All mental work was done under the direction of Minerva. Her statues were placed in the schools, and in March of each year the school-boys had five days as holidays in her honor. At the end of this vacation and festival the boys gave their school-master a present called a Minerval. Minerva’s chapel was under the same roof as Jupiter’s and Juno’s on the Capitoline hill at Rome. THE GODDESS OF THE HEARTH. Vesta presided over the public and private hearth. In Vesta’s temple at Rome a sacred fire was kept burning by six virgin-priestesses called Vestals. The Romans believed that if they let this fire go out, the city’s safety would be destroyed. When, through the neglect of the Vestals, it did go out, they were severely punished and the fire was relighted by the rays of the sun. In Vesta’s temple there was no statue of the goddess. At her festival in June, plates of meat were sent to the Vestals to be offered up, the mill-stones were decked with flowers and the animals working the mills went about crowned with violets and with cakes strung about their necks. CERES AND LIBER. Ceres presided over seeds and harvests. She was the goddess of the farmers. The country-folks before beginning harvest kept feasts to Ceres, when they brought offerings of honey-combs covered with wine and milk, and an animal to be slain in sacrifice. The offerings were taken three times around the corn-field, the country people following, crowned with oak leaves and dancing and singing. These festivals were of the most joyous character. Liber means Deliverer. The god who had this name was united with Ceres in worship at Rome. The Romans worshiped their gods and goddesses generally in groups of three; thus, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva in the Capitoline temple; and Ceres, Liber and (the female) Libera in the temple at the foot of the Aventine. In the Capitoline temple the patricians or higher classes worshiped. In the Aventine temple the plebians or common people worshipped. There was much gross vileness connected with all the festivals of Liber. THE GOD OF BEGINNINGS. Janus gives his name to January, the first month of the year. He was the sun-god, and was usually worshiped at the beginning of any action. He was regarded as the “opener of the day.” Gates and doors were placed under the care of Janus, and their keeper is even to-day called a janitor. Janus was represented with a key and a staff, and was named the Opener and the Shutter. Janus has two faces. An ancient statue of Janus stood in the Forum at Rome of which the fingers were so formed that one hand represented three hundred in Latin characters (CCC.), and those of the other, fifty-five (LV.), making together the number of days in the ancient lunar year. [Illustration: JANUS]