Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-01-14


earth opens for her fruit.
May Some say the name is derive'
from Romulus, who gave it in homo
Of the Senators and mobiles of his city
who were denominated mGj0rre; 9th
crs that it was so called from Maid
the mother of 1Nercury
June derives its name from Juno.
.July, named by Mare Antony, from
Julius, the surname Of Caesar.
August, so called by a decree of tht
Roman Senate, in honor of Augustus
Caesar, in the year 8, or 27 or % b. C..
because in this month Augustus wa:
created consul; because, too, be haC
added Egypt to the empire, overthrow
ing Anthony and Cleopatra in theil
lascivious rule.
September; /; no month in the veal
had its name changed as often as had
this, the seUenth, from which, Septemus
it finally received its name. Tiberius
refused the Senate to name it aftel
him-the Emperor Domitian named il
after himself, Germanicus; the Senate
under Antoninus Plus, gave it that oi
Antoninus Commodus gave it his sur.
name, Herculius, and the Emperor
Tacitus his own name, Tacitus. But
none Of these names remained.
October, as its name indicates, was
the eighth month in the yearof Romu-
lus. Many efforts were made by the
Roman Emperors to change the name,
but the month still retains its original
title. October was sacred to Mars.
NOrember, ,ancicntIy the ninth month.
When Numa added January and Feb
ruary in 7l3 i. c., it became the
eleventh as now. The Roman Senate
wished to name the month in which
Tibertus was born by his name, in
imitation of julius Caesar and Angus
tug, but the Emperor refused, saying,
"Wbat will you do, conscript fathers,
when you have thirteen Caesars 2"
Deccnlber, the tenth month in the
year of Romulus, commencing in
March. In the reign of Commodus
A. d. 181, December was called, by
the way Of hattery, Amazorus, in
honor Of courtesan whom Commodus
had loved, and had painted like an
Amazon. Having been the tenth
month it took its name from decem,
tenth, originally, and never had it
changed.
THE DAY.
While the Romans have given us
the names Of the months, it is to the
Saxons that we are indebted for the
names of the days, which are conse-
quently English.
The day began at sunrise among
most of the Northern nations, and at
sunset among the Athenians and Jews.
Among the Romans, day began at
midnight, as it now docs among the
English speakingpeople. The Italians,
in many places, at the present time,
reckon the day from sunrise to sunset,
making their clocks strike twenty-four
round, instead Of dividing the day, as
is done in all other countries, into
equal portions Of twenty-four hours.
This mode il but partially used in the
larger towns Of Italy, most public
clocks in Florence, Rome and Milan
being set to hours designated on French
and English clocks. The Chinese di-
vide the day into twelve parts of two
hours each The English civil day is
distinguished from the Astronomical
day, which begins at noon, is divided
into twcnty-four hours, instead Of two
parts Of twelve hours, and IL the mode
Of reckoning in the official almanac.
At Rome, day and night were first
divided in time by means Of water
clocks, an invention made public in
158 Il. G.
While the Romans have directly
given us the names Of the months, we
have Immediately derived those Of the
days Of the week from the Saxons
Both among the Romans, however
and the Saxons, the several days were
dedicated to the chief national dcitics
and in the characters If these several
sets Of national dcitics there is, in
nearly every instance, an obvious
analogy and correspondence, so that
the Rcman names Of the days have
undergone little more than transla.
tion. in the Saxon and consequently
English names. Thus, the first day ol
the week is Sunnandaeg with the
Saxons; Dies Soils with the Romans
Monday is MoDan-dacg with the Sax.
ons Dies Lung with the Romans
Tuesday is, among the Saxons, Tues.
dacg--tbat IL, Tucsco's Day--from
Tucsco, q mythic person, supposed to
have been the first warlikc leader Of
the Teutonic nations; amorg the Ro.
mans it was Dies Martis, the day oi
Mars, their god Of war. The fourth
day Of the wcel. was, among the Sax.
ons, Wodcn's dacg, the day Of Wooden
or Oden, another mythical being Of
high warlike reputation among the
northern nations, and the nearest in
character to the Roman god Of war
Amongst the Romans, however, this
day was Dies Murcurii, Mercury.
Day The fifth day Of the week
Tbors-dacg Of the Saxons, was dedi
Gated to their god Thor, who, in his
supremacy over other gods, and his
| hllllDhi' w buf
very exactly with Jupiter, whose day
this was (Dies Jovis) among the Ro
mans Friday, dedicated to Venus
among the Romans (Dies Vencris)
was named by the iiaxons, in honor o
their corresponding deity (Friga)
Frigcdaeg. The last day Of the wccl
took It's Roman name OF Dies Saturni
aud its Saxon appelation Of Scatter
daeg, respectively from deities whc
approach each other in character.
1t may be remarked, that the mod
ern German names Of the week cor
respond tolcrably well with the ancien
Saxon Sontag, Sunday Montag, Mon
day; Dienstag. Tuesday; Mittwochc
midwcek day Obisdoes not correspond
but GodcDstag, which is less used il
Wodcn's day. Donnerstag, Thursday
IA. Al.