Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-03-23
CRUDE ASTRONOMY.
Russian Peasants Have Queer Ideas OF
Sun, Moon and Stars.

Russian Peasants Have Queer Ideas Of
Sun, Moon and Stars.
We have it on no less authority than
that Of Caesar that the Druids taught
their disciples many things about the
form and dimensions of the earth and
the heavens and u body Of doctrines
on the motions Of the stars. Even
death itself was to them IN astrOnom-
ical fact. They held that from this
life we pass to take up our abode In
one Of the heavenly bodies. That they
firmly held to this belief Is manifest
from the fact that they had no OBJ
lection to lending money to be repaid
in the other world They looked upon
the passage Of life in much the same
way as we regard a journey across the
Atlantic.
There is no doubt that even COW in
various parts Of Europe the views of
the peasantry as to the heavenly bod
les and celestial phenomena have
changed but little from those Of their
predecessors Of thousand years ago.
A Russian contributed to the bulletin
Of the Astronomical Society Of France
has given the results Of his observa-
lions on this point extending over ten
years. The astronomical lore Of the
Russian peasantry of the north. center
and south is limited to a knowledge
Of the existence of the sun and moon.
Of three constitutions of the Milky
way. Of one planet. of comets. shoot
ing stars and meteors. The sun is to
all mysterious and benefcent being.
The moon covered with ice and
snow is ever III flight from its brother.
the sun. Upon its disk may be seen
Enthusiastically portrayed the murder of
Abel by Cain. the latter being done
to death by a pitchfork. Chill are
the lunar rays. and woe betide the
child of man who shall sleep unpro-
tected therefrom! From the horns
Of the crescent much useful informa-
ton as to the Forthcoming weather
may be derived by the learned in such
things.
The stars are lamps or candles
which are lit and extinguished daily
by the Eternal. A shooting star is
the soul Of one who has just passed
away. Comets are heralds Of, war and
famine. No Russian ever forgets that
the Napoleanic war followed the great
comet of 1811.-Westminster Gazette.
A F:=h With Teeth on His Tongue.
The biggest Of fresh water fishes.
the '.arapaima' Of the Amazon. in
South America. which grows to sis
feet In length. has teeth on its tongue.
80 that the latter resembles the file
and Is used as such. Some kinds Of
trout also have the same popularity.
Fishes that swallow their prey entire
have their teeth so supported on t1exi-
Bile bases as to bend backward. but
not forward. in order that their VIC
Tins shalt not escape after they have
been once seized. In ages gone by
there were ferocious sharks. seventy
feet in length. such as would make a
mouthful Of you without blinking.
Plenty of thei1 teeth have been found
which are five inches long. whereas
the biggest Of the teeth belonging to
sharks that exist at the present day
are one and q half inches long.
Speaking of extinct creatures reminds
us that all Of. the early birds-those
Of early geological times. that is-had
teeth. with which they captured the
early worms OF the same period. Be-
ing descendant from reptiles. 1t is nat
ural that they should possess dental
equipment. but when they ceased to
be carnivorous they had no teeth any
longer. ill.,. :.
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! ...,.,. III Ak ILL., I YAK -.
!. ~. Know Her Limitations. - /.
! He-Now that We. are married, pet,
do You love me enough 10 cook for mel
She Enough. darling7 I love You en-
tirely too much for thai. -Boston Tran
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