Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-18

the east prelodcd the seedt;ue, and
thus two dates of the utmost irnpor-
lance 10 primitive and pastoral people
came 20 be fixed And as In this sim
pie astronomy the shepherds traced
the annals OF the stars among their
toeks and herds, go in like manner
they traced the history Of their hocks
among the stars
Thus the course Of the sun came 10
lie amid sheepfolds and their surround
ings. At one time of the year the 20
diaeal constellation Taurus. the bull.
the lord of the herd, marked where
the father of the day" was located.
At another time the ram, the master
Of the fold, served to designate his POI
sition.
The lion. the terror Of herdsmen, was
also placed ia the sky. together with
the DIRE AIDED scorpion. aud besides these
concomitants of the life Of a shepherd.
he placed likewise above him still dear
er associations. such as the children OF
his household. Gemini; the virgin. Vir-
go; the ear Of corn, Spica Virgins; and
his instruments OF husbandry, the plow
and the sickle.
The best possible proof of how far
the stars had entered into the life of
man may be found in the worship OF
the Ssbeans of antiquity. who adored
the starry hosts as infinite God. But
this epoch of mystery evidently pre-
ceded the dawn of observation, and the
most important period in connection
with the subject Of time-measuring
commenced when men began to turn
the celestial sphere into mighty rus
tic habitation. modelled on the basis Of
their own immediate surroundings.
Even the dog, the type OF watchful-
ness, was translated TO the heavens;
the bright star Sirius, whose heliacal
rising in the days of ancient Egypt pre-
saged the OVERCOMING of the Nile,
periodic event of the greatest national
Importance.
Thus, from the earliest times the
heavenly bodies in their seasons have
beep regarded as grand time-measur-
ers; but long before the stars had been
observed for astrological or other pur-
poses the sun and moon, more intimate
" connected with mans existence. came
to be regarded as time-marking ma
chimes; and it is on the motions of these
two celestial bodies that all calendars
have been based.
1t would be reasonably expected that
the sun, which is the great source and
supporter of life upon the earth, and
the regulator of the seasons, would be
generally adopted as a measure of
time, but men were also struck by the
constant and regular return of the
were led to use the moon as the basis
for their calendar.
The Mussulman year is purely lunar,
and consists of the period embraced by
twelve revolutions Of the moon around
the earth, or three hundred and fifty
four and one-third days. The Israel
ties never adopted the solar year, not
land of Egypt; for we find them, SO
soon as they were settled in the prom
ised land, using the lunar month
and the lunar year. The ancient jew
ish year had only three hundred and
fifty-four days; twelve days were
added sometimes at the end Of
the year. and sometimes a month of
thirty days after the month Adar, in or
der to bring it into agreement with the
solar year. But the Jewish calendar
received a reform in the fourth century
after the Christian era. and it is this
improved calendar which is used by the
Jews of our day for fixing their fes-
tivals and religious ceremonies. 1t is
, extremely ingenious, and is based on
the course of the moon. The year is
composed of twelve lunar months
when common, and OF thirteen lunar
months when embolismic; and these
years succeed each other in such a way
that after period of nineteen years
the commencement of the Jewish year
arrives a. the same epoch as the solar
year The Jewish year is therefore a
lunar-solar year, and the civil year OF
this remarkable people, in common
with all Oriental nations. commences
with the new moon of September, and
. the ecclesiastical year at the new moon
in March.
The Egyptians, who reached n high
state of civilization in the dim twilight
OF remote antiquity, calculated the
year as consisting of three hundred
and sixty days. or twelve months o,
thirty days. In the pursuit of astrol
ogy--that vain attempt TO evolve the
secret of the supposed mystic connec
| ton between the celestial bodies and
the destiny OF man-the Egyptian.
were unconsciously laying the ground
work of the sublime science of astron
oroy; and in a period of continued OBJ
servation they found that the year o.
three hundred and sixty days fell shor+
of true solar year by Eve days. Thi,
new year came into force and com
menced on the 25th of Fcbruafy, TAT Il
c.. and this day was the beginning O
the era of Ncbonassar The year o.
three hundred and sixty-five days wa.
followed for n period OF seven hundred
aad twenty-three years; bu. In TIL,
! year % Il. &. a supplementary day wa
added every four years, and this yea
of three hundred aud sixty-flve and ono
fourth days .sbecame a fixed year. an,
was adoptedsbys the Romans when the,
conquered Egypt This year was ais,
adopted by the Copts. and the first yea
of the cess OF the martyrs commence,
on the 18th of August. A. ID. 2sa
The Greeks. the most cultured Of tn,
nations of antiquity, were rather SLOW
to turn their powers Of observation t
the SKY. They employed at first-bor
rowing fresu the Egyptians aud tn
/ Ia by Ioniaus-tbe wear of three hun