April at IVork 59 



April at Work 



CONVERSATION on the weather is one 

 of the universal and continuous indul 

 gences of humanity. There is no speech 

 nor language where this talk is not heard unless 

 in places like the city of Mexico or the desert of 

 Sahara, where they have only one kind of weather. 

 In this country nothing but politics and religion 

 can rival the weather as a subject, and it is a curi 

 ous fact that the basis of talk about the weather 

 is not the familiarity which characterizes the treat 

 ment of politics, but rather a religious mystery. 

 No sort of weather is accepted as natural, the very 

 sort to be expected and just the thing that is 

 wanted. It is always unusual, extraordinary, in 

 comprehensible. Men &quot; never saw such a steady 

 pull of cold weather,&quot; or &quot; such a fearful hot spell,&quot; 

 or &quot; such a dry time,&quot; or &quot; so long a siege of rain,&quot; 

 and so on, or &quot; leastwise, not at this time of the 

 year,&quot; or &quot; not for ten years,&quot; or &quot; not since the 

 summer of 1811,&quot; or &quot;1837,&quot; or some other 

 remote date. 



