The Princeton union., 1922-12-28
Relic Of
Saxon
Days ~

10, 1922, Western Newspaper Union)
THE New Year begins precisely at
4 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 it on
this day. Even Christian countries have
not always so observed it; 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 25.
It was only in 1868, by an edict Of
Charles TX, that France changed the
time Of the beginning Of the year to
January l. In 1900 Scotland made
the same change, and England only
did so in 1852, when the Gregorian
system was adopted there. It will
thus be seen that the New Year, OBJ
served on January 1, is relatively 1ew,
though we are accustomed to think
that it dates back from time i'm
memorial.
1t was julius Caesar, in the year
46 B. c., who first reformed the calen-
dar-aided by the Egyptian astronomer
Sosigenes. He made it few minutes
too long, and second correction was
necessary. Pope Gregory made GER
tain changes in 1882, A. D., and ad-
ditional minor changes were made later
on, from the "old 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 o.
1892. Instead of our week Of seven
days, a week of ten days was estab-
llshed-in accordance with the decimal
system-the 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 "Temple of Reason"
Mime. Momero, the young and beautiful
wife Of Jacobin printer, was chosen
to represent reason" And 50 it
went.
The months were chosen and given
French names which We're thought to
be characteristic of them. Thus,
autumn had vintage month, foggy
month and sleety month. Winter,
snowy month, a rainy month and
a windy month. Spring, a budding
month, a flowery month and a pasture
month. Summer, harvest month, a
hot month and a fruit month.
Each month began somewhere be-
tween the 18th and the 22nd-accord-
ing to our reckoning. Thus the first
month of the autumn trio began on
September %, and lasted until Oc-
tober 21, etc.
With the restoration of stable
government in France, this calendar
was repealed, and the usual one suit.
stituted. But for a time, as we have
seen, New Year day did not begin on
January 1, in France, so late as the
last century, and it does not begin
on that date in non-Christian coun.
tries even today!