The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-08-03

press,
among your readers who wish to Know
something definite about these so-caileo
dog days Of course I know only what
I get from books. but a vast multitude
have not the books nor access to them.
Whether the advent and the influence OF
dog days be a superstition or a fact, all
that is known should be disseminated.
Pliny and Herodotus both wrote ABOUT
dog days 400 years before Christ. An
cient astronomers and modern ones agree
in ascribins to Sirius q very malignant
influence when it arises in conjunction
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 lnlehsi-
fes the temperature as long as TINS CON
junction continues. But this rising with
the sun is not a fixed day. 1t varies Aloiii
the Sd of July to the 18th of August anu
hence the almanac makers take an aver
age day and set down July 20th as uie
first dog day. Some date 1t July l4'h'
but these dates may miss 1t two or three
weeks. 1t is generally believed that lhese
dog days continue for forty days, put III
fact that is an indefinite period, Tor the
conjunction of Sirius with the sun some
times lasts for ffty-four days. The sum
of the whole matter Is that about TINS
time Of the year we may look for very
hot weather and showers almost every
day, and to call it fodder pulling weather.
would be as good a name as any. Whe'n-
er Sirius has anything to do with II OF not
we can only surmise, but SIRIUS Is Iio
dog star and gave the name ohrAus 40
the yery brightest star In the heavens,
and Is In the mouth of 81 big dog-a coii-
stellation that the ancient astronomers
named CAMS major The ancient Hsyp-
tins mapped off the starry heavens with
imaginary animals and men, such 40
dogs, bears. dragons, bulls, Hercules'
Orion, etc, and the names they gave "
groups OF stars have never been chaiiseu'
There is a big dog and a little DOG, q DIS
bear and little bear. a big upper All"
a little dipper Right in the UP OF INC
tail of the little bear in a very notapie
star called the Pole star, or North star,
that navigators used to sail by ana lney
called 1t Cynoskurous, which In Greek
means O. dogtail From this name we
have the word cynosure and so when we
saw Of a beautiful woman in an assem-
bly, that she was the cynosure of all eyes
it is equivalent to saying that she was
the dog tail Of the concern. Just how
the sailors got to calling this star the
dogtail Is not known, for 1t is really III
ursa minor. the little bears tall. Inc
ancients gave many names to the stars 10
fit things In nature that they resen-
bled The word comet comes from come
tuS which means a mare S TAI. Inc
word lunatic comes from luna, the moon,
for the ancients believed that the mlhd
was affected by changes in the moon
Those old Egyptians were very magma
tive and superstitious, but they were
very learned. How they got SO far aheao
of the Hebrews, Gods favorite people,
we do not know. Their astronomy
mathematics and architecture have never
been improved. The scriptures tell US
that Moses was learned IN all the WIS
dom of the Egyptians. Job ASKS CdllSe
thou bind the sweet influences OF FIeIdueS
or loose the bands OF Orion! Amos CANS
them the seven stars and mytholosy
names them the seven sisters. but modern
astronomers say there never We're but SIX
ana there are only six now. Hence the
e,lnerstitition about the lost Plead. Their
sweet influences" are said to come from
tho fact that whenever seen in the heav-
ems it is a sign of good weather ana a
safe time Tor vessels to sail. for piciah
means a sail. It IS like the pretty WORD
haIcyon that literally means duck egg
time. for the elder duck never builds It's
nest on the cliffs by the sea until pleasant
weather comes to stay for the season.
Hence the word ais the sea and con an
egg.
But I reckon this Is enough about dog
days.
Some notable person--I believe 1t was
Lady Montague-said There Is no enter
talnment SO cheap as reading and no
pleasure as fasting" Especially IS this
true nowadays when there is so much
to read that is cheap. Instructive ana IN
teresting N fact, reading IS now the
best part Of liberal education. wei
read person IS wiser, happier and better
fitted for the duties and trials of life than
the scholar who has graduated at the top
In the arts and sciences. or course,
mean good reading-such as history, an
cent and modern; biography, where we
get both example and precept; good story
books and standard novels that teach
good morals; good magazine literature
and good newspapers, whose editors are
conscientious and feel their responsibility.
LAS mar sows, 50 shall he reap" and
we might as truly say what child reads
SO will his or her moral and emotional
character be- The schools educate tho
intellect only, but reading affects the
heart, the emotions and passions and
establishes the character OF the young
for good or for evil. Man has been de-
fined to be a bundle of prejudices, and
these preiudices most generally come from
the books, magazines or newspapers that
We read
Little stories like "Androcies and the
Lion" or Damon and Pythias" have
nodded the character of thousands Of
children, and just so have Robinson
Cruso," and young Marooners' and the
Swiss Family Robinson established the
characters OF children of a larger growth.
Whether a man despises or admires Ma
poleon depends on whether he has read
Scott or Abbott Whether n man was
a whg or a democrat in the old times
depended on the newspaper he took. AS
great man as DR.. Miller, who was an
old line whig, had contempt for Thomas
jefferson because he was per-se the
founder of the democratic party. JEFF
ferson must have been a very great
man." said I, ''for he wrote the declara-
ton of independence" "And what is
that" said the doctor, but a series of
ungrammatical platitudes that any school
boy might have written. The first SEN
tence is ridiculous. for it says a decent
respect for the opinions of mankind. A
decent respect Who ever heard of an
indecent respect? Why didn't he say
respect for and leave out the decent"
and he scarfied the whole document from
q wing standpoint
Wen | was Eliminating about this while
reading Percy Gregg's heightened but
morciess criticism OF Harriet Beecher