1925" as follows:
Poor Littleday has this day explained
the cause of our late rains, which have
prevailed for the last six months, by
a theory which will probably be as new
to YOU as it is to me. L have OBJ
served he says that when the moon is
turned upward we have fine weather
after it, but if it is turned downward
then We have a wet season. The rea-
son is that when it is turned down it
holds no water. like an inverted basin,
and then down the rain comes
Regarding which observation
Southey remarks: 1T will be a long
time before the march of intellect
shall produce a theory as original as
this, which / find upon inquiry to be-
the popular opinion here" George
Eliot refers to the same fancy in her
accounts of the burial OF poor old
Thias Bede." 1883
SCOTCH WEATHER PROPHETS
They'll ha putten Thias Bede f.
the ground afore We get to the church
yard" said old Martin, as his son came
up. 1T nd ha been better luek Il
They'd ,ha' buried him i the forenoon
when Che rain was falling there's no
Likelihood of drop now. an the moon
lies like boat down there, dost see?
That's a sure sign o. fair weather;
there's many as is false, but that's
sure" Old Martins remark also prob
ably referred to the we'll known
maxim:
Happy is the corpse that the rain
falls on" The country people in Scot
land foretell the changes of the
weather from the changes in the ap-
pearance of the new moon. II she
'lies sair on her back" it is a sure sign
of bad weather, or when her horns are
pointed toward the zenith. 1t is the
same sign when the new moon appears
wi the old moon in her arms" a SUI
perstition referred to in the famous
ballad of Sir Patrick Spens
o ever alackl my master, dear,
] fear a deadly storm;
/ saw the new moon late yestreen,
WI the old moon in her arm;
And if We gang to sea, master,
l fear Wen suffer harm.
AT Whitby, when the moon is sur
rounded by a halo with watery clouds,
the seamen say that there will be a
change in the weather, for the moon
dogs" are about. There is also a belief
prevalent among sailors and seafarng
men that when a large star or planet
is seen near the moon, or, as they ex-
press it, "a big star is logging the
moon this is certain sign of stormy
weather.
On one occasion after violent storm
of the coast of DevOnshire, a fisherman
remarked that he knew the storm was
coming, as he had observed a star
ahead of the moon. towing her, and
another aStern chasing her. Il know'd
twas coming, safe enough" 1t hap
pened on this occasion that the moon
was apparently near two stars, but the
old DevOnian saw trouble ahead. and
his prediction CHANGED to be verified.
It was merely coincidence, yet from
such frail evidence has been evolved
the weather folklore Of the moon.