El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-01
AsHINGTON. D. C. Oct l.

]
; N With the coming of every
" autumn come additional ref
! ereuces to the beauties of the indian
summer. which is commonly supposed
| to De a feature Of the American eli
mate, usually to be found in November
| According to popular belief there is
! spell of peculiar weather occurring ev-
/ cry year which is Characterized by
/ three special featIres-a greater
! warmth than the preceding days q
/ weeks. by smOkiness, and by nazlness-
/ t is true that some sclentlflc writers
/ nave denied the existence of the IN
| creased warmth and have declared that
the ALLEGED smokiness is an optical de-
{ lusion Nevertheless the popular be
lief is in favor of the pecularlt1eS de-
scrIbed AMI the term Indian summer
in America is supposed to account Tor
The origin of the term is much dis
puted and probably never will De
known. One plausible theory Is that II
came from the harvesting OF the indian
maize or corn which was long after
the harvest of the European grains
Another is the legend given US Dy
Longfellow in Hiawatha, who describes
ShawOndasse, the owner of the south
wind. whose autumn sign gave the
mild weather and whose smoking to
| bacco pipe, the smoky haze
Not of Ancient Origin.
Despite the prevailing opinion that
the term indian summer is of ancient
origin, beginning with the earliest set
tiers of this country, recent investl-
cations of historical students as to this
subject prove that in reality 1t IS less
than a century and half since indian
summer was first mentioned and IN
the earlier reports of climatic condt-
tions in the new country 1t did not ap-
pear at all Tradition alone takes IL
arw
in the numerous references to the
pleasant weather of the American
autumn made by many writers, there
are records of less than half dozen
who used the term indian summer up
to the year 1900
The differences as to the time in the
year when the peculiarities of indian
summer are to be looked for, as wen
as their length of duration, are almost
as varied as the opinions of the SCI
entists as to why such peculiarities
exist if indeed they are admitted to
exist at all. 1t has been stated that
indian summer occurs in september, IN
October, in No-ember, and even In jan
uary; that it lasts form three to four
days to as many weeks; that it is pecu-
liar to New England; that it does not
exist in New England at all, and there
are now plenty OF literary authorities
to uphold any of these versions, and
so far there is no recognized scientific
opinion upon any phase of the subject
Warm November Days.
1t is probable that the most numer-
Gus authorities place indian summer
either late in October or in November
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote on Novem-
Der S, 1912: Ever since our return,
until today, there has been success
sion of genuine indian summer days,
with gentle winds, or none al ali, and
a misty atmosphere which idealiZes all
nature, and mild. beneficent sunshine,
inviting one TO lie down in a nook and
forget all earthly care. Today, how
ever the sky is dark and lowering and
occasionally lets fall a few sullen
tears. 1 suppose we must bid farewell
to indian summer now and expect no
I more tenderness from Mother Nature
I TIL next spring be well advanced"
/ National Intelligencer" of Philadel-
phia: The short season of pleasant
weather usually occurring about the
middle of November is called indian
summer from the custom of the in
dams to avail themselves of this de-
: lightful time for the harvesting OF
: +heir corn. and the tradition Is that
they were accustomed to say that they
always had a second summer of nine
days just before the winter set in. 1t
/ is a bland and genial time in which
the birds insects and plants feel new
creation and sport a short lived sum-
mer before they shrink from the rigors
of winters blast The sky IN the
meantime is generally filled with a
haze of orange and gold, interceptnS
the direct rays Of the sun and yet
passing through heat enough to pre-
vent Scnsat tons Of gloom or chill while
the nights grow sharp and frosty and
the necessary fires give cheerful fore
cast of the social winter evenings at
hand" The great fair at Philadelphia
was fixed for November, with indian
summer in view. as this was supposed
TO give promise of three or four good
days for travelling at a time when the
only means OF 1Ourneying was by. horse
and carriage.
Covers other Periods.
While November is thus specialized
as an indian summer month. it is or
interest to know that ThOreau alludes
to indian summer weather at other
periods In one of his books he speaks
of indian summer upon different dates
running from September % to Deem
Der 81, covering a range of a days
within 10 years at the locality of Con-
cord. Nothing could show better the
elasticity and the absolute Indefinite
ness of the term in its popular concep-
tion.
Among the American writers who
have given attention to indian sum-
mer is Wilson Flags. who. in 1857,
wrote a pOetical description of the
autumn. dividing il into three periods
beginning with the coloring of the
leaves in September constituting the
first period, and ending with the third
when the frosts have turned the forests
into one monOtOnous brown, after
which comes a few mild days which
he calls indian summer.
1t is rather interesting to note that
Flagg changed his views upon this
subject, however, since in 1872 he
wrote: After the fall of the leaf is
completed, then according TO tradition
comes the indian summer fruitful
theme both for poets and philosophical
writer's, but of which no one knows
from experience. 1t is certain that We
have now in the eastern states no reg
ular coming of this delightful term of
mild1ess this smiling interruption of
the melancholy days of autumn. We
are occasionally greeted by two or
three days which resemble it after the
first cool weather of October and these
short visits are repeated in some years
several times But true indian sum-
mer, attended with all the peculiar
phenomena described by some of our
early writers in prose and poetry. rare
" accompanies a modern autumn 1t
has fled from our land before the pro-
gress of civilization; it has departed
with our primeval forest. If it ever
existed, il was a phenomenon produced
by some unexplained circumstance at
tending the universal wooded state of