Arizona silver belt., 1888-06-16
Curious Idea. About ,se weop.
Scientific American. 1

The phases of the moon have been much remarked and the cycle of these various appearances IS short enough te favor that convenient dIvisicn Of time which was the ancient month, and which still serves the IsraelltsS and Mussulmen for their calendar. When the Indians of several tribes united for some enterprise, the signal for the rendezvous was usually 6 ruil moon deslgnated a long time in ad vance.
 The beautiful moonlight Of countries that have a usually pure etmosph offered an invitation to gam, and festivities. The new moon lpterrupt ed the merry-ma&ingS, which were re- suned with greater spirit when the tbin silyec crescent was observed after siisget. The ancient ieruyians said that the moon was dead during the three days of it's inYisIbiliiy. The Khasias of the northwest of India think that the sun burns it up. Sev- eral savage peoples believe that they see in the lunation quarrel between tue sun and the moon (which to them are husband and wite), passing month ly through the same phases. The moon grows from new moon to the full, then wanes; the same Is the case with its domination; finally, the sun triumphs and swallows lis adv Tary, whose head 1t spits into the heavens. The ancient Slavonians believed that the moon, having been untrue to her husband, with the beautiful Venus, was condemned to wander in the heav- ems. The Dakota Indians think that the moon at its waning Is eaten by little mice. The PoiyneSians believe that it is devoured by the spirits of tic dead. The Hottentots say that it waues when, suffering from a head ache, it puts its hard b is forehead and he tF on ouG view. The Esk he moon, harraSsf ger after fnishin ramo- ment f qaa ,aFaut
 anca shows with what
 fed.
 The spots on the neon have
 tracied attention and stirred the i
 gination in all ages. There is proi | bly nc country in which all imagiaag. 1 picture has not been seen in tue disk of our satellite; and yet, among the various figures that are thought to he seen in the moon, two principal types seem to prevail, according to certain geographical distribution. In East ern Asa, tue common vision is that of a hare CT rabbit. The Chinese ;'7'" zine that they see s rabbit
 on its haunches before q mC. l pounding rice, after the nam the country. The Hindoos see a
 or a squirrel, and they call the IL
 tbo hare or squirrel carrier. H. Siamese see the figure of hare m the
 moon; although some distinguish
 therein a man and woman cpltlvating
 their field.
 AIbortus Magnus thought that the
 form of tho spots represented lion
 with hls tail toward the east and his
 head to the west; others have thought l 1t to be much more like fox.
 Among many of the Indian tribes
 of North America, the hareis the sym
 bol ct the moon, as the jsguar is thai of the sun. The McXcanS maintained
 that there was a rabbit in tie moon: disk, and this was connected Fith one of their myths. In Central Amerlca the moon is figured upon certalr structures as a pitcher, or as a spira shell whence a hare is emerging. According to IroQuois tradition, al old vaplan gifted with the power oi divination was unhappy because sh' could not also foretell when the world would come to an end. For this, Sh' was transported to the moon, where te this day she is seen weaving 3 fore
 head strap. As once month sh' stirs kettle Of hominy, an ever-pres ent cat unrayels her net, so her wori will never be finished
 u Is Well to Remember. t That he who gathers roses must nc ! |,