The Washington herald., 1909-03-24


That Inauguration day blizzard is now
only a memory. Why not drop a final
tear and blot It out forever?
Nobody is thinking much about it now
excepting the Weather Nan. and HIS bad
memory will endure so long as the popu-
lar impression holds that he. though ne
did the best he could. was officially and
personally responsible for the whole dis
tressing bareback and all.
This is not fair to the Weather Man
not bit fair.
The Weather Man cannot forestau or
control a bareback. Who said he could?
Not he. surely.
Suppose he had taken that accursed
bareback into fun calculation and pes
simisticaIly and unpatrioticaIly forecasted
the most abominable day Of the year.
instead of optimistically and patriotlcally
ignoring the possibility Of the bareback
and predicting a grand clearing Up for
the glorious ceremonies. with bright.
wholesome sunshine galore? Suppose he
had reversed his prognostlcauon-wo
We have been any happier or more rec
onciled to our fate? Emphaucally no.
He would have been, TO be sure, very
much happier and Infinitely better recon
eiled with Providence and mankind A
prophet not without honor Is more 10 be
envied than a prophet shorn of honor
as everybody knows. But would the az
fieted multitude, the Ifberty-loving folk
that shivered and sloshed about and en-
countered abhorrent conditions and got
their enthusiasm dampened and chilled.
have been one whit better of to have
known a few hours in advance precisely
what was in store for them? We think
not.
Suppose the Weather Man, taking a
chance on that bareback. had prepared
the multitude for the whole dlreful COM
bination OF dlsagreeabIe things. What
comfort would we have derived from be-
Ing thus forewarned a few hours2 Do
you fancy we should to-day love the
Weather Man any more fervenuy. if,
foreseeing that maddening bareback and
forecasting its worst. he had been able
TO say 10 Us on inauguration day: See!
told you so; knew you'd get IT, You
did. didn't your" Now. the Weather Man
in any such role as that would have had
less friends than he has now. he would
still be responsible, personally and off,
cially. and we should dislike him. II not
actually hate him, for gloating over his
prophecy.
AS 1t turned out did we not forget what
happened. in a measure. while we busled
ourselves ridieuling and blaming the
Weather Nan? OF course We did
But It IS all over now-an but the fading
memory and the echoes OF those jibes and
jeers at The Weather Man. So what is the
use OF recalling It further? Why edito-
rialize on the subject? It does no good TO
anybody. 1t only encourages a train OF
thought that engenders pessimism.
Let US forget It. then: drop it altogether.
Give the Weather Man his due. As
springtine comes. gentle Annie, IS he not
serving US up a daily supply OF weather
as glorious and invigorating as the most
exacting OF us could ask? Verify. It Is
So His bitter encounter with that flare
back is bearing fruit-bearing It most
abundantly. We are Drofting twenty-four
hours out Of each day by the lesson he
learned. Therefore. give him a chance,
Forget his past. Let bygones be bygones.
Encourage him IN HIS goodly work. DO
all this and We viii stake our last dollar
that no bareback shall ever catch hin,
mapping again-March 4. the third Thurs
day In April. or any other day IN the
calendar. historic or otherwise.
Come what may. fair days or foul. we
pin our faith to the Weather Man. spurn
his traducers. and hold IN abject con-
tempt the bareback or any other old
thing that gets n his way.
Hail, Spring, What is a bareback. any
way?