A TRIP TO THE MOON. 289 



venient to lay that duty upon the broad shoulders of the 

 good old moon, and to make her, in a new sense, "a 

 faithful witness in heaven." 



But as among the chaff, many a plump good grain may 

 be found, so the vast mass of superstitions about the in- 

 fluence of the moon on life on earth also contains, every 

 now and then, a particle of truth. It iy not denied that 

 wood cut at the time of an increasing moon is more 

 perishable than that cut at other periods, for repeated 

 and careful observations made in the West Indies con- 

 firm the long-cherished opinion. Many farmers, also, firm- 

 ly believe that all grain sown under an increasing moon 

 prospers better on that account. That the light of the 

 moon must have some little influence on vegetation, has 

 been satisfactorily proved by the fact that plants, which 

 had been bleached in darkness, recovered their green 

 color by exposure to moonlight only. 



The sick know the influence of the moon unfortunately 

 but too well. Goitres are said to swell periodically with 

 the full moon ; liver-complaints to become worse at the 

 same time, and the insane to suffer of more violent at- 

 tacks of rage. Death itself, it is well known, frequently 

 waits for the tide, that is, for the moon. It is much to 

 be regretted that science, with haughty disregard, has 

 thrown these popular notions aside without an attempt 

 to sift them, a proceeding which cannot fail to deprive 

 us of much that might otherwise become not only inter- 

 esting, but even valuable. Since we have entered deeper 

 into the secrets of life; since we know how incredibly 

 delicate are the functions of our nerves ; since we can 

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