Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1903-08-12
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from among your readers who wish to
know something definite about these
so-called dos days. OF course. / know
only what | get from books, but q vast
multitude have not the books nor ac-
cess to them. Whether the advent and
the influence of dog days be super
sutton Or a fact, all that is known
should be disseminated.
plicy and HeIodotus both wrote
about dos days 400 years before Christ.
Ancient astronomers and modern ones
agree in ascribing to Sirius vcry' ma
lignant influence when t arises in con-
junction with the sun. for it is the
brightest star in the heavens and its
great head added 10 the heat of the
sun increases and intensifles the tenR
perature as long as this conjunction
continues But this rising with the sun
is not a 7Xed day. 1t varies from the
2rd OF JGiy to the 10TH of August AMI
hence the almanac makers take an
average day and set down July 10th as
the first dog day. Some date it July
24th, but these dates may miss Ii two
or three weeks 1t Is generally believed
that these dog days continue for forty
days, but in fact that is an indefinite
period. for the conjunction of SCius
with the sun sometimes lasts io- fifty
four days. The sum of the whole nat
ter is that about this time of the year
we may look for very hot weather ani
showers almost every day. and 10 call
1t fodde: pulling weather would he as
good : name as any. Whether Sirius
has anything to 10 with il or not we
can only surmise. but Sirius is the dog
star and gave .hc nama. Sirius is the
very brightest star in the heavens. ard
10 IN . lF - 1.
Btellation that the ancient astronomers
named canis major. The ancient Egyp-
tians mapped of the starry heavens
with imaginary animals and mon. such
as dogs. bears. dragons buns. Hercuie'.
Orion. et,.. and the names they gave tG
groups of stars have never been cnan2-
ed. There is b & dog and littic dog,
big bear and a little bear. a big d'p-
per ana a little diprer. Right in ;he
tip of the tail of the little pear in "A
very notable star called The Pole star,
or North star, that navigatorS used to
sail by and they called 1t Cyposkurous.
which in Greek means a logtail. From
this name we have the wovd cynosure
and so when we say OF 4 beautiful wo-
man in en- assembly that she was the
cynosure OF all eyes H. is equivalent 10
saying that she was the doc tail Of me
concern. Just how the sailors gor to
callinS this star the dogtail is Lot
known. for it is really in ursa minor.
the little bears tail. The ancjents gave
many names 10 the stars TO III things
in nature that they resembied. The
word comet comes from cometus The
means n mares tail. The word lunatic
comes from luna, tho moon. for the
ancients believed that the mind was
affected by changes in the neon. Those
old Egyptians were very imaginative
and, superstitious. but they were very
learned. How they get SO far ahead CT
the Hebrews, Gods favoritc people. we
&C not know Their astronomy. matke-
mates and architecture have never
been improved. The scriptures tell us
that Moses was learned in all the y is
dom OF the Egyptians Job asks:
"Canst thou bind the sweet influences
of Pleiades or loose the bands OF
Orion? Amos calls them the seven
stars and mythology names them the
seven sisters. bat modern astronomers
say there never were but six and there
are only six now. Hence the supersti-
ton about the lost Pleiad. Their sweet
Influences are said to come from the
fact that whenever seen in the heavens
1t is sign OF good weather and a safe
time for vessels to sail. for pleian
means sail. 1t is like the pretty word
halcyon that literally means duck egg
time. for the elder duck never builds
its nest onthe cliffs by the sea until
pleasant weather comes to stay for the
season. Hence the word ais the sea and
con an egg
But | reckon this is enough about
dog days.
Some noble person. believe IL was
Lady Montague-s There is no en-
tertainment so cheap as reading and no
pleasure as lasting. Especially is this
true nowadays when there is SO much
10 read that is cheap, instructive and
interesting. In fact. reading is now the
best part of liberal education. A well
read person is wiser. happier and bet
Ter f1tted for the duties and trials Of
life than the scholar who has gradu-
ated at he top in the arts and sciences.
vi course, | mean good reading. suchas
history. ancient and modern; bio
sraphy. where we get both example
anu precept; good story books and
standard novels that teach good NOR
ais; good magazine literature and good
newspapers. whose editors are con
scientious and feel their responsibility.
AS man sows. so shall he reap" and
we Wisht as truly say what q child
reads, so will his or her moral and
emotional character oe The schools
eaucate the intellect only. but reading
aHects tho heart. the emotions and pas
sions ana establishes the character OF
the young for good or for evil Man
mas been defined to be bundle of pre-
judices. and these prejudices most gen
orally come from the books. magazines
or newspapers that we read.
Little stories like "Androcles and the
Lion or Damon and Pythias" have
nodded the character OF thousands of
children. and just so have Robinson
'Crusoe" and Young Marooners" and
the Swiss Family Robinson" estah-