Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-10-18

October is the tenth month of the
calendar year yet it was not always
so. 1t is derived from the Latin Octo,
or eight. 1t has varied in the num-
Der of its days from 20 to 80. In the
Alban calendar it was the longest
month-thirty-ni days Romulus
gave it only thirty-one and Numa re-
duced it to its lowest estate by max
ing it Twenty-Five. In the calendar
arranged by julius all the odd months
had thirty-one days, while all the
others excepting February, which had
twenty-nine, were composed of thirty.
By this arrangement October, an
even month, had thirty days in the
Julian calendar, but when Augustus,
to crafty his vanity, added a day to
the month named in his honor, Au-
gust, which was before his time Sex
tilis and had only thirty days, it was
increased in length so that it would
equal the month named for Julius.
Then, in order that three months OF
thirty-one days might not come to-
gether September and November, odd
months, were reduced to thirty days,
while October and December, even
months, were each increased from
thirty to thirty-one. Thus the simple
arrangement of julius Caesar was
abandoned that the month named for
the emperor Augustus might equal
in length the one named for Julius.
Feast Days.
Our boys and girls are probably
glad to have that thirty-first day,
since it gives them cnance to play
Halloween pranks. One of the
feasts Of the ancients, the Meditrina.
liza, was held on the 18th of October,
when a libation of new wine was
made in honor of Meditrina, which
shows that long ago, others than the
Saxon connected this month with the
vintage. The Saxons also called it
winter-fyllith, from the winter ap-
preaching with the full moon of the
month, the power of the cold increas-
ing over that of the sun, which is on
the decline. To the slavs it was
known as the yellow month, pre-
sumably because of the whitening and
falling leaves.
The Old saxons.
tho roadar NAV r.
ested in reading from the quaint old
English of Verstegan, which tells us
that our Saxon ancestors called Oc-
tober wynmonat, wymonath or wine
month, and albeit they had not al
ways wines made in Germany, yet in
this season had they them from
divers countries adjoining. Those an
cestors of ours were a lusty folk,
fond of eating and drinking, as is
shown in their naming of this Octo-
Der Of ours, the wine month, while
September was the ''gerst monat, for
that barley, which that moneth CON-
monty yielded was anciently called
gerst, the name of barley being given
unto it by reason of the drinke there
with made called Deere, and from
beerlegh it came to barley; so in
like manner beerheym, to-wit, the
over decking or covering of beer,
came to be called berham, and al
terHately barme, having since gotten
| wot not how many names besides
The Beer Month.
September was called the beer
month by these old ancient ancestors
of ours. The French calendar, that
of the revolution of the bloody Rob
espierre, also plays an important
part in the history of this month. In
the republican calendar of the first
French republic, in which the year /
began with September %, f792-the
first month, beginning at the autumn
nal equinox and combining part of
September and October-was Vinde.
MARE. meaning vintage. The makers
OF that calendar forestalled us a lit.
tie in our talk about the seasons in
connection with the months by giving
their twelve months names express
sive of the various seasons.
The Calendar.
This republican calendar. or calen-
dar Of reason which was framed by
one Fabre d'Eglantine. though 1t dat.
ed from the formal proclamation of
the abolition of royalty by the repre-.
sentatives of the nation, was not for.
mally adopted by the convention, at
that time governed by Robespierre.
until Oct. 5. 1898. 1t had twelve
months Of thirty days each, TO which
five days were added at the end of the
ordinary year, and a sixth to every
fourth year as the position Of the
equinox required it. These supple.
mentary days were holidays and cor
responded to the nth, 18th, 18th, goth.
and 21st OF September In the Gregor
ian calendar. They were commonly
called sans-culottides. out OF respect
to the revolutionists. and were dedi
Gated to virtue, genius, labor, opinion
and recompense.
Interesting Study.
The study OF these names nj tha