The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-01-27
THE FOLKS IN THE MOON.

THE FOLKS IN THE MOON.
What Different Peoples Have Seen and
the Stories Thew Have Invented.
Every little boy and girl who has
looked upon the faco of the full moon,
has seen there the outline of human
form. Many think it is the image of
man, whom they call the IMAM of the
moon," venera BILE, benevolent fellow
whose dear face they have stared at,
wondered about, and almost talked to.
But some very prosaic people, peering
IDLY through glasses and long tubes,
very learnedly protest that there is no
man there, and that the outlines which
we see are only mountains of scorched
and blackened rocks, deep and gloomy
caverns, where neither life nor verdure
is found. / suppose we must believe
these wise people. however unpleasant
it is to have our ideas confused about
something we have long regarded as a
fixed fact
Still it is difficult to believe that the
astronomers, for all they look through
several thicknesses of glass, can see
farther than the clear eyes of the shep-
herd, the Indian, or even those of some
young folks, and that the lunar spots
are only meaningless specks. Singu-
larly wise as we have grown within a
few years, it would not be curious, if
now and then we should make some
mistakes. Just for the fun of the thing
we are going to imagine that the wise
men are all wrong, and that the moon
is inhabited, and that these specks are
really representations of human be-
ings.
Some way, all the nations have diff
ferent way of seeing things, and so the
persons they see in the moon are di-
verse from each other. Not few of
these are very amusing, and some are
really laughable. Others are quite
grave and solemn. 1t is really wonder
full to think of all the diverse figures
which mankind have pictured in the
broad full moon, and no doubt you will
be interested to learn what some of
them are.
First, we will peep at the queer pic
ture that the boys and girls of the min
die ages thought they saw in the moon.
1t is that of little, solemn, old mau
with bundle of sticks on his back. In
the old prints of the time, he is repre-
scented with short, stubby figure, like
ones idea of Dutch Santa Claus, and
face ugly, sour and forlorn, the fea-
lures all askew, and long, black tear
trickling from the right eye He clasps
his clumsy arms over huge staff, and
his broad back is bowed down under a
heavy bundle of fagots.
The following is the story of this
square built, solemn.faced individual,
which the children, and the old folks
for that matter, believed as much as
they did the Bible four and five hun
bred years ago in Europe.
Ages ago, there went, one Sunday
morning, an old man into the woods to
hew sticks. He cut fagot, and slung
it on a stout staff over his shoulder, and
went trudging home with his burden.
On his way he met handsome man in
Sunday suit. walking towards the
church, who stopped and asked him:
"Do you know that it is Sunday on
earth, when all must rest from their
labor?"
Sunday on earth, or Monday in
Heaven, it is all one to me-" laughed
the woodcutter.
"Then bear your bundle forever"
said the stranger, land as you value
not Sunday on earth, yours shall be q
perpetual Monday in Heaven; and you
shall stand for eternity in the moon, a
warning to all Sabbath breakers"
Whereupon the stranger vanished,
and the man was caught up with his
staff and his fagot into the moon.
where he stands yet.
Many of the poets refer to this per.
sonage. Dante calls him Cain. Chaucer
speaks of him as undergoing punish.
ment up there for theft.
Barring bush of thorns on his backe,
Whiche for his theft might cline so near the
heaven.
An ancient song of the time of Ed.
ward H., the poor king who, you re-
member, was barbarously murdered by
his mobiles, is addressed to the man in
the moon. This is the first stanza in
more modern spelling:
Man in the moon, stand and slit,
On his fat fark, his burden he beneath,
It is much wonder that he do ma down stit
For doubt lest he fall he shuddereth and shiv.
ereth.
Shakespeare speaks of this forlorr
individual in one of his most beautiful
plays, and introduces a dog as his com
panion. According to the nursery
rhyme, the man in the moon once Wis,
tied tins earth, and took fancy tc
some pease porridge, which he was in
such hurry to devour he scalded hi:
mounth:
The man in the moon
Came tumbling down
And asked the way to Norwich"
but whether he ever reached this des
tination we are not told.
The peasants of Swabia and Bohemi;
see two folks stand in the moon, a MAJ