Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1907-05-31
WEATHER PROVERBS
MANY, BASED ON OBSERVATION.
ARE RELIABLE.
Not All the Familiar Verses Dealing
with meteorological Subjects Are
Absurdities-Some Notable
Exceptions.

man, and indeed all those whose con-
ditions of life force them to rely upon
the soil for the means OF subsistence,
are 20 dependent upon the changes OF
temperature and the alterations OF
foul and fair. wet and dry. that il is
Lot surprising hat questions regard
ing the weather should from time i'm
memorial have been made a subject
for particular attention. Long. there
fore, before there was any m~cteorolog-
zeal bureau TO enlighten the world
with its scientific predictions, people
had begun to study the face of the
sky, the shifting OF the wind. and the
changes OF the moon. and to embody
the results of their observations in
rough and ready rhymes and proverbs
for the guidance of themselves and
those who should follow in their steps.
These opinions, as usual, found eX-
preston in verse. FOL instance, there
was an old Latin stanZa which was
very popular. and OF which the follow
Ing lines forms one of several English
versions:
III ST Paul's Day be fair and clear.
II doth betidc a happy year:
II clustering winds do blow aloft,
Then wars will trouble our realms full
oft:
And II II CHANGED to snow or rain.
Then will be dear all sorts OF grant"
Even more important for the wealth
er-wise of the past was the 18th of
July, a day which, as the feast of St.
Swithin, is wen to-day by no means
shorn of all its former reputation. in
England, at all events, II Is not I'M
usual TO hear people of some pretense
10 education, frequently in joke, per-
haps, but sometimes partly in earn
est, remark that as ST. Swithin's day
is wet or dry Gas the case may bel, so
for 40 days thereafter there would be
a continuance Of the same kind Of
weather. Thus the old rhyme ran:
st. Swiihin's Day. If thou dOst rain
For forty days II will remain:
ST Swithin's Day, II thou be fair.
For forty days Twill rain no more"
The commonly accepted explanation
Of this ancient and widespread super
stition is too curious TO be omitted.
though its value, even as tradition,
has been authOritatively impugped.
St. Swithin was a bishop OF Winches-
ter, who. after his death in $50. was
~canonized by the pope. 1t Is said that
he had expressed Il wish to he buried
in the pei churchyard. and not. as
was usual IL the case OF bishops, in
the chanccl Of Inc cathedral. Some
time afterwards, however. the monks
of the establishment were seized with
81 - ,;l,,- mathematics, o, ,ho
thought that so great and good Il man
should sleep his last sleep in so hum
BILE, and. for Il saint. so unseemly a
spot; and Needless of his we'll remem.
bered desire. they determined to con-
vey the body in great state into the
cathedral II renter 1t there. But
just as they were on the point OF
their operations a heavy rain burst
forth. which continued without inter.
mission for 10 succeeding days. The
monks ever ready to regard any de.
parture from the ordinary course of
nature in a miraculous light, at once
interpreted the tempest as n special
warning from heaven. and relinquishcd
their NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IL is said
St. Swithin's day derived its prophetic
character in relation to the condition
of the weather for the ensuing six
weeks.
But when our ]forefathers were con.
tent to limit themselves to Il less ex.
tensive field of prophetic vision-when,
instead of undertaking to settle the
weather for weeks or months before
hand, they simply attempted to pro.
vide againa: the changes Immediately
approaching. they were a great deal
more successful. Many of the wise
saws upon which they placed such i'm.
plicit reliance are not to be laughed
at or thrown aside with scorn. based
though they were. not upon scientific
data or reasoning, but on simple oh.
servation and experience. Everybody.
] suppose. Is familiar with the curt
little verse which runs:
- rainbow in the morning
Is the shepherds warming;
\ rainbow Mt night
IL The shepherds delight
But not everybody who repeats 1t Is
ware that a statement which 1t con.
tains IL capable ri scientific yerifca-
ton. So. too, with such common
adagCs as
III red the sun begins his race.
BE cure the rain viii fan apucC."
And
Evening red and morning Hray
Set the traveller ON his way:
Evening gray and morning red
BRING down ain upon his head"
Are something more than old wives
fables, for they umbody. ut least a
rough approximation to establish
trdth. Both Of these latter proverbs,
indcGd. seem TO he fashioned dircctly
upon words found in the gospel o. St.
Matthew. where We read tohauicy
Eyi)i an the morning, 70 say II viii
be foul weather To day. for the sky f.
read and l%owcrIpg:" and again. when
II Is evening. yc say ID will be fair
weather. for the gun Ia red"
Steel Eppf 1,atte Tr,t,.