Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-08-03

tnt HNhuuNH or antiquity, who adofeu
the starry hosts as lufluite God. But
this epoch OF m Ystory evidently pre-.
coded the dawn OF observation, aud
the most important period In conuec-
ton with the subject Of time-moasur-
ing commenced when men began TO
turn the celestial sphere into mighty
rustic habltaiion, meieled on the
basis Of their own immediate sur
TOuudinge.
Even the dog, the type of watohful-
nees, was translated to the heavens,
the bright star Sirius, whose hellacai
rising In the Gays Of ancient Egypt
prcsased the Overlooking Of the Nile,
a periodic event OF the greatest nation
al importance.
Thus from the earliest times the hen-
venly bodies In their seasons have
been regarded ns grand time.measurst;
hut long before the stars had been oh.
served for astrological or otherpufposes,
the sun ana moon, more intimately
con ectcd with mans existence. came
to be regarded ~ time markiug ma
chintt; and " II on the motions OF these
two ceisstial bodies that all calendars
have been baeed.
IL would be reasonably expected that
the sur, which IN the great source and
supporter OF life upon the earth. nnd
the regulator Of the seasons, would be
generally adopted AZ a measuter OF
time; but men woro also struck by the
constant and regular return OF the
phasts Of the moon, ana from this fact
they were led to use tho moon az the
basis lot their calendar.
TIE Mussulmau year IL purely lunar,
ana consists Of tho period embraced
~ twelve revolutions " the moon
around the earth, or three hundred
and fity-'our aud one.thirl days. The
israeliits never adopted the solar year,
not even when they lived 10 long Ia
the land Of Egypt, for We find them,
20 soon ~ they were settled iu the
Promised Land, using the lunar month
and the lunar year. The ancient Jew
ish year had only three hundred and
nhy.f0uf days, twelve dRya were
added sometimes nj tho end Of the
year anu sometimes month Of
thirty days after the month Adar,
IN order t. bring 1t into agreement
with the solar year. But the Jewish
calendar received reform Ia the
bufth century after the Christian era,
aud II n this improved calendar which
IN used by the Jews OF our day for fix.
ing their festivale and religious cere.
monies. IL Ia txtrenely ingenious,
and Ia based ON the course OF the moon.
The year 10 composed OF twelve lunar
months when common, and OF thirteen
lunar months when embolismic; and
these years succeed each other la such
a way that alter IA period Of nineteen
years the commencement OF the
jewish year arrives at the same epoch
90 the solar year. The Jewish year H.
Therefore a lunar.soiar year; anu the
civil year Of this remarkable people, In
common with all oriental nntioua, com.
menoes with the new moon VI Srptem.
Der, and the ecclesiastical year VI the
new moon IN March.
Tho Egyptians, who reached high
state OF civilization In the dim
twilight OF remote antiquity, oalculit.
od tue year ~ consisting Of three hun
dred aud sixty days, or twelve months
OF thirty days In the pursuit Of a..
trology-that vain attempt TO evolve
the secret Of tho supposed mystic con-
necli0n between the celestial bodies
ana the destiny Of mnn-thu Egyptians
were uuconsciOusly laying the ground.
work Of the sublime science OF astTon-
omy; and In period OF continued OBJ
servation they found that the year OF
three hundred aud sixty days fell short
OF true solar year by five days. This
new year came into force and com
menosd on the goth OF February, 747
II. O., and this day was tho beginning
OF the era OF NAb0nAssAr. The year OF
three hundred and siXty-iive daya was
followed for n period OF seven hundred
and tweuty.lhrec years; but In the
year 20 &c. supplementary day
was a1deu every four years, aud thi,
year Of three hundred anu sixty.hve
and one-fourlh days became fixed
year and was adopted by the Romans
when thoy conquered Egypt. This
year was also adopted by the Copts,
nud the first year OF the era OF the
martyrs commenced on the Goth of
August, gsI a. ID.
The Greeks, the most cultured Of the
nations OF antiquity, were rather
slow 10 turn their powers OF 0bserva-
tion TO the sky. They employed at
first-b3rrowlng from the Egyptians
aud the Bnpy l0mans-the year of
three hundred and sixiy-hvc days,
divided into twelve months Of thirty
days. Each month consisted OF three
decadosj and this Ia the sole example
In ancient history Of q week Of ten
days. Melton Of Athens, In 432 BIC. ,hay.
Ing observed the summer solstice,
found that a period Of nineteen solar
years contained two hundred and
thifty-uve lunatiOna exactly, aud that
nj the end Of this period the sun and
the moon returned TO the same poiut
In tho heavens. This discovery was
conslderefel 40 Important, that AN ac-
count Of II was carved IN letters of
gold upon the temple OF Minerva, and
hence the origin OF what is generally
known as the Golden Number. For
the purposes Of chronology, the Greeks
counted the years by means OF Olymp.
lads; the fist Olympiad occurred 40
u. g., and the last In the year 44O Of
the Christian ora.
The Roman year, as Instituted by
Numa and regulated 10y the moon,
consisted Of three hundred anu INV.
i've days, divided Into twelve months
OF unequal length. hut this year oil
three hundred and might've DAYS
did not correspond TO tho periodic
return OF the seasOns,nnd Ia the time of
julius Caesar the Roman calendar had
fallen iuto great disorder. To correct
TINS cOniuHlDn Cesar sought the assist-
auce OF SOsigonee, distinguished
astronomer OF Alexandria, ami Is was
decided that the civil year should con.
slst OF three hundred and sixty-fve
days, six hours-ln other woris, that
there should be three cOnsecutiys
years OF three hundred anu sixty. Ave
dayP, and that the fourth should con.
tain three hundred anu sixty.slx days.