The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-07-10
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Connsnt Considered or lneon.ider.,.


the weather 1t is time that we put the remark as
Wen as the remarker into the past tense If people
talked about the weather in Twains day they talked
as honest citizens talk of matters obvious but nm
explained. They said to one another that if was
nice day. or that rain was needed or that last
nights storm was a corker And some of the more
Sprlghtly folk doubtless asked everyone thew mot
whether 1t was hot enough for him.
But today with visual education rampant in
every home, weather talk has taken on fullness
OF scientific detail that NJ Twain and his coeyals
knew nothing Of. To-day little prattline infants arc
aware mat there Is low pressure area over Idaho
ana nigh pressure over Nebraska and
front moving between with two or three soualI
lines cavorting before it, Nice day indeed Yes
indeed and forsooth We are far beyond any such
trlteness and banality as nice days.
Our poets dare not now give us any mere vague
ness about breeze in the trees We want In knov
what the quality and caber of that breeze is We
want TO know whether it's moving cockwise around
nigh, or counterclockWise around low We wish
10 ne informed whether il broke through a warm
front or cold front stationary front Further We
desire TO hear whether il is composed of polar Canad
ian ar or polar Pacific Southern Pacific or Santa
re. AND we'd appreciate few added details about IFS
effect on the dew point and the percentage of hu.
midity
ihSit tdh be Hellncf DOUBT nor sober question
sDout the superiority of our weather knowe edge
and our weather talk over all that Mark Twain was
iamlllaf with But still a roasting July dav as
me obese citizen makes his weary way through the
streets, or reposeS in the superheated confines of
ms own domlclle, our superior knowledge and con.
PerSaton seem 10 lose charm Here is one case in
winch knowledge fails to qualify as power
II is small comfort to the painting householder
10 have direct word out Of Chicago that no relief
is IN sight. II is great help on swelterinp eve
nlng TO see tall man with crayon mark up a man
OF the United States with little dingllses that mean
STORMS or centerS or fronts and which add up TO the
fact that the temperature tonight will be in the
doS and tomorrow will probably pass 100 All
strictly accurate and scientific no doubt but moi
consoling
II anything in the past could be better than The
glorious present, one would be tempted to say that the
slight weather.lore of Mark Twan's dav was hetter
than our own full and scientific information on
me subject Then on hot night man might 90
10 bed with al least faint hope that tomorrow
would be cooler; to-day he retires with the certain
knowledge that tomorrow is going to be long SIGHT
worse than to-day. This sort of thing does not
conduce to solaeing slumber.
Until our own times, children were the wsest
persons of all In the matter of weather For chill
dren pay no attention TO weather at all They take
what comes and find il all delightful And the only
Time YOU hear child complaining about heat or
cold or rain or snow Is when he has been listening
100 much to his elders and is paming off opinions
al second hand For himself. he doesn't care what
The weather Is, for the world is always Wonderful
place full of endless opportunity for adventure and
interesting employment One OF the interesting EN-.
poyments Is playing actor and dong out limitations
OF older and supposedly wiser people.
Children are more sincere or serious in
their weathertalk than they are in health-talk And
IN this, they are like the fouryearold boy who
lived IN houSeful of aging and complaining female
relatives. neighbor asked this lad round and ROSY
with Amounting health, how he was The boy imme
diately became sober and even Somber He drew
long tace and said with whining drawl I'm not
very we'll And then added as sort Of after.
thought My minds not good either"
But children of the Tv era may be robbed
Of their precious ability TO ignore the weather The
mapmarkers who tell us all about frontogenesis
and atmospheric squeezes often announce the re-
celpt OF letters done in childish scrawl that request
copies OF weather maps and charts. This is an ON
inous thing. We hope the little ones are not selling
their heritage for of meteorological
But small or large, we can do little about the
weather Air-conditionng is in reach OF some and
yet II is necessarily strictly localized and spotty
nor IS II without drawbacks. People aware of their
slnuSes don't like 1t, people subject TO real or
psyche Somatie colds are shy of it, many who like IFS
somewhat clammy GOODNESS within doors are doubly
distressed by the furnacelike blast of the general
atmosphere when they step outside,
Some people try to moderate the weather by
shghtneSS Of attire They illustrate the quality of
our boased civilization. For the only difference be
tween these people and the savage Indian of two
centuries ago is matter of few feathers in the
hair and tommyhawk The Indian commonly car
ned more cloth than his modern imitator; certainly
his squaw did. The old school readers gave the
naked Indian kind of dignity. But what dignity
can be discerned in spndlelegged grandpa who
steps out into public view clad only in shorts and
sandals And what shall be said of grandma Moth
ing, we trust. Those words not for tender ears
Maybe little premature in discardng
the tommyhawk; there still for IT,
And the out.size citizens of either sex who unveil
their ponderosity to the and the startled stars
ought TO realize that even if clothes uncomfor
able they definitely slenderizng. They should
ponder the immortal verses:
Most people who parade the torso
Don't realize they much more so.