Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-17
NOTES AND QUERIES.
Some of the Holidays and Holy Days
That Have Been Forgotten.
THE STORY OF THE ISLE OF MAN.
An Explanation of the Fractional Votes at
National Conventions.
WHY COMMENCExENTs ARE so CALLED
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPArcB.J

WHY COMNENCExENTS ARE so CALLED
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.I
Our Independence Day casts into oblivion
in this country some famous old holidays
and holy days that ought not to be forgot
ten. Who that speaks familiarly of the
''dog days" remembers that the third of the
month is the first of these famous days-the
day on which Sirius, the dog star, first
comes into conjunction with the sun. July
was the old midsummer day; it has lost
that honor now, however, June "a having
received it instead, although that is st.
Johns Day. and only three days later than
the summer solstice, which marks the scien-
tifc beginning of summer. The 7th of this
month is the feast day of St. Thomas
Beckett, who though famous saint for years
is now remembered chiefly as the cause of
the pilgrimage to Canterbury, which Chau-
Ger has immortalized.
Saint Swithin's Day came on the 18th of
the month; if it rains then, it will rain on
the 40 days following Swithin was
Bishop of Winchester, and died July 2, 1862,
leaving direction that he should be buried
in the churchyard of his cathedral, so that
the rain might fall on his grave. Some
years afterward the monks desired to move
the remains into the cathedral and fixed on
July 15 for the translation, but tor 40 days
it rained steadily, so that they could not
open the grave; and at the end of the
fortieth day they decided that the saint
preferred to stay out in the wet ST.
Margaret's Day is celebrated on the 10th.
She was a maiden of Antioch, loved by
Olybius; but she refused him because he
was pagan. He tried to put her to death
with cruel torments; but an earthquake
prevented the tortures, and dove from
heaven set crown of gold upon her fore
head, whereat 5000 spectators were con-
verted to Christianity. But Olybius ex-
ecuted her just the same. She is the
patroness of women in childbirth, succeed
ing Juno, who, under the name of Lucina,
was prayed to by the Roman mothers. St.
James and st. Christopher share July %
between them. In some parts Of England
the apple trees are blessed on this day,
which is said also to mark the success or
failure of the hop crop.
st. Anne, the mother of the Virgin
Mary, Is worshipped on July 26; she was
the third daughter of Matthew, priest,
and Mary his wife, and was married to
Joachim in Galilee. Their wedding ring
was kept by the nuns of ST. Anne in Rome,
and worked miracles. 1t was stolen during
the sacking of the city in 1924; but was
brought back by q crow, which laid it upon
stone where the nuns found it. The last
day of the month is the feast of st. Ignatius
Loyola, the founder of the wonderful So
ciety OF Jesus, who died on this day in
1856. Certainly this month ends nobly,
with the holy day of one of the most re-
markabIe of theological and religious lead
ers that the world has ever known.
You spoke of the kingdoms Of England,
Scotland, Ireland and Man; was there really
sbs sings0% s Of S.n, St Mani So the son as
That is it, exactly. Man was a part of
the possessions of the Norwegian and
Welsh Kings until early in the tenth
century. Then Orry became King of Man;
his descendants ruled until 1O77, when the
kingdom was conquered by the Icelandera
The line of Orry was restored about HOO,
and lasted until 1855, when Magnus died
without issue. Then Magnus vi, of Nor
way, who claimed the throne, ceded his
rights to Alexander III. Of Scotland.
There were wars over the island for some
years, and at one time Edward l., of Eng
land, seized it. Finally, in 1874, William,
Earl of Salisbury, q great-grand nephew
OF King Magnus, was crowned King of
Man. A successor sold the island
and the kingship to the Earl of
Wiltshire in 1893; and Henry
". gave it to Sir John Stanley on the at
tainder for treason of the Earl. The house
of Stanley was governed by ieutenants
Thomas Stanley was created Earl of Derby
in 1885; in 1876 the lordship of Man-the
second Earl of Derby had given up the
title of King-went to the Duke of Athole,
a descendant of one of the Earls of Derby;
he held on to the island and the title until
1765, when the Duke sold the sovereignty
and its revenues for ETC, 900 and an annuity
of 81, ,0O0 His son sold the manorial rights,
etc, for e417, 900 and further annuity of
G3, 900, so that now the Kingdom of Man is
hard and fast attached to Great Britain.
The island has Parliament of its own, the
House OF Keys one of the most ancient
legislative assemblies in the world; it
do not apply to the Isle of Man unless it is
named in them.
have heard the question raised recently,
Who backed Dred Scott in his legal fight for
liberty. Who did back him? MARCUs
In the first case, tried in Missouri, it is
said that ne was backed by some politicians,
who hoped that Scott might be defeated and
4 precedent established which would be of
use to them later. After the case got up to
The Supreme Court of the United States, |
Rlair, Dred Scott's counsel,
paid the necessary fees and expenses, and
contributed his services without charge. |
SO, too, did Mr.. George Ticknor Curtis, of !
New York City. These lawyers acted sim |
ply from desire to have an important case |
decided by the highest court
There were fractional votes at the Mime |
apolis and Chicago Conven tions; will you |
tell me how they originated?
WA. CALLAHAN.
In some cases there were more delegates |
than there were votes Thus Maryland had |
l8 votes at Chicago and II delegates were |
present; 50 to Is of them Is votes were |
ziven, and the sixteenth vote was divided |
between the sixteenth and seventeenth dele |
yates, giving each one-half of vote. Some