The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-06-04
miscellaneous.
ORIGIN OF ST. JOHNS DAY.
Masonry.
BY j. CAVEN.

From the Indiana State Commercial and Home
Advocate.
THE Romans honored divinity
named Janus. He presided over the be.
ginning of everything; he opened the
year and the seasons, and on earth was
the guardian Of gates and doors, and in
time Of war he went out with the Ro
mans to aid them in battle and during
war the gates of the Temple of Janus
were open, and closed during peace. He
was represented with two faces and q
key in his hand.
The Roma from the time of Numa
commenced their year at the winter
solstice December 2l, and the first
month was named January, by Numa,
after this double-faced god Janus, who
Was represented with one face looking
forward for the year to come, and the
other to the year that was past.
The Romans, soon after throwing OIL
Paganism and adopting Christianity
canonized many eminent Christians as
saints, and dedicated to them certain
fast days, and among them the two
Johns, and dedicated to them the two
days falling upon the solsticial points
that had been ded icateG to Janus.
Between the Egg, ptian Anubis, the
Roman.Pagan Janus, and the Christian
st. John, the coincidence is so perfect
that we cannot fail to see the identity |;
and it was perfectly natural, in a people
discarding one system of religion for
another, that the process should be
gradual, and the new partake, to some
extent, Of many features of the old.
We have seen that the Egyptians and
Romans both commenced their year at
the winter solstice, December 2lst, and
the history of the change to the present
day is briefly this: ili'
Owing to the want of harmony be-
tween the Roman civil year and the
tropical, by reason Of the failure to es-
innate the annual fraction of day, in
the time of Julius Caesar the beginning
of the year had receded until it occur
red some seventy days before the solstice
and this Caesar, aided by the astronomer
Sosigines, undertook to correct by re-
forming the calendar, and this did, BIC.
40, by decreeing that the then current
year (since known as the "year of con-
FUSION" although it rectifed confusion)
should consist of 400 days, thus adding
to 1t the number OF days requisite to
extend it to the winter solstice, and al
so ten days beyond. in order to COM
mence the first day of the first year of
the reformed calender on the day of the
new moon, and this extension of ten
days beyond the 2ist of December
brought the beginning of the year to
the time of our present lst of January
and then, in order to prevent future
confusion, Caesar introduced the present
arrangement Of one in.ercalary day
every fourth year, which we call "ieap
year." or "bissextile.'' .,s. .ys-a.
Seven hundred and fifteen years be-
fore the Christian Era, Numa Pompilius
Instituted in Romethe"C College OF Build
ers," being organizations or paternities
of artisans, and also religious societies,
and these colleges celebrated two feasts
in each year, at the time of the summer
and winter solstices, in honor Of Janus,
who presided over them. ..-e-a.
These colleges were the ancient Ro-
man Masonic. bodies, the members be-
ing operative Masons and members
were initiated with solemn ceremonies