Evening star., 1934-07-01

" " duct PeruSe the literature Oh
the masters and ever and anon,
you will come across some apt reference to sun
shine rain, fair days foul and their
direct influence on the actions of mankind. 1t
is not as fantastic might at first appear to
visualize the bright smiles OF SOL, the great
lumnary, not only a hatchery of flowers.
fruits grains and graSseS-a mammoth heating
plant which, so to say ripens our foods for
mans use-but also an incubator OF new
ideas and renewed genius among the really
great men of literature.
For example. Lomboso once said, Men OF
genius in common with the vegetable kingdom.
need a surfeit of the suns influence for full
fruition" Similarly. Shelly, Byron, Charles
Lamb, Benvenuto Cellini, Rousseau, Beethoven
and Goethe were all ardent sun-worshipers
Walt whitman produced some of his best works
while reclining supne on a sun-warmed beach
SO, he said that He could drink the suns
rays in at every pore
But of all the authors whose publications
and fame have survived the stern test of time
Shakespeare, to judge by his innumerable ref
erences to the ather. demonstrates his COM
prehensive weather wisdom and his belief in
'skyey influences Shakespeare champloned
the belief that hot humid weather
breeder of angry passions and resultant acts of
violence of one kind or another.
/ he detailed ItSctECn Oh LIT. E. VI. OtAleI,
] prominent scientist of Washington and an
authority on weather influences around the
world. proves that Shakespeare was right. DR..
DeXter'S thorough study OF some 10000 cases
of assault and battery in New York City shows
= that the crime curve keeps pace with rising
thermometer from January to July. Similarly,
the record of violent crimes declines with de-
scendng mercury column from July to JAM
uary The inference is that temperature. more
ha all other he Influences deVplODS
pestuous human feelings which Ultimately result
in rough and ready fsticuffs even mortal
combat. Women are more susceptible in TINS
respect to weather influences than men,
according to the statistical crime pictures
evolved by the Dexter investigations. 1nvarl-
ably, crime increases the temperature scars
from the 5O-degree mark toward 100. This crime
wave decreases in similar proportion as the
mercury drops from its peak point of Summer
to the mean average OF invisorating Autumnal
days An unusually hot day in the Spring or
late Fall will foster outbursts of crime which
apparently were asleep before the extra heat
of the again warmed them into violent
action.
When the barometer is low the police usually
are very busy for the portending storm in the
air appears to mother the storms of fists.
bricks, clubs and bottles which habitualy are
on wing during that period. These threatening
meteorological 'caperS" seem to set of emo
tional upsets in various folks who incline to
run amuck' or ensese in 'free-for- all fghting'
under such weather influences
Low humidity sprouts A measurable increase
in assault cases. while high humidity seems to
smother such weatherbred epidemcs of the
pugilistic art for ordinary knuckles. Both high
Temperatures and high humidity apparently
take the starch out of those who otherwise
would be prone to braTl by curtailing their
vitality. On the other hand, when the wind
is high, the fighting instinct among mankind
is under control When bl eeze conditions and
wind movements are normal-AIister Officer.
look out, you'll probably shake hands with
fighting fists along your beat.
Strange to say. during those days when Soils
smiles are concealed by clouds. the minimum
calls for the 'w9gon" result. Cloudy days seem
to curb hot tempers and soothe the pugnacious
dispositions. You might imagine that rainy
days produce a plethora of police calls but
such is not the case. Those clear days when it
is dry under foot are the ones that apparently
are ideal brewers OF braWls.
According to Dr.. Dexter's detailed research,
the great achievements of mankind have been
consumnated at temperatures Of from 55 to
70 degrees. The days that are clear ard cold
without wind usually also result in the best
conduct among school children, diyulged by
a survey of records. Juvenile department is the
worst hot r1uggy days. Eminent American
pedagogueS tell how they can foretelI turbulent
days of trouble in the schools which they super
wise by changing weather conditions. One, for
example, suffered from gouty foot. Usually,
it was a reliable ya-dstick that indicated por-
tending infractions of the rules by the stu
dents. SnoWStorrus make children restless and
appear to increase physical activity among the
boys in particular.
THE intensive research studies of DR.. Dexter
have uncovered conclusive facts that indi-
cate that weather is one Of the main guiding
stars of human activity. 1t exerts vital in
f1uenceS on crime suicide insanity drunken