The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-12-29
Relic of
Saxon
Days

ID, la22. western Newspaper Union. y


70, 1922. Western Newspaper Union.)
THE New Year begins precisely at
= midnight, and almost everyone now
adayS sees the New Year In by general
festivities and many good resolutions.
which are promptly forgotten on jan
uary 2.
The festivities marking this occasion,
says Hereward Darlington, scientist
and author, are very ancient, and in
old Saxon days it was the custom to
partake of bowl Of spiced ale, which
was passed around with the expression
"Wasshael," which meant ito your
health !" Hence the origin of the Was
sail, or Wassel bowl.
We now keep New Year on January
the first; but the Chinese, Jews, Turks
and many others do not observe 1t on
this day. Even Christian countries have
not always so observed 1t; the Romans
began the year with the March
equinox. The later Teutonic nations
for long time continued counting the
beginning Of the year from March Is
1t was only in 1865, by an edict OF
Charles TX, that France changed the
time Of the beginning Of the year to
January 1. In 1900 Scotland made
the same change, and England only
did so in 1852, when the Gregorian
system was adopted there. 1t will
thus be seen that the New Year, OBJ,
served on January /. is relatively new
though we are accustomed to think
that it dates back from time i'm.
memorial.
It was julius Caesar, in the year
46 B. G., who first reformed the calen
dat-aided by the Egyptian astronomer
Sosigenes. He made it few minutes
too long, and q second correction was
necessary. Pope Gregory made GER
tain changes In 1882, A. D., and adj
ditipnal minor changes were made later
on, from the told style' to the ''new
style calendar" We now employ the
new STYLE
After the French revolution France
decided to set up an entirely new or
der Of things. A new calendar was
made. The Christian era was wiped
out, and was replaced by the new
French era, beginning September %,
! 1892, Instead of our week Of seven
days, week Of ten days was estab-
lished-in accordance with the decimal
systematic tenth day being set aside
for rest.
Instead Of the NEUROLOGICAL names
Of the months, others deduced from
the prevailing seasons Of the year were
substituted.
Everything was to be based upon
reason! The Notre Dame was con-
verted into a Temple Of Reason"
Nine. Momero, the young and beautiful
wife of Jacobin printer. was chosen
to represent Reason" And SO 1t
went.
The months were chosen and given
French names which were thought to
be characteristic of them. Thus,
autumn had a vintage month, q foggy
month and a sleety month. Winter,
snowy month, a rainy month and
2 windy month. Spring, q. budding
month, a flowery month and q pasture
month. Summer, q harvest month, a
bot month and q fruit month
Each month began somewhere be-
tween the 18th and the 22pd-accord-
ing to our reckoning. Thus the first
month of the autumn trio began on
September 2a, and lasted until De-
toher a, etc.
With the restoration Of q stable
government In France, this calendar
was repealed, and the usual one sub
stituted. But fer time, as we hay,
seen, New Year day did not begin on
January |, In France. 20 late as the
last century. and II does not begir
on that date in n-christian couD
tries even todayl