Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-08
The Number Seven.

From the London Globe August 10.
Pythagoras, who lived before the days Of Seven
Dials, pronounced the number to belong especially
TO sacred things and we md HippocratesL four
and half centuries before our era, dividing the
ages OF man into seven, an arrangement AFTER
ward adopted by Shakespeare. But long before
this the Egyptian priests en1oined rest on the
seventh day, because they said 1t was an unlucky
day, dies tyaustus, though there is little doubt
that this ancient institution OF q Sabbath was
primarily derived from the Chaldeana There
were seven planets In Egyptian astronomy and
and named after It's proper constellation. The
ancient Peruvians had . tradition Of the deluge
from which seven persons saved themselves in a
cave, and re-peopled the earth, and the old In
habtants Of Mexico similarly traced their descent
from like number Of persons each OF whom was
hidden In separate cave during the inundation
How this peculiar use Of the number spread from
tne OLD 70 the new world IT Is impossible to say,
frequent employment Is q trait OF character com
mon 10 man. AT any rate, there are seven holes In
mans nead.two ears, two eyes, two nOstrils and
mOuth-and formerly he was supposed to possess
seven pairs OF nerves Such points Of likeness are
common TO the genus 1t Is noticeable, and GER
we're fonSa maj hs sne ancient people OF Peru
without planetary names for those divisions OF
time. The ancient Jews considered thus number
they say the Hebrew letters Composing Samuel
have the value Of seven, this name HAVING been
gwen 70 nun because OF the greatness and perfec-
Undoubtedly seven Is the sacred number There
are seven days OF creation; after seven days' re-
spite the Hood came; the years OF famine and
plenty were In cycles OF seven; every seventh day
was sabbath; every seventh year the Sabbath OF
rest after every seven times seven years came the
jubilee; the feastS OF unleavened bread and of
taDernacles were observed seven days: the golden
candiestfck had seven branches; seven prfests
Win seven trumpets surrounded Jericho seven
times ana seven times on the seventh day; Jacob
obtained his wives by servitudes OF seven wears:
samson Kept his nupttals seven days and on the
seventh day he put q riddle to his wife, and he
was bound with seven green withes and seven
locks OF his hair were shaved Oh; Nebuchadnezzar
was seven years beast; Shadrach and his two
companions In misfortune were cast into furnace
IN the New Testament nearly everything occurs
0y sevens and at the emu OF the sacred volume we
read OF seven churches, seven candlesttcks seven
splrits seven trumpets seven seals, seven stars,
seven numbers, seven walls seven plaques seven
angels and seven-headed monster. Such are
number, whose employment In this Connection
seems common 10 all nations and all religions.
MOI very long ago In England the seventh son OF
seventh son was reputed TO possess singular pow
Delightful storssof slumberers carry on the
same idea. The sleepers Rphesus are seven; Bar
Dalossa changes his position during his long sleep
| once every seven years; Olger Dansk stamps hfs
| IRON mace on the moor once during the same
period; Olger Redbeards sleep II 90 sound In Swe-
Gen tnat MS eyelids LIT only once In seven years;
burg. sees Venus before him In Ill her ioveliness
ana geeting on his morse, follows her to cave In
the mountaina where he spends seven years In en-
tnralment Similarly, In scotland, Thomas OF Er.
cllooune meets beautiful lady Of the elm raOe
| beneath nldon tree, who leads him underground,
"nere ne remains with her for seven years