The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-08-13
BILL ARP.
NEEEEGSAXEEHE ExSE&ExEENEG

SWEET SOule VI tHOSe interesting QuGS
tions through the ~far-reaching medium
Of the press. Here are three inquiries
from among your readers who wish Il
know something definite about these
so-called cog days. OF course, l know
only what l get from books, but a vast
multitude have not the books nor &C
cess to them. Whether the advent and
the influence OF dog days be q super
sjition or a fact, all that is known
should be disseminated.
pliny and Herodotus both wrote
about dog days 400 years before Christ.
Ancient astronomers and modern ones
agree in ascribing to Sirius a yery ma
lignant influence when It arises in con-
junction with the sun. for it Is the
brightest star in the heavens and its
great head added to the heat OF the
sun increases and intensifie5 the tels
perature as long as this conjunction
continues. But this rising with the sun
is not a fixed day. 1t varies from the
%rd of July to the 18th Of August AMI
hence the almanac makers take an
average day and set down July Goth as
the first dog day. Some date it July
-Ilu, uul tICSC olS lsdy iiS IL ="
or three weeks. 1t is generally believed
that these dog days continue for forty
days, but in fact that is ar indefinite
period, for the conjunction Of Sic!us
with the sun sometimes lasts for fifty
four days. The sum of the whole nat
ter is that about this time OF the year
we may look for very no! weather and
| showers almost every day. and to call
1t fodder pulling weather would be as
good a name as any. Whether Sirius
has anything to 10 with II or not we
can only surmise, but Sirius is the dog
star and gave The lame. Sirius Is the
very brightest star in the heavens, ard
is in the mouth Of a big dog-a con-
stellation that the ancient astronomers
named CAMS major. The ancient Egyp-
tians mapped of the starry heavens
with imaginary animals and men, such
as dogs, bears, dragons, bulls, Hercules,
Orion, eiv., and the names they gave to
groups of stars have never been cnang-
| ed. There is a big dog and a little dog,
a big pear and a little bear, a big DIP
per and a little dipper. Right in the
tip Of the tail of the little bear in a
very notable star called the Pole star
or North star, that navigatorS used to
sail by and they called It C~ynosarrons,
which in Greek means q aogtail. From
tbs name We have the word cynosure
ana so when We say OF a beautiful wo-
man in an assembly that size vas the
cynosure Of all eyes it is equivalent TO
saying that she was the dos tail of me
concern. Just how the sailors got to
calling this star the dogtd!l is Lot
known, for it is really in ursa minor.
the little bears tail. The ancieais gave
many names 70 the stars to tit things
in nature that they resembled. the
word comet comes from conetus. The
means a mares tail. The word lunatlc
comes from luna, the moon, for the
arcients believed that the mind was
affected by changes in the moon. Those
old Egyptians were very imaginative
and superstitious. but they were very
learned. How they got so far ahead CT
the Hebrews, Gods favorite people, we
&c not know. Their astronomy, mathe-
mates and architecture have never
been improved. The scriptures tell lis
.hat Moses was learned in all the Ms
dom Of the Egyptians. Job asks:
"Cans. thou bind the sweet influences
of Plaiades or loose the bands OF
Orion? Amos calls them the seven
STARS and mythology names them the
seven sisters, bit modern astronomers
sag there never were but six and there
are only six now. Hence the supersti-
ton about the lost Plciad. Their sweet
influences" are said to come from the
fact that whenever seen in the heavens
it is a sign of good weather and a safe
time for vessels to sail, for pleian
means a 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 THE is enough about
dog days.
Some noble person. believe it was
Lady Montague-said There is no en-
tertainment so cheap as reading and no
pleasure as lasting. Especially is this
true nowadays when there Is SO much
to read that is cheap, instructive and
interesting. In fact, reading is now the
best part Of a liberal education. a we'll
read person is wiser, happier and bet
ter fitted for the duties and trials Of
life than the scholar who has gradu-
ated at he top in the arts and sciences.
or course, l mean good reading, suchas
history, ancient and modern; bio
graphy, where we get both example
and 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 a man sows. so shall he reap" ana
we might as truly say what a child
reads, so will his or her moral and
emotional character be. The schools
educate the intellect only. but reading
affects the heart. the emotions and pas
sions and establishes the character OF
the young for good or for evil. Man
has been defined to be a bundle OF pre-
JUDGES, and these prejudices most gen.
orally come from the books, magazines
or ne Tspapers that we read.
ift1o ctoriec Eko SA~ndrOplps and the