Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-03-10
A Girl of Stars.

moon is on the Otner SIDE OF the SKY
and our side is full of stars, ask you
papa or mamma. or your teacher, to g
ont of doors with you and show yo,
some of the beautiful star-pictures tina
the wise people call consultations
Very likely you have often noticed tn
Great Bear. which looks so much NOR
like dippcr than bear, that ordinar,
folk call it the Great Dipper, and hav,
learned to trace the line of the "point
ers" up to the small glittering Nortl
Star In the end of the Little Bear
tail, or the Litter Dipper's handle
whichever you please to call it. II 20,
have never found this star, be sure t.
ask your teacher to show it to you, fo
you need to know where it is, as yoI
need to know where the North Pole il
ON the globe.
The sky is to us like a vast globe
only we seem to be in the center of it
and to look up into it, instead of dow
upon it. Around the North Star as {
center, each of the twinkling fixed
stars seem to move in circle but yor
will not see this unless you watch then
a long while, for it is not really theil
motion, but that our own little eartf
that causes this appearance.
The fixed stars always keep the same
relative places with regard to eacl
other. If one of them is eight degrees
east on one night. you will always find
it in the same direction and distance
from its neighbor, in whatever part oi
the sky you see them.
The heathen people who lived many
hundred of years ago and who worship
ped the gods and goddesses of Greece
and Rome, used to see very strange
things in the starry sky. To them,
ines. and animals, great and small,
shone where we see myriads of. mighty
worlds.
1t is one of the star-heroines that ]
wish to tell you. Ask your teacher to
point ont to You the constellation
called Andromeda. You would never
dream, TO look at it, that it was meant
for girl, bound by cruel chains to a
rock on the sea.coast /; but if you look
on an astronomical atlas, you will see
it very plainly.
There is an almost straight line of
four brilliant stars, beginning with a
very beautiful rne called Almaach,
about fifty degrees from the North
Star. (Be sure to find out about de-
grees.) Almaach is in Andromeda' S
foot. The next one, Mirach, with two
others northwest of it, makes her
girdle. The third bright one of the
line marks her breast, and makes lit
tie triangle. with two DINNER ones
south of it, and a straight line with one
of these and another north of it. The
last star OF the four is a little farther
north than it would be if the line were
perfectly straight it is called Alpine
ratz, and is at the same time the chief
star of Andromeda's head, and the
corner of a beautiful great square,
which is clearly seen.
The stars which 1 have mentioned
are easily traced and. if you look very
sharply, you may see the triangle in
her right arm, the star of her right
hand, the one in her left arm, and
many others.-for there are sixty six
stars, which bright and patient eyes
may see in this constellation.
Now, / suppose you would like to
know why poor Andromeda was left
chained to rock. Well here is the
story.
She had very vain mother, Cassi-
opeia (whose star picture, according to
is also in the sky, north of
her daughter.) She was beautiful, and
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made the trouble. She began to say
that she was more beautiful than Juno
and the sea-nymphs. The nymphs had
no idea of letting her talk in that way,
and they went straight to Neptune, the
god of the sea, and told him all about
the matter. The sea-god was very
angry, and determined to avenge the
insulted nymphs.
Terrible was the punishment that
overlook poor Cassiopeia. A great
flood began to pour its torrents over
the fields and homes of Ethiopia. the
kingdom over which her husband
Cepheus was king. What was the poor
queen to do? Her pretty face was dis
torted with horror and drenched with
tears. She sent to the oracle of Ju-
piter Ammon to ask counsel.
When the ignorant heather people
of those old times and lands were in
trouble, they nsed often to send to con-
suit certain oracles. There were ora
cles at various places, where they
that gods talked with men, and
told them of things that would come to
pass. Very unsatisfactory the answers
often were. but then human creatures
must pray. Those people heard the
voice that the dear Heavenly Father
has put into all His children's hearts,
telling them to come to Him for what
they want; but they did not under-
stand to whom they were to go, and
how very near he is,-so, as told you,
they sent to the oracles.
1t was fearfui answer that was
brought back to the waiting queen.
Neptune was not to be satisfied unless
the Princess Andromeda should be
given up to horrid sea-monster that
had come with the flood. 1t seemed
very hard that an innocent girl must
suffer so cruel a death but as the
choice was between the loss of her one
life and that of the lives of many people
she was taken out to rock by the sea,
and left chained there, to be killed by
the monster.
Just as he was about to seize her, a
gallant youth, named Perseus, came
along through the air, and, seeing the
beautiful maiden, fell in love with her.
He had just succeeded in a very dam
gerous experiment, which was no less
than that of killing dreadful gorgon,
who had snakes in her hair. and who
had had a very disagreeable habit of
turning every one that she looked at
into stone. Perseus didn't dare to look
at her when he killed her he looked at
her reflection in the bright shield that
he carried.
You may imagine that he felt very
brave after this feat. He had the gor-
gon's head still in his hand when he
came to the place where Andromeda
was. He had on winged shoes, and
this was the reason that he could go
through the air as we'll as on the ground.
AS l said, he fell in love with the
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