The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-05-12
THE CALENDARS.
A History Of the Evolution Of the
Bolar Ycar.

From the most casual glance at .
planiaphere. or celestial globe, one is
led 70 associate the noble and sublime
science Of astronomy with shepherd
life. In the pastures Of the newly-crc-
ated world the FIRST human beings had
very little society, and all they saw
from day TO day was their flocis graz
ing and frisl<ing about them. There
were several signs, however, by means
Of which, II 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 AIRED an epoch recur-
ring with periodic regularity; but In
their wanderinRs In search Of new
pastures. the necessity Of an unerring
guide became 81 paramount Inn
portancc, and naturally the heavenly
bodies came 70 be adopted as great
compass Of wondrous directing and
alternating machine, fixing the reRu-
lar periodic Aow 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 prcluded the seedtime; and
thus two dates Of the utmost impor-
tance to . primitive.and pastoral people
came 10 be fixed. And as in this sim.
pie astronomy tine shepherds traced
the annals Of tho stars among their
nocks and herds. 90 In like manner
they traced the history Of their hocixs
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 10
diacal constellation Taurus, tho bull,
tho lord Of the herd, marked where
Athe father Of the day" was located.
At another time the ram, the master
Of tho fold. served TO designate his POI
nition.
The lion. the terror Of hcrdsmen, was
also placed In the sky. together with
the DIRE ded scorpion, and besides these
concomitants Of the life Of a shepherd,
he placed likewise above him still dear
or associations, such as the children Of
his household, Gemini the virgin, Vir-
70; the ear Of corn, Spica Virgins; and
his Instruments OF hnsbandry, the pillow
and the sickle.
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 IS infnite 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 watchfuls
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, a
periodic event Of the greatest national
importance.
Thus, from the earliest times the
heavenly bodies in their seasons have
been regarded as grand time-measnr-
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 az time-marking ma
chimes; and II Is on the motions Of these
two celestial bodies that all calendars
have been based.
II would be reasonably expected thai
the sun, which is the great source and
supporter Of life upon the earth, and
the regulator Of the seasons, would b
generally adopted as a measure o
time. but men were also struck by tn,
constant and regular return Of tn,
phases Of the moon, and from this fac
were led to use the moon as the basil
for their calendar.
The jMussulman year is purely lunar
and consists Of the period embraced b.
twelve revolutions of the moon around
the earth. or three hundred and fifty
four and one-thjrd days. The Israel
ltea never adopted the solar year, no
even when they lived so long in tn,
land Of Egypt; for we find them, S,
soon as they were settled in the prom
iaed land, using the lunar mqntl
and the lunar year. The ancient Jew
ish year had only three hundred an,
hfty-four days; twelve days wer
added sometimes At the end o
the year, and sometimes a month o
thirty days after the month Adar, in OF
der 70 bring 1t into agreement with th
solar year. But the Jewish calenda
received q reform in the fourth centur
after the Christian era, and it is thi
improved calendar which Is used BY til
! Jews Of our day for fixing their fel
rivals and religious ceremonies It
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