Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-09-19

That certain days are more pro
pluous for action, and others More
disastrous TO enterprise. is fact
sometimes acknowledged BY most
men. There is NO day of the year not
commemorative with some individual
OF affect upon his destiny. But be
sides these personal marks upon the
caiendar, there are others of portent
to all men. Black Monday, for IN
stance. But why black Monday?
1t was a custom of ancient heathen
times TO mark upon their calendar
such days as were lucky and such as
were unlucky. Dies atri (black davsl
and dies albj \white days. they were,
one designated by the black mark, the
other by white.
Monday and Friday bear dark
stain, the impresS of an iudelahle
historical stamp The cause Of the
opprobrlum upon the latter dav S
well known. but few are aware that
on the first Monday in August Cain
WAS born; on Monday hlS brother
Abel was slain The second Monday
in August Sodom aud Gomorrah
were deS royed. The last Monday in
December Judas was born.
From a wish to propitiate fortune,
besides selecting lucky day for an
enterprise, we invoke the protection
and assistance of the tutelary spirit oe
our trade, or nation. Crigen,
| Hlerome, Plato. and Empedocles be.
| lleved that not only nations, but
individuals, also, possessed their good
angels who protected them and adj
moniShed them through dreams The
Egyptians held the theory that each
man had three attending angels; the
Pythagoreans. that there were two
sush guardians; the Romans, that
there was good ard an evil genius.
But n what a mistaken. convention
| allied fashion do We invoke our good
genil How we anathematize "1ld
Nick" one of the best old mcn who
ever lived he who is the pa ron SAINT
of school boys, and should be implor-
ed, not DETAINED, on black Mondays.
Il st. Nicholas. the good bishop of
Athens, had been identical with
NiNas or Nicksa, then we might so ac-
count for the career Of many a school
boy. But NlXas was river or ocean
god, who once was worshlped on the
shores of the Baltic and whose
cognomen became a nick name for
Satan.
A certain Asiatic gentleman. hear
ing of the great learning and virtues
of Nicholas, sent his two sons To him
for the benefit of his example and
education But they tarried over
night at the inn of covetous land.
lord, who murdered sliced, salted,
and picked them for the sake of their
money and jewels. But he proved as
contrite as cruel, SO confessed his crime
to the Bishop Nicholas, begging for
intercession with heaven for himself
and the restoration Of the murdered.
The good mans prayers here granted,
aud the boys were returned to life.
The wellknowp emblems of ST.
Nicholas, two naked children and a
tub at his side, have caused the com
mon error that he was the patron saint
of sailors, the inference being that
the tub was part Of sailing outfit in
stead Of brine barrel.
In commemoration, the school, boys
of England elected their boy bishop
on St. Nicholas day until the thirteenth
century when, being forbidden by
! Henry VIII. from mimicking their
religious superiors, they tarned their
! frolIc into a military parade There
you have the origin of playing sol
| dIers."
Innocents day Is one of evil conse
quence to the young, and most un-
lucky for public affairs. Gregory
says that it is the d@ty Of all parents
to whip up their children on that day
mildly repeating the cruelty of Herod,
to remind them of what they escap-
ed.
a wellfed day is ever a good day,
so no mark dtri should be made for
MichaeImas day. Upon that day
/ Queen Elizabeth was brought the ne Tvs
OF the defeat of the Spanish armada
At the time she was dining upon a
roast goose, and thereupon command
ed that similar feast should be served
before her upon that day in all sue
ceeding years. IL is SAID that He
who eats goose on Michaelmas dav
will never want money all the year
around"
The first of April, if not exactly of
evil omen, is one of the many griev-
Gus disappointments. A certain
French mackerel. called poisson d.
April, very foolishly permits itself to
be caught during the month OF April.
Having no such piscatorlal victim in
England, the term was applied to the
human victim and the word fool sub
stituted
The word gauch in the Tautonic is
rendered a fool; the term gouk or
gowk is properly cuckoo, put IS used
metaphorically 10 designate man.
hence the expression hunt the gowk'
FOOLS errand. April is not an un-
lucky month, as is its successor May,
which should never be selected for
weddings or feasts.
Each man, according to his calling
should invoke the following saints:
ST. Luke is the patron Of painters,
for it was he who painted Christ's por.
traits.
St. Crispin. whose day is Oct. 25 is
the guardian of shoemakers.
st. George, vino was soldier in the
army of Diocletian, is the protector oi
soldiers and the pratron OF English
men During the famous siege oi
Antioch, the saint appeared clad IL
white, with a red cross on his banner
routed the iDfidels to the glory Of the
Christians led by Robert. duke oi
Normandy, son of William the Con
queror. Since then he Is the acknowl.
edged patron of bold Briton.
| ST. Cecilia drew an angel from the
mansions OF the blessed TO listen TO
her melodies, and is the patroness OF
musicians.
ST. Andrew ordains good luck to
the Scot.
ST. Patrick to the Emerald Islander.
st. Mark, who may be known by a
lion, couchant, winged, by his side is
the genIi for those who would have
their writings, nervous solldity, and
fights of power beyond human coma
position.
Blue Grass Breeders.