The New York herald., 1871-12-21
THE SHORTEST DAY.

The Winter Solsiics-Thc Turning Point Of
the Seas sn-Thc Phases In the Change Of
Day and Might.
To.lay--St. Thomas Days the shortest day Of
the GregOrian calendar. On this day-the 2lsr Of
Deccmber-the winter solstlcc Occurs-tnat Is, tne
sum- In the annual revolution Of the earth, is then
at that point in relation TO planet which Is
furthest south from the equator, or, In other
words at his greatest southern decllnation." Two
solstices In the course Of the year. at of
which the days longest and at the other shortest
The former Is about the 22d OF June, IN the height
OF summers heat, when tho sun traverses tho
T-opc OF Cancer and darts his burning rays almost
perpeudicularly on the earth.
THE SECRET OF THE SEASONS.
At this season-tne coldcsr-tne great.distance q
the sun to the southward causes its light to fall
slantingy on the surface OF tho planet, ana much
OF 1t is reflected or into the air. that the great
"Sol' Is less powerful in his genial influence ON
animated and inert lire This Is the great secret
Of life and death-the secret OF the seasons
That and 20,
And stay, In remembrance.
The approach 10 tho solstitial points In the I'M
aglned circle OF the the evolution Of time
Is marked by singular phases OF change IN the
length OF the DAYS and nights the rising and setting
OF the sun, moon anu stars as wei as by q convc-
ton dawnin2 In certain youthful minds that the
"ho!days''-so dimly discerncd In the future
through all the OF the year-arc near actually
noar at nand In the traditions OF The ancIenis these
days were called dies hacyones, ''halcyOn days,n
doubtless from the fact that the nights were then
longer, when
Sleep knits up the ravclrd sleeve OF care,
and the hours or oblivion 0verbalanced those Of toll.
Our
st. THOMAS DAY
Is gateway to the Christmas season OF JOY and
good WILL anu from that !act Is worthy OF as pleas
ant place in Our thoughts as in those Ol the an
cents But let us turn to the phenomena wnicn
mark this period.
TuR yA6ARIRs OF NATURE
On December the sun 'rose from his cOuch' at
five minutes past seven A. M. Truly On early hour
when tho ar biLcs shrcwdy ana 1t Is not to be sup.
posed that such q vlrtuous habit could obtain long
even with u dignllcd planet Ihat may not acknowl-
edge human weaknesses. We find that the very
next morning few extra wlnks bclate.
him by ono minute. and uutil the llth nstane
his lazlness increases In the same proportion. La
pdyessc does not f0rsake our monarch OF the
heavens, Jet owing, mayhap, TO qualm or con-
science, he does not let the vice gain upon him any
Iurther for q day, rising at quarter past seven on
not food the Orient until sixteen minutes past
seven; then. on the 10Th, until seventeen minutes
past seven: aud alter That, until the Slst OF the
month, one minute Is squanderod each morning oy
his hours or retirement Scandalous fact They
grow gradually ater yet not fast the hours OF
rising. From the I'd to tho lsth
NO CHAN0B
occurs, and then but O ulning One-a minute or
light saved In one or two days. So on the 18th ana
10TH he al 434 the 2jth and 2lst at 4:55, on
the 22d 4:36 on the 23d and oath at 437, on the
3lst at 4:42.
At the beginning OF the present month the day
contained nine hours and twenty nine minutes OF
duration; to-day there are nine hours and fourteen
mnulcs: tomorrow there Will be nine hours anu
hiieen minutes, and on the lst OF January niue
hours ana twenty minutes. On the morning OF the
New Year The sun rises at 1922, and sets In the
evening at 4:4i