The Every-day Book and Table Book, v. 1 (of 3): or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the AlmanacHone, William
History
The Every-day Book and Table Book, v. 1 (of 3): or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac
Hone, William
Days; Great Britain -- Social life and customs
_By an accident, the remarks relating to_ SPRING _were inserted under_
MARCH 6, _instead of this day_: and as the error is thus _particularly_
noticed, in order as far as possible to rectify it, the reader will
please to consider all that has been said on the _sixth_ of March as
applicable to the _twentieth_ alone. The editor, while acknowledging,
and craving pardon for a vexatious and unpurposed misrepresentation,
will endeavour to set a watch upon himself in future, to guard against a
similar accident.
Aries, or the ram, as a zodiacal sign, is said to have been derived by
the Greeks from the golden fleece brought from Colchis by Jason, about
1263 years before Christ; but as it is a hieroglyphic on Egyptian
monuments, it is of higher antiquity, and symbolizes that season when
sheep yean their lambs. The people of Thebes slew a ram in honour of
Jupiter Ammon, who personifies the sun in Aries, and is represented by
ancient sculpture and coins with the horns of a ram on his head. The
Hebrews at this season sacrifice a lamb, to commemorate their
deliverance from Egypt. Aries, or the ram, was the ensign of Gad, one of
their leaders.
[Illustration: ~Aries.~]
VERNAL EQUINOX.
The remarks on the _Vernal Equinox_, immediately following, are
communicated by a respected scientific friend to the editor.
This is a day of great consequence in the year, and one that must excite
many associations in the mind of the astronomer, and of every one who
entertains a due reverence for our sacred records. The sun on this day
passes the imaginary line in the heavens, called the equator, or
equinoctial; it being the middle circle equally distant in every part
from the north or the south poles. The line is passed to an observer on
Greenwich hill, at ten minutes past nine in the morning; and,
consequently, when it is on the meridian, or its highest point at noon,
it will appear to every observer in the united kingdom at some distance
from the equator. It is commonly said, that at this time the day is
equal to the night all the world over; but this is a vulgar error. The
day is not equal to the night in this country; that is, the sun appears
for more than twelve hours above the horizon, and, consequently, a less
time than twelve hours elapses before it shines again to us in the
morning. Besides, the fallacy of this common saying is perceived at once
by any one who considers, that the inhabitant of the north pole, if
there is any inhabitant there, has already seen for some days the sun
above his horizon, and it will not set to him for above six months. The
day then is not equal to the night, either in the united kingdom, or at
the north pole. We will leave to the astronomer to determine at what
part of the earth this circumstance really takes place; in the
investigation of the problem he may encounter some difficulties, of
which at present he is probably not aware. The sun crosses the
equinoctial line at ten minutes past nine; it was therefore at its
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