The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-06
THE CALENDARS.
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 flocl5s 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 wandcrings in search of new
pastures. the necessity OF an uncrrinr
guide became OF paramount i'm
portance, and naturally tie heavenly
bodies came to be adopted us Il great
compass of wondrous directing and
date-Inarkipg machine, fixing the regu-
lar periodic flow OF time Thus the
hcliacal rising of one certain star her
aided the advent Of the shearint- season.
while the appearance OF the pciades in
the cast prcluded the seedtirnc: and
thus two dates OF the utmost impor-
lance to Il primitivc'and pastoral people
came to be fixed. And as in this sim
pie astronomy the shepherds traced
the annals of the stars among their
focks and herds, so in like manner
they traced the history of their foclss
among the stars.
Thus the course of the sun came to
lie amid shoe nfClAc a nd that
ings. At one time Of the year the 20
diacal constellation Taurus, the bull,
the lord of the herd, marked where
CHE father of the day" was located.
At another time the ram, the master
OF The fold, served TO designate his DO
sition.
The lion, the terror of hcrdsmen, was
also placed i'll the sky, together with
the dreaded scorpion, and besides these
concomitants Of the life Of a shepherd.
he placed likewise above him still dear
c. associations, such as the children Of
his household, Gemini; the virgin, Vr-
go; the ear of corn. Spica Virgins; and
mas 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 Sabeans of antiquity, who adored
the starry hosts as infinite God. But
this epoch of mystery evidently pre-.
coded 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 Il 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 hcliacal
rising in the days of ancient Egypt pre-
saged the overlooking of the Nile, n
periodic event of the greatest national
Importance.
Thus, from the earliest times the
heavenly bodies in their seasons have
been regarded as grand time-m easur-
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 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 ana
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 fifty
four and onc-third days. The Israel.
ties never adopted the solar wear, 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
lsed land, using the lunar month
and the lunar year The ancient Jew.
1sh year had only three hundred and
hfty-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-
rivals and religious ceremonies. 1t la