Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-15
THE PLOUGH.
It's Place In Language, Astronomy and
Leuend.

It's Place In Language, Astronomy and
Legend.
Despite the fact that Plough Mon
day" with all its old-world rites and
ceremonies occurs in January, 1t is
within the following weeks that the
plough itself is most in evidence. 1t
is rather interesting to turn from
modern scientific accounts Of the
plough, with their elaborate explana-
tions Of its dynamic operation and
their formulae for the displacement Of
the earth, to the early descriptions
with their simple rules. There Is In
the plough a certain stately dignity
which places 1t in much the same po-
sition with regard to modern techni-
calities as the Pyramids and Sphinx
occupy, we will say, to a treatise on the
permanence Of building material. For.
long before Sphinx or Pyramid tower
ed above the plains Of Egypt was the
plough, effectively much the same as
we know 1t, in general use.
The very name of our parent stock,
the Aryan, signifies, we are told, the
"ploughing people," the root "ar' Is
discernible in countless words, for the
simple reason that ploughing was en-
phatically the one great and needful
work. and those who performed 1t the
natural lords Of mankind.
In Greek, Latin, Gothic, Celtic and
other languages the words for plough
are plainly kindred, all exhibiting the
root syllable. We preserve the idea
In our words harrow" harvest" and
version, 1T ear the cofn." Some, in
deed tell us that in its secondary
sense Of "the work" par excellence.
and so of work in general. we find the
plough" idea In our earnest" SER
rand, art" earnings" and other
words. 1t Is even claimed that, In the
sense of lordship-thence rule and
kingdom-we find the plough root" in
the name for Ireland-more discernIble :
in its poetic form Of Erin. There is
another word which, In addition to its
genealogical origin, has q further
claim to mention In connection with
plough lore-"aroma." This, authoi-
ties tell US, originally signiied the
smell Of the newly turned earth-"that
sweet earthly aroma" to quote Thom-
as Miller, which is loosened and scat
tered on the breeze by the ploughshare,
one Of the purest of a.; spring perfu-
mers." And this aroma" is, or used
to be, strongly advocated as cure
for delicate people. Bacon speaks
highly Of it, and other writer's assert
that 1t was by no means an unknown
thing for invalids to have a rough sort
Of sleigh chair hitched onto the
plough, that they might inhale the
health giving scent in all its fresh
ness.
But Of all plough lore perhaps the
most interesting, as 1t is the most rec
ondite, is the association that has
been traced between the familiar in
strument Of agriculture and the con-
stellations Of the heavens. In those
the sign "Candidus auratis
aperit cum cornibus annum Taurus"
| (The shining bull with golden horns
opens the year)it is said that the con-
stellation itself received its name from
the steer that, In the early spring, was
in such demand to draw the plough.
Still more striking is the coincidence,
though the appropriateness Of the
phrase may be questioned, indicated
by the announcements in our almanacs
of today, that in the latter end Of Feb
ruary and beginning Of March "Ura
Major Is on the meridian at midnight"
For one Of the best known folk-names
for Ursa Major is the Prough; by a
modification and development Of the
same idea, the Romans called Its COM
ponent stars the Seven Ploughing OK
en-. And there is yet another and
more intimate association Of q con-
stellation with the plough. Bootes
means the Plough, and its splendid
star Arcturus, from its connection
with Ursa Major, is known as the
Ploughman. And Hesiod in his
Works and Days." tells as that when
after the winter solstice Jove hath full
filled sixty days Of winter, even then 1t
is that the star Arcturus go first rises
brightly beaming in the twilight" a
computation which brings US to about
the oath of February, when Virgil ex-
horts to 'let your sturdy steers turn
up a soil rich from the first month OF
the year even toward the rising
of Arcturus."
AS to the inventor of the plough,
mythology gives us the choice OF sew
eral, the favorite being undoubtedly,
Triptolemus, Demeters protege, the
boy instructor in the art OF the
crooked plough" Of the Georges. Very
strange are some Of the rites which
plough lore tells US Of. In some east
ern counties, to avert a drought wom-
en-, clad a la Lady Godiva, are set to
plough a field at midnight and in the
strictest privacy; in Germany the
ploughmen after the first days labor
used to be drenched with water-an
Irritating process which seems to pre-
suppose the amiable disposition Chau-
Ger gives Of his ploughman as one who
lived "in pees an parfite charitee" and
loved his neighbor right as himselve.
In this connection it is interesting to
recall the familiar story Of Cincinna-
tus, "who was informed as he plough
ed his field that the senate had ap-
pointed him dictator" And now, In
Plutarch's words, "the founder Of the
city taketh plough, to which he fas-
teneth - an OK and cow, he himself
holding the plough, and doth make
round about the compass Of the city a
deep furrow." On the eve. Of his first
victory we see the royal son Of Kish
following his oxen from the field; he
on whom fell the mantle Of Elijah re-
ceivd his call while "ploughing with
ktwelve yoke Of oxen" Very early did
many Of us doubtless become famil-
iarized with another. age-old plough
story, as told in the simple and poetic