The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-01-31
THE CALENDARS.
A History Of the Evolution OF the
Solar Year.

A History of the Evolution OF the
Solar Year.
From the most casual glance at
planisphere, or celestial globe, one Is
led to associate the noble and sublime
science Of astronomy with shepherd
life. In the pastures of the newly-cre-
ated world the first human beings had
very little society. and all they saw
from day to day was their hocks graz
ing and frisking about them. There
were several signs, however, by means
of which, If they were only observant,
they could have roughly calculated the
flight of time Thus the departure of
the birds in the autumn and the fall OF
the leaves warned them of the approach
of winter. and fixed an epoch recur-
ring with periodic regularity; but in
their wanderings in search Of new
pastures. the necessity of an unerring
guide became of paramount inn
portance, and naturally the heavenly
bodies came to be adopted as great
compass of wondrous directing and
date-marking machine, fixing the regu-
lar periodic dow Of time. Thus the
heliacal rising Of one certain star her.
aided the advent Of the shearing season,
while the appearance Of the pleiades in
the east preluded the seedtime; and
thus two dates of the utmost impor-
lance to primitive.and pastoral people
came to be fixed And as in this sim
pie astronomy the shepherds traced
the annals Of the stars among their
aocks and herds, so in like manner
they traced the history Of their hochs
among the stars.
Thus the course OF the sun came to
lie amid sheepfolds and their surround
ings. At one time Of the year the 20
diacal constellation Taurus. the bull,
the lord of the herd, marked where
'sthe 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 in the sky, together with
the dreaded scorpion, and besides these
concomitants of the life Of shepherd,
he placed likewise above him still dear
err associations, such as the children of
his household. Gemini; the virgin, Vir-
20; the ear Of corn, Spica Virgins; and
his instruments of husbandry, the pillow
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 Sabeans 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 overlooking Of the Nile,
periodic event Of the greatest national
1 importance.
Thus, from the earliest times the
heavenly bodies In their seasons have
been regarded as grand timemeasur-
ers; but long before the stars had been
observed for astrological or other pur-
poses the sun and moon, more intimate
ly connected with mans existence. came
to be regarded as time-marlSing MAJ
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 measure of
time, but men were also struck by the
constant and regular return of the
phases OF the moon, and from this fact
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 Atty
four and one-third days. The Israel
ties never adopted the solar year, not
even when they lived so long in the
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 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 reform in the fourth century
after the Christian era, and II Is this
improved calendar which is used by the
Jews Of our day for fixing their fes-
rivals and religious ceremonies. It 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 way |
that after q period of nineteen years
the commencement of the Jewish year
arrives a. the same epoch as the solar
year. The Jewish year Is therefore
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 a 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 OF
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 mantle Egyptians
were unconsciously laying the ground.
work of the sublime science Of astron-
omy; and In period of continued OBJ
servation they found that the year Of
three hundred and sixty days fell short /
OF true solar year by i've days, This
new year came into force and COM
menced on the Goth Of February, 7z7 B. |
c., and this day was the beginning Of |
the era OF Nebonassar The year OF /
three hundred and sixty-fve days was
followed for period OF seven hundred |
and twenty three years. but In the 7
year 25 B. 9. supplementary day was
added every four years, and this year
Of three hundred and sixty-five and one
fourth days became fixed year. and I
was adopted by the Romans when they
conquered Egypt This year was also
adopted by the Copts. and the first year |
az the era az the xnnrkvra s,zsrsas.>a1N 49, I