At this time we celebrate the birth
of the New' Year and erect another
miles'one on the road of Time. How
few think that. 152 years ago the year
at this season was old. How came the
change? Not by the revolution of the
earth, for that is practically un
changeable, but through the interven
tion of human enactment. Though
time, as measured by the motions of
I he earth, may be taken as constant,
yet its divisions into seconds, minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months, years,
eras, their beginnings and endings, are
arbitrary products of the human mind,
and therefore variable.
All nations and people have a par
ticular epoch from which they date
the era in which they may have lived.
The Romans dated their chronological
events from the founding of the city.
The expression, “The year of Rome,”
. or the letters A. U. C. tab urbs con
dita) refers to that particular epoch.
The Mohammedans express their se
quence of time by “the year of the
prophet.” The date is from the Hejira,
or the flight of Mohammed from
Mecca (Hejira is pronounced Hej i-ra,
and is an Arabic word meaning flight),
which occurred A. D. C22. The Jews
reckon their dispensation from the
creation of the world, but in reality
their chronology begins with the
Exodus. Moses intentionally intro
duced a new calendar, and makes
Abib their first month. It has been
supposed that the Jewish Sabbath is
the same as the seventh day on which
God ended His work, but as Moses
changed the first month to Abib, he
changed the first day also. The first
day of this new year was the first
day of the first month and the first
day of the first week. The Sabbath
being held on the seventh day, it must
of necessity have been changed also.
But being changed, it could not be in
correspondence with the seventh day
of creation on which God "rested.”
Christians date their epoch from the
birth of Christ, the expression for
which is the 1-atin words Anno Dom
ini, or A, D., the initial letters of the
words. Five centuries elapsed before
an attempt was made to authoritative
ly fix the date of the Nativity. This
was then undertaken by Dionysius
Exiguus (little), who fixed our present
chronology. It is now generally al
lowed that he was four years out in
his reckoning, and that B. C. 4 is the
correct year. This corresponds with
the statement by Ireneus and Tertul
lian that Christ was born about the
year of Rome 751.
Different nations have begun their
count of time at different parts of the
twenty-four hours. The ancient Ac
cadians, Babylonians. Syrians, Per
sians, the modern Greeks and the in
habitants of the Balearic isles reckon
their day from sunrise to sunrise. Why
the ancient nations began the day at
sunrise is evident from their early re
ligion, which was Magism. Fire was
a chief object of reverence with them,
and the sun as the grand symbol of
their worship received especial venera
tion. Hence they began their day as
they began their devotions—with the
rising sun.
Others, like the Athenians, the Chi
nese and the Jews have counted the
day from sunset to sunset. Why the
Jews begin the day from sunset is
potent from their religion. The char
acteristics of the Jewish religion are
in sharp contrast to those of other
nations. The aim of Moses was to
wean them from the grossness of
oriental religions. Hence the contrasts
and antitheses. If the worshipers of
the elements begin the day with sun
rise, then the followers of Jehovah
will begin theirs with sunset. Moses
can have no concord witn error.
The Egyptians and pagan Roman
priests began their day at midnight.
Most European nations follow the
fame rule. Americans have also adopt
ed the custom. Astronomers, however,
begin the day at noon, when the sun
is on the meridian.
The day, meaning thereby light,
from sunrise to sunset, was in ancient
times divided into twelve equal parts,
called hours. A similar division was
observed with the night. Thus it will
be seen the hour was constantly
changing in its duration. The hour of
the day in winter, when the days were
short, was much longer than in sum
mer, and vice versa. The same, of
course, was the case with the nights,
also. So that only at the equinoxes
were the two series of hours equal.
This was most inconvenient and re
sulted in much confusion.
To Hipparchus, a Greek philosopher,
who flourished about B. C. 150, must
be given the credit of dividing tne
day from midnight to midnight into
twenty-four hours, or two equal por
tions of twelve hours each. This sys
tem prevails generally at the present
day. But astronomers count continu
ously for twenty-four hours.
The week, as all know, consists of
seven days. Christians and Jews
hold this division because God created
the heaven and the earth (the solar
system) and primordial forms of life
in six days, and rested” on the
seventh. But it would seem that
pagan nations selected seven days be
cause of the seven planets known to
them, after which they called the
days. The sun and moon were in
cluded in the planets. They were:
Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn. We call three days
of the week directly after the planets
—Saturday (Saturn), Sunday (Sun),
Monday (Moon), and four through the
Saxon names for the others: Tuesday
(Tuesco—Mars), Wednesday (Woden
—Mercury), Thursday (Thor—Jupi
ter), and Friday (Friga—Venus).
The month, no doubt, originated
from the phases of the moon. These,
sharp and well-defined, are four in
number: the new moon, first quarter,
full moon and last quarter. Bach of
these phases occupies about seven
days, so that from new’ full moon to
new full moon, there is something
more than twenty-nine days, which is
called a synodical month, or lunation.
No nation up to the present time
has devised a system of absolute ac
curacy in the measurement of the
colar year. Some ancient nations, such
as the Chaldeans, reckoned the year
as 360 days. This is the principle of
that most ancient astronomical term,
the Zodiac. The Zodiac is a belt en
circling the heavens on each side of
the ecliptic, within which the planets
known to the ancients always revolve.
It extends eight degrees on each side
of the ecliptic. It is divided into
twelve equal parts, called signs of the
Zodiac. It is a great cycle, and is di
vided into 360 degrees, like all cir
cles; hence 360 days in the Chaldean
year.
The Egyptians counted 365 days in
their year. As the year contains
365*4 days nearly, such systems could
not fail to work great inconvenience,
for the seasons would move round in
j a cycle from one time of the year to
i the other. Let me make this quite
I plain. Take the winter solstice, for
instance, which happens on Dec. 21.
At the end of four years the solstice
would be not on Dec. 21. but on Dec.
22. The sun would be behind time. In
order, therefore, that the seasons
should occur at the same time in the
civil year, it was necessary to take
account of this fraction of a day.
Julius Caesar, the great Roman em
peror. determined to rectify the error.
He called the celebrated Egyptian as
tronomer, Sosigines, to his aid. Sosi
gines suggested the addition of a day
every fourth year. This day was add
ed to February, and is known to us as
"Leap Year.” but to the Romans as
Bissextile (Bis, twice, sextus, sixth).
This corrected calendar became
known as the Julian. But as It made
the year consist of 365 days, 6 hours,
it was in excess of the actual time by
1 minute 10.3 seconds. Small as was
this fraction, it accumulated to about
one day in every 134 years.
The calendar needed reform. Time,
civil and ecclesiastical, required re
adjustment. But to urge the neces
sary change was dangerous, as the
learned Friar Bacon found to his cost.
For pointing out errors in the calendar
he received as a reward for the ad
vocacy of the truth a prison, where he
remained ten years.
As often happens, ecclesiastical
requirements minister to civil neces
sities. The immediate cause of the
correction of the calendar was an
error in the time of observing the
Easter festival. The Council of Nice,
in A. D. 325, decreed that Easter is
the Sunday following the full moon,
next after the Vernal equinox. Owing
to disputes arising from this decree
Pope Hilarlus, in 463, ordered that the
paschal moon should not be the actual
full moon, but an ideal one, falling on
the 14th day of the moon by the
metonic cycle (so-called from Metoni.
a Greek philosopher who discovered
it. It consists of nineteen years, at
the end of which the sun is in about
the same position he was at the be
ginning).
In 1582 it was found that the real
equinox fell ten days before the nom
inal one. and from the error in the
Metonic cycle, Easter had got four
days wrong. Then Pope Gregory
XIII reformed the calendar, called
after him the Gregorian calendar, by
the aid of Clavius, a learned Jesuit.
The equinox of 1582, which should
have fallen on March 21, fell on
March 11. Gregory cut the Gordian
knot by decreeing that Oct. 5 of that
year should be counted as Oct. 15.
To the question, What is time? We
may give the answer, duration, as
measured by the solar system. For
everyday purposes and artificial di
visions mechanical contrivances are
necessary.
The first method of measuring time,
as far as we know, was by means of
the obelisk. The pyramids of Egypt
very probably answered the same pur
pose, Josephus states that Moses
erected, at Heliopolis, in Egypt, a pil
lar for such purposes. “The cloudy
pillar” that accompanied the Israel
ites in their forty years' wanderings in
the wilderness, and which was a “pil
lar of fire by night,” most likely an
swered the same purpose. Pliny states
that an obelisk, now on the Thames
embankment in I^ondon. and known
as “Cleopatra's Needle,” was erected
by Mesophres about B. C. 1700, likely
for similar uses. We all know, l hope,
the reference in the Bible to the sun
dial of Ahaz, about B. C. 740. Accord
ing to St. Jerome, who revised the old
1 ^atin Blhle into what is called the
Vulgate Version of the Holy Scrip
—.— VIP Vw M
tures. It was a pillar erected near a
flight of steps (translated degrees in
the English Bible). Berosus was tho
first to construct a sundial proper, In
B. C. 540—the first recorded in pro
fane history.
But sundials are only useful when
the sun shines: hence some other
measures of time became a necessity.
The Egyptians were successful in in
venting such a contrivance. They
called it the Clepsydra (kleps, to
steal, and hudor, water), by which
time was measured by a continuous
flow of water at a uniform motion.
The Clepsydra is first mentioned by
Empedocles, who flourished in the
fifth century before Christ. It was
brought to a high degree of perfec
tion by a philosopher of Alexandria,
named Ctesebius, and continued down
to the invention of clocks, probably in
the fourteenth century. Watches fol
lowed in due course, till they have
become an almost necessary requisite
of everyday use.
Most people are under the impres
sion that the rotation of the earth
has never varied from one complete
turn in twenty-four hours. But this is
an error. The motions of both earth
and moon have not been invariable.
There Aas a time when the lunar
month was twenty-nine days instead of
twenty-seven, as it now is (Sir R.
Ball: Time and Tide). The synodical
month, therefore, was between thirty
and thirty-one days. (A synodical
month is the interval from one new
moon to the next.) So that primitive
man. reckoning the month as a synodi
cal period, or lunation, may not have
been so inaccurate as we in our su
perior wisdom imagine.
Going back from this epoch to the
infancy of the moon, we come to a
time when the day and month were
of equal duration—about four hours
each! Going forward to the old age
of the earth, we come to an epoch
when the day and month are again
equal. But this time, instead of being
four hours each, they will be 1,400
hours. Just think of it! One day last
ing 1,400 hours! When the day will
equal fifty-eight of our present days,
what will be the length of the year?
But we must not stop at a 1,400-hour
day. Going still forward in the far-off
future, we come to a time when the
face of the earth will be always
turned to the sun, as the moon's face
is now turned to the earth, and as she
will continue to be. Then there will
be a perpetual day, for the sun shall
never set, literally fulfilling the W’ords
of the prophet: “Thy sun shall no
more go down, neither shall thy moon
withdraw Itself.” (Is. lx: 20.) The
romance of time! How it fascinates!
The new year has been observed
with festive rejoicings from remotest
antiquity. Its celebration by religious,
as well as secular observances, pre
vailed generally among the nations of
antiquity. And Egyptians, Hindus.
Chinese, Persians, Jews, Romans and
Mohammedans, although differing
widely as to the time from which they
reckon the new year, all regard it with
especial interest of a joyous kind.
In olden Roman times the new year,
which began In March, w'as inaugurat
ed by a festive procession, with the
priests of Mars carrying the sacred
shield before the people. The people
wished each other good health and
prosperity and exchanged presents.
The Chinese begin the year at the
Vernal equinox, and make it one of
the most splendid festivals. Ail
classes mingle together, and unite in
thanksgiving for mercies received and
prayers for a genial season and good
crop.
With the Hindus the first day of the
new year is sacred to Ganesa, the
god cf wisdom, to whom kids and
wild deer are sacrificed amid illumina
tions and rejoicings. Among the
mountainous tribes a hufTalo ii sac
rificed before vast multitudes of peo
nl o
In ancient Persia prisoners were
liberated and offenders pardoned. The
Persian new year much resembled the
Sabbothical year of the Jews.
The Sabeans held a grand festival
on the day the sun entered Arus, one
of the signs of the Zodiac. Priests
and people marched to the temples
and sacrificed to the planetary gods.
In the British Isles the Druids be
gan the year on March 10th, with tiie
solemn ceremony of cutting the mis
tletoe from the sacred oak. On that
day two white bulls were tied by the
horns. When a Druid, clothed in white
robes, mounted the tree and cut off
the mistletoe, after which the sacri
fices were offered.
The Mexicans on new year's day
adorned their houses and temples
and engaged in various religious cere
monies. On such occasion human
sacrifice was offered to propitiate the
gods.
In modern times it is also an occa
sion of social rejoicing and inter
change of courtesies. In England,
under old style, the year began on
March 25. On the change of date to
Jan. 1, great opposition was offered
by the people generally. Many really
believed they were being deprived of
eleven years of their existence.
Rev. F. P. Duffy, Secretary Ameri
can Church Bible Institute.
Itavcnswood, Illinois.
AS THE WORLD f
REVOLVES |
REV. BROOKE HEREFORD DEAD.
Was Among the Most Prominent of
Unitarian Divines.
Announcement was made at Boston
last week of the death in London of
Rev. Brooke Hereford, D. D., at one
time pastor of the Church of the Mes
siah in Chicago. Dr. Hereford was
pastor of the Rossiyn Hill Chapel, l,on
don, and was born in England in 1830.
As a Unitarian preacher he attained
the highest place and was regarded as
a very pillar of strength to that de
nomination. His career in Boston,
when he was in charge of the Arling
ton Street Church, will long be remem
bered for the splendid work he did.
Rev. Brooke Hereford arose to
prominence in the Unitarian church in
England, and from Manchester he
was called to Chicago in 1876, taking
charge of the Church of the Messiah.
He remained in that city until 1882,
when he went to Boston to fill the pul
pit of the Arlington Street Church,
where he was regarded as one of the
j
foremost ministers of the city. For
ten years he remained in Boston, and
then accepted a call from his native
land, taking a pastorate in Hampstead,
London. Dr. Hereford was a writer as
well as a pulpiteer, and was the author
of three books, “The Life Story of Tra
vers Madge,” “Sermons of Courage
and Cheer” and “The Forward Move
ment in Religious Thought as Inter
preted by Unitarians.” Some years
ago Dr. Hereford returned to this
country to attend the national con
ference of the Unitarians in Wash
ington. At that time he spent nearly
two months in Boston and other Mas
sachusetts cities.
ROMANCE REVEALED BY DEATH.
New York Recluse Leaves Money to
Unknown Daughter.
Alpheus D. Dubois, for fifty-three
years principal of a public school in
New York city, died the other day
after leading the life of a recluse for
many years. It was then learned that
he was worth about $500,000. The pe
tition for probate of will sets forth
that a widow, Julia Dubois, survives
him, and there Is this strange clause
in the will: “I give and bequeath to
my daughter, Ivy Blanche, married,
name and residence unknown, $10,
000.” No reference whatever is made
in the will to the widow. Two sisters
living in New York are made residu
ary legatees, but they refuse to give
any information regarding the old
man's romance.
BRIDE FOR SPANISH KING.
Youthful Bavarian Princess Said to
Have Been Selected.
According to the Spanish news
papers a project Is on foot for the mar
riage of King Alfonso to his cousin.
Princess Marie del Pilar of Bavaria.
The princess, who is 13 years old, is
/&M2
<rJ*il0UX4
the only daughter of Prince and Prin
cess Louis Ferdinand of Bavaria. Her
mother was the Infanta Marie de la
Paz of Spain, sister of King Alfonso's
father.
Career of Lieut. Perrill.
I.ieuf. Harlan P. Perrill of the
United States cruiser Atlanta, who
took a prominent part in a controver
sy with Gen. Daniel Ortiz, commander
in chief of the Colombian forces of
the Atlantic and Pacific in the Gulf of
Darien, refusing to lower the stars and
stripes on the demand of the Colom
bian officer. Is a son of Nathan A. Per
rill of Lebanon, Ind. Lieut. Perrill.
with Vera Bryan, an apprentice, also
of Lebanon, has been on the Atlantic
since the vessel has been on its pres
ent cruise. Lieut. Perrill is 29 years
old. __-__ v ^
SISTERS OF CHARITY
Use Pe-ru-na for Coughs, Colds,Grip and
Catarrh—A Congressmans Letter.
In e\rcry country of the civilired world
Sisters of Charity are known. Not only
do they minister to the spiritual and intel
lectual needs of the charges committed to
their care, but they also minister to their
bodily needs.
With so many children to take care of
and to protect from climate and disease,
these wise and prudent Sisters have found
Peruna a never failing safeguard.
Dr. Hartman receives many letters from
Catholic Sisters from all over the United
States. A recommend recently received
from a Catholic institution in Detroit,
Mich., reads as follows :
Dr. S. B Hartman, Columbus, Ohio:
Dear Sir • • The young girl who used
the Peruna was suffering from laryngi
tis, and loss of voice. The result of
the treatment was most satisfactory.
She found great relief, and after
further use of the medicine we hope to
be able to say she Is entirely cured. ”—
Sisters of Charity.
The young girl was under the care of the
Sisters of Charity and used Peruna for
catarrh of the throat with good results as
the above letter testifies.
Send to the Peruna Medicine Co., Co
lumbus, Ohio, for a free book written by
Dr. Hartman.
Ask Your Druggist for a fre
The following letter is from Congressman
Meekison, of Napoleon. Ohio:
The Peruna Medicine Co., Columbus, 0.:
Gentlemen: “I • umi
have used several
bottles of Peruna
and feel greatly
benefited there
by from my ca
tarrh of the head,
and feel encour
aged to believe
that its con
tinued use will
fully eradicate a
« ■
f David Morklson. f
disease of thirty
years' standing.’’—David Meekison.
Dr. Hartman, one of the best known
physicians and surgeons in the United
States, was the first man to formulate
Pernna. It was through hi3 genius and
perseverance that it was introduced to the
medical profession of this country.
If you do not derive prompt and satis
factory results from the use of I’eruna,
write at once to Dr. Hartman, giving a
full statement of your case and he will be
pleased to give you his valuable advice
gratis.
Address Dr. Hartman, President of The
Hartman Sanitarium, Columbus, O.
e Peruna Almanac for 1904.
rive HESTER
fpES RIFLE ®> PISTOL CARTRIDGES.
I I “ It s ,he shots that hit that count‘ ” Winchester
l__—J Rifle and Pistol Cartridges in all calibers hit, that is,
HII they shoot accurately and strike a good, hard, pene
trating blow. This is the kind of cartridges you will get,
f ^ if you insist on having the time-tried Winchester make.
I ' m all dealers sell winchester make of cartridges.
fYoursjora Clear Head*
, BROMO-SELTZER,
The fellow who would marry for
money finds it pretty hard work.
“•£5,C.V* Ti!£! Thompson** Eya Watar
Looking for a Home ?
Then why not keep In view the
fact that the farmlnc lande of
Western
Canada
are sufficient to support a population of 50.000,000
or over? The immigration for the past six years
has been phenomenal.
FREE Homestead Lands
easily accessible, while other lands may be pnr
rhasrd from Kailway and 1.and Companies. The
grain and crating lands of Western Canada are the
beat on the continent, producing the best grain,
and cattle ifed on crass alone) ready for market.
Market., School., Hallway* and all other
conditions make Weatern Canada an envi
able spot for the settler.
Write to Superintendent Immigration.Ottawa.Can
ada. for a descriptive Atlas, and other information,
or to the authorised Canadian Government Agent—
W. V. Kenneth SOI New York Lifa building.
Omaha, Neb.
f CAPSICUM VASELINE
1 (pct rp iv collapsible Trues)
A substitute for and superior to mustard or an*
other plaster, and will not blister the most
delicate skin. The pain allaying and curative
qualities of this article aie wonderful. It will
atop the toothache at once, and relieve head
ache and sciatica. We recommend i t as the best
and safest external counter-irritant known, also
as an external remedy for pains in the chest
and stomach and all rheumatic, neuralgic and
gouty complaints. A trial will prove what we
claim for it. and it will be found to be invalu
able in the household. Manv people say “ it is
the best of all your prepai ations.” Price 13
cent*, at all druggists or other dealers, or by
sending this amount to us in postage stamps w e
wili send you n tube by mail. No article should
be accepted by the public unless the same
carries our label, as otherwise i t is not genuine.
ChESEBROUGH MFG. CO.,
^^^^^^^^F^itat^dreet^iE^YoRKCiTY.
BEGGS’ CHERRY COUGH
SYRUP cures cougbs and colds.
A a w Hi View* of Atlantic City at Ha beat
vl “ T mailed to anyone Bending ua na’-ne
I I rr and addreaaof two or4iiore friends
^ ■ I— who are suffering from Catarrh*
PPPP J. C. RICKEY U CO.
r HI4 Walnut St.. l*mi,a.
j FOR WOMEN 9
I A Boston nlivsician's dis-^^Bfc
covery which cleanses and -®s*T
heals all inflammation of the mucous
membrane wherever located.
In local treatment of female ills Pax
tine is invaluable. Used as a douche it
is a revelation in cleansing and healing
power; it kills all disease germs which
cause inflammation and discharges.
Thousands of letters from women
firove that It is the greatest cure for
eucorrhusa ever discovered.
Paxtine never fails to cure pelvic
catarrh, nasal catarrh, sore throat, sore
mouth and sore eyes, because these
diseases are all caused by inflammation
of the mucous membrane.
For cleansing, whitening and pre
serving the teeth w e challenge the
world to produce its equal.
Physicians and specialists everywhere
prescribe and endorse Paxtine, and thou
sandsof test iraoniai letters prove its value.
At druggists, or sent postpaid 50 cts.
A large trial package and book of
instructions absolutely free. Write
The B. Paxton Co., Dept. 5. Boeton, Maw.
THRIFTY FARMERS
art! Invited to aettle In tlie state of Maryland, where
they will find a delightful and healthy climate,
claw markets for their product * and plenty of land
at reasonable prlcaa. Map and ncm rfptlve pamph*
lets will be hent free on application to
H. BADENHOOP,
Sec'v State Board of Immigration, BALTIMORE. MD.
W. N. U., Omaha. No. 1—1904
"uRES WhTrTalL tLbETAIlSr^'^fir
Boat t ough Syrup. Taatea Good. Uae (3
In time. Sold by dnigglata. '
it4.iiiHuai-fcjr.iami
