The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-12-31


few think that 1872 years ago the year
at this season was old. How came the
change? Not by the revolution of the
earth, for that Is practically I'M
changeable, but through the interven-
ton OF human enactment. Though
time. as measured by the motions of
the earth, may be taken as constant,
yet its divisions into seconds, minutes,
hours. days. weeks. months, years,
eras, their beginnings and endings, are
arbitrary products of the human mind,
and therefore variable.
All nations and people have a par
ticular epoch from which they date
the era In which they may have lived.
The Romans dated their chronological
events from the founding Of the city.
The expression, "The year Of Rome"
or the letters A. u. G. Cab urbs con-
Gita) refers to that particular epoch.
The Mohammedans express their Sc
Quence Of time by "the year Of the
prophet" The date is from the Hejira,
or the flight Of Mohammed from
Mecca (Hejira is pronounced Hej-i-ra,
and is an Arabic word meaning flight,
which occurred A. d. 622. The Jews
reckon their dispensation from the
creation of the world, but in reality
their chronology begins with the
Exodus. Moses Intentionally intro
duced a new calendar. and makes
Abb their first month. 1t has been
supposed that the Jewish Sabbath Is
the same as the seventh day on which
God ended His work, but as Moses
changed the first month to Abb, he
changed TIE first day also. The first
day of this new year was the first
day of the first month and the first
day of the first week. The Sabbath
being held on the seventh day, 1t must
OF necessity have been changed also.
But being changed. it could not be in
correspondence with the seventh day
of creation on which God rested"
Christians date their epoch from the
birth Of Christ, the expression for
which Is the Latin words Ammo Dom
ini. or A. D., the initial letters Of the
words. Five centuries elapsed before
an attempt was made to authoritative
~
was then undertaken by Dionysius
Exiguus Qittle), who fixed our present
chronology. 1t is now generally al
lowed that he was four years out in
his reckoning, and that B. G. is the
correct year. This corresponds with
the statement by Ireneus and Tertul-
liam that Christ was born about the
year of Rome ISL.
Different nations have begun their
count of tine at different parts of the
twenty-four hours. The ancient Ac-
cadians, Babylonians. Syrians, Per
SLAMS, the modern Greeks and the in
habitants of the BaleaTic isles reckon
their day from sunrise 20 sunrise. Why
the ancient nations began the day at
sunrise is evident from their early re-
Hgion, which was Magism. Fire was
a chief object of reverence with them,
and the sun as the grand symbol OF
their worship received especial venera-
ton. Hence they began their day as
they began their deYotions--with the
rising sun.
Others, like the Athenians, the Chi
nese and the Jews have counted the
day from sunset to sunset. Why the
Jews begin the day from sunset is
potent from their religion. The char
acteristics of the Jewish religion are
In sharp contrast to those of other
nations. The aim of Moses was to
wean them from the grossness OF
oriental religions. Hence the contrasts
and antitheses. II the worshipers of
the elements begin the day with sun
rise, then the followers Of Jehovah
will begin theirs with suncet. Moses
can have no concord with error.
The Egyptians and pagan Roman
priests began their day at midnight.
Most European nations follow the
same rule. Americans have also adopt
cd the custom. Astronomers, however,
begin the day at noon. when the sun
Is on the meridian.
The day, meaning thereby light,
from sunrise to sunset, was In ancient
times divided into twelve equal parts
called hours. A similar division was
observed with the night. Thus it will
be seen the hour was constantly
changing in its duration. The hour Of
the day in winter, when the days were
short. was much longer than In sum-
mer. and vice versa. The same, of
course. was the case with the nights.
also. So that only at the equinoxes
we're the two series of hours equal.
This was most inconvenient and re-
suited in much confusion.
To Hipparchus, a Greek philosopher,
who fourisbed about B. G. $50, must
be given the credit OF dividing the
DAY from midnight to midnight into
twentyfour hours, or two equal por-
tons of twelve hours each. This sys-
tenn prevails generally at the present
day. But astronomers count continu-
ously for twentyfour hours.
The week, as all know. consists OF
seven days. Christians and Jews
hold this division because God created
the heaven and the earth (the solar
system) and primordial forms Of life
IN six days. and rested on the
seventh. But it would seem that
pagan nations selected seven days be-
S canse Of the seven planets known to
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