American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-06-08
Irish Round Towers,

which renders everything ill-defned, and,
as they recede, enshrouds them in almost
impenetrable darkness, so that we may be
said to feel, rather than see our way.
This, fora long time, was eminently the
case with the Round Towers of Ireland,
and caused much speculation, both to the
learned and the unlearned. But of late,
the great analyzer Of heather traditions,
Mr. Bryant, has SO nobly traced the SUI
perstitions of early nations, thathe at once
gives us standing front on which to build
an hypothesis.
ldolatry and its twin sister, Supersti-
ton, commenced at a very early period of
the worlds history, by the abuse of the
revealed or patriarchal religion, and the
gradual corruption of certain commemo-
rative houors which we paid to Noah in
memory of his preservation from the Del
uge.
Noah, the just man, would naturally
be revered by his immediate descendants,
and the Ark, as the means of his miracu-
lous escape, would be contemplated with
degree of veneration bordering on wor-
ship. Thus arose the Arkite system of
idolatry, which in little while became
mixed up with the Sabian, or worship OF
heavenly bodies.
As Noah was esteemed the regenerator
of the world, the sun, as the source of all
good, came to be his representative, and
the moon as the egg or ark where the germ
Of life lies concealed, were identified il
heterogeneous confusion, finally eventua-
ting into the still more corrupt mytholo-
gy of Egypt, Greece, and Rome Then,
in the absence of the sun, fire was vener-
ated as his emblem. Hence the first tenn
pies have amarked reference to the Zodi-
acal circle in which that luminary per-
forms his course, and sacred fire blazed per-
petually in the Adytum.
As knowledge of the arts improved,
better style of architecture naturally took
the place Of the rude circles of~stones,
and the tower which the men in the plains
attempted to build, may be considered the
next step in design, as well as Of the inf
del character ingraited on their religion.
The foundations were square, but the
building itself was round, and uncovered
at the top, agreeably to the notion that it
was very impious to confne the Deity with
in an enclosed shrine.
Watching the motions of the heavenly
bodies was closely connected with 1.-THE rites
of religion, and we find the Chaldean
priests were distinguished for the accura-
cy and extent of their astronomical obser-
vations, at an extremely high era in the
annals Of our race. onsequently, for
the purpose of ending these studies, the
temples were usually erected on elevated
spots, or on hill-tops, until the idea sug
gested itself of building the temples them
selves high.
As the tide of emigration and refine
ment was borne westward into savage lands
.by those celebrated merchants and plan
ters of colonies, the Phenicians, they left
the foot prints of their religion wherever
they wandered and to these navigators
Ireland owes her towers Of the Fire wor-
shippers.
By that time, thesimplicity of the Irish
ages had yielded to a more splendid order
of things, and we find these towers lofty
cylinders, with four windows at the top
the roof arched with stone, and ornament
ed with ball, or spike, to represent the
sun. The doors are elevated some twelve
or fourteen feet from the ground, and are
supposed to have been entered by LADDERS,
as every theory connected with religion
was yelled from the vulgar by the priests,
who revealed only what they chose, and
that in mysterious symbols. Further, the
names Of these towers, which have been
handed down in the vernacular of the
country from time immemorial, as Call
tenor, Gall-vaille, &c, meaning fire, and
divinity, proves not only that the theory is
correct, but the early connection Of Ire
land with the East.
Why none of these towers are to be met
with in England, and only two in Scot
land, is an inquiry for thecurious, as Dru-
Ideal Caer, or earns, are scattered over
the three islands. Nevertheless, there is
evidence that fire was held sacred by the
Druids; and the dance around the May
pole, which the English youth perform even
to the present day, when, the ancient bard
says
| "The cookoo convenes the dance on the green"
is commemorative of the religious rites of
their first fathers, called the feast Of Rel
tame. The motion in circle, from right
to left, is in conformity to the course OF
the sun, and is supposed to express de-