The age-herald., 1901-08-31
HEBREW NEW YEAR
 SEPTEMBER A. Members of Faith Prepare to Observe the Day APPROPRIATE ERVICES Not a Time of Festlvlty, But Rather One of mlllatIon-Followed In
 Ten Days By Yom
 klppur.
APPROPRIATE SERVICES

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 While those who compute time by the 1 Gregorian method have more than four months yet ahead of them before begin ming to think seriously of New Years Day, with its presents, calls and bills. those of the Hebrew faith are looking forward to Rosh Hashana, the beginning of the year 5662 of their hoary chronolo- l gy. The holiday will occur this year on l September IL
 The observance of the day will really begin with the setting of the sun on the evening of September 13. All Hebrews, both Orthodox and Reformed, will cele- brate the beginning of their new year with appropriate services, although the proceedings In the Orthordox synagogues will be. usual, richer and more elabo- rate Business will be suspended from Friday evening, September 13, until the following Monday morning.
 A feature of the morning services on Rosh Hashana Is the blowing of the shofar, or rams horn. This instrument is really a ram's horn, and 1t requires an expert to produce the variety of notes and blasts which are appropriate to the occasion. The observance is of great antiquity as is evident from the nature of the instrument. The notes have a symbolic meaning, which is frequently expounded by the rabbis.
 How New Year Is Kept.
 Contrary to Christian usage, the He brew New Year is not time of festivity, b,,t rotbar of b,,rnilia+iop SaIf.Soa rchinz and prayer. It is followed in ten days by Tom Kippur. the feast of expiation, and five days after Tom Kippur comes the Feast of Tabernacles. or the Feast of Tents. The last day of the festival Is twenty-one days after Rosh Hashana.
 The Hebrew New Year Is not fixed day In the calendar, but varies according | to the rather intricate compution es- tablished by the patrarchs. Last year 1t | fell on September N, and next year 1t will be on October ?, according to the Gregorian calendar. The Hebrew year is calculated from the creation. which is assumed to have taken place 376O years l and three months before the commence ment of the Christian Era. The Freema- sons by the way, profess to follow the same chronology. The year consists, ac- cording to whether 1t Is ordinary or em- bolismic of twelve or thirteen lunar months, each of which has twenty-nine or thirty days. An ordinary year, there fore, consists of 354 days and an embolis mic year of 3S4 days. It Is sometimes made @ day more or less, in order that 1 certain festivals may fall on the proper days of the week for their due observ- ance The Jewish cycle contains nine teen years, and the distribution of em bolismic years in each cycle Is found by mathematical formula.
 Beginning of New Year.
 The Hebrew year is assumed to begin on or immediately after the first new moon following the autumnal equinox. This is in theory only however, for the intricate calculations consequent upon the movements of the inconslstant moon and the failure of the earth to revolve around the sun in an even number of days sometimes place Rosh Hashana as early as September 5, and sometimes, in embolismic years, as late as October 5.
 The approximate date of Tishri l, the COmne1CefnHnL OL IIo I1SpfcW yCdis iittJ be found by subtracting the Gregorlan epact from September 24 for ordinary years and from October A for embolis- mic years The epact Is the age of the moon on January 1. and 1t represents the age of the moon of Tebet, the fourth Jew ish month Thus the epact of the year 1901 is TO- because the last new moon in ths year 1900 was on December 21. Subtract ing the epact from September 24. We have September IA. which is the correct date of Rosh Hashana.
 Connection With Religious Matters. Except for It's connection with religius matters, the Hebrew chronology is unim- portant The records of the Babylonians are much more ancient and are authenti- cated in a striking manner. The Hebrew system was probably adjusted after the exodus from Egypt and is evidently an attempt to harmonize the succession of events recorded in the Old Testament It differs from the systems of the Samari- tans and the Creek Septuagint by 650 years The Hebrews who returned to Pal estine after the destruction of Jerusalem used the Macedonian Era. which dates from S11 B. C., until the Fifteenth Gen. tury.