Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-04

the heavenly bodies That primitive pas
| toral people who first watched the sky by night
sought in their Technology of the zodiacal con-
stellations such symbols stood for the things
| of chief import in their simple. natural life.
They used as emblems of those stars that
| rose with the sun in the spring OF the year the
animals held in highest esteem by the shep-
herds, creatures whence were derived their
livelihood and their riches. Thus came Aries.
the Ram. followed by Taurus and Gemini,
for March, April. and May. Then. as the sun
entered the sign Cancer, at the summer sol
stice, it ceased its progress toward the North
the south. These earliest astronomers pic
tured this retrograde movement by the Crab,
which, as they believed walked backward.
| The Egyptians used also the Scarabaus for
| this sign; but that was for religious reasons:
the Crab was certainly the older symbol
The fierce. overpowering heat that followed
| was indicated by the Lion, which at this season
was driven by thirst from the lntolerable dry
| ness of the desert to show itself on the banks
of the Nile. Then, about the time of the
in token of this was displayed the Virgin
Reaper, with an ear of corn in her hand.
At the autumnal equinox, the sun passed
into Libra, and the days and nights through
fact was signifed by the sign of the Balance.
or Scales. Autumn fruits were blamed by
| the ancients the cause of many diseases, and
they characterized the season ungraciously by
the SCORPION, winch, as IL IeCeQeS WOUNDS ny
sting m its tail. The fall of the leaf was the
| time for hunting; so the emblem became
Huntsman. or Archer with his arrows. Next,
as the sun began its half-year s ascent from
| the southern tropic. the symbol of the accom-
pany ing constellation was that famous climber,
the Goat.
Then came Aquarius, the water bearer. to
mark the dreary winter season: and finally,
| last of the zodiacal consultations, Pisces, two
fishes back to back a X They Were originally Say
afterward Greeks and Romans gave them
| place in their pantheons.
Can't Change the Names
THERE is something beautiful in the SIM
plicity of these symbols derived from the
| primitive manner of life They are plain and
direct yet have endured in the celestial history;
the quiet dignity of them cannot be destroyed;
they set in their places for all time Therein
| lies singular truth: the permanence of these
| names. The designations made in the farthest
past hold their positions unassailably. Men.
and great ones, have often sought to do away
with them; but they have striven in vain:
No learning, or station, or riches may avail
so to name star that it will be known thus
by all men through the ages. Something
subtler rules,-a conspiracy OF causes,-ere
| such immortality may be found. 1t would
seem, indeed, as if honor sometimes hinged
on luck
The one great adventure exploited in the
| naming of the heavens is the quest of the
Golden Fleece. Every person and thing of
| Importance in that mad voyage is celebrated
| in the names of the consultations And the
explanation is found in the fact that one of
Jasons company was Museus, who after his
| return from the adventure was the first to
construct a celestial sphere. Naturally, he
celebrated the exploits of himself and his COM
panions. From that day to this, the stars
Simmer as souvenirs of that expedition.
| Museus possessed the right to give what
| names he chose where were names before:
| moreover he chose to commemorate the chief
| adventure in all history. Therefore, those
names remain. nor can they ever be changed
An artificial effort must fail in anything of
| such vast import as this nomenclature of the
heavens. Such attempts have been made re-
peatedly; but they have failed always. No
less person than the Venerable Bede substi-
tuted for the old names of the zodiacal signs
the names of the Twelve Apostles. julius
Schillerius was even more devoutly enthusiast
tic, and in 1927 performed the tedious task of
completing this reformation: he gave biblical
names to all the consultations. Happily.
these efforts were wholly unappreciated. The
world would have none of such tampering
with its Technology.
Nor was a better fate in store for Weigelius,
professor of mathematics in the University
of Jena. Why the good man should have
been SO foolish, none may say; but certain it
is that he painstakingly elaborated the register
of the stars by making it into c0lnm heraldi-
cum, where were introduced the arms of all