Part 5

According to a very widely diffused legend of early Christianity, seven noble youths of Ephesus, in the time of the Decian persecution, who fled to a certain cavern for refuge, and were pursued, discovered, and walled in for a cruel death, were made to fall asleep, and in that state were miraculously kept for almost two centuries. Their names are said to have been Maximian, Malchus, Martinian, Denis, John, Serapion, and Constantine. The legend, in speaking of their death, said, following the usual form, that they had fallen asleep in the Lord. The vulgar took occasion thence to say that these holy martyrs were not dead; that they had been hid in the cavern, where they had fallen asleep; and that they at last awoke, to the great astonishment of the spectators. Such is the origin of the legend of the Seven Sleepers. At Ephesus the spot is still shown where this pretended miracle took place. As a dog had accompanied these seven martyrs into their retreat, he has been made to share the celebrity of his masters, and is fabled to have remained standing all the time they slept, without eating or drinking, being wholly occupied with guarding their persons. The Church has consecrated the 27th of June to their memory. The Koran relates the tale of the Seven Sleepers, and declares that out of respect for them the sun altered his course twice a day that he might shine into the cavern.

89. Who were the “Seven Wise Men of Greece”?

These men, who lived in the sixth century B. C., were distinguished for their practical sagacity and their wise maxims or principles of life. Their names are variously given, but those most generally admitted to the honor are Solon, Chilo, Pittacus, Bias, Periander (in place of whom some give Epimenides), Cleobulus, and Thales. They were the authors of the celebrated mottoes inscribed in later days in the Delphian temple: Know thyself (_Solon_); Consider the end (_Chilo_); Know thy opportunity (_Pittacus_); Most men are bad (_Bias_); Nothing is impossible to industry (_Periander_); Avoid excess (_Cleobulus_); Suretyship is the precursor of ruin (_Thales_).

90. Who were the “Seven Champions of Christendom”?

St. George, the patron saint of England; St. Denis, of France; St. James, of Spain; St. Anthony, of Italy; St. Andrew, of Scotland; St. Patrick, of Ireland; and St. David, of Wales.

91. What were the “Seven Wonders of the World”?

These very remarkable objects of the ancient world have been variously enumerated. The following classification is the one most generally received: 1. The Pyramids of Egypt; 2. The Pharos of Alexandria; 3. The Walls and Hanging Gardens of Babylon; 4. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus; 5. The Statue of the Olympian Jupiter; 6. The Mausoleum of Artemisia; 7. The Colossus of Rhodes.

92. What was the “Wicked Bible”?

This name was given to an edition of the Bible published in 1632 by Barker & Lucas, because the word _not_ was omitted in the Seventh Commandment. The printers were called before the High Commission, fined heavily, and the whole impression destroyed.

93. Why does a dog turn round several times before he lies down?

The dog belongs to the same genus as the wolf, fox, etc., and originally made his home in the forests and jungles. In preparing his lair in these places, nature prompted him to turn round several times in order to arrange the grass or weeds, and bend them from his body before he lay down. In his domesticated state he has not yet overcome this early prompting of nature.

94. Who were the first paper-makers?

Wasps. Their nest is made of a paper-like substance, which is merely wood reduced to a paste by the action of the jaws of the insects, and this, put into the required form, is left to dry: essentially the same thing that our paper manufacturers are doing by other processes and on a larger scale in their mills to-day.

95. How does the Red Sea get its color?

The reddish appearance of the waters of this sea is due to the prevalence of a minute bright red plant, which is a kind of sea-weed. This plant is said to be so small that twenty-five millions of them can live and thrive in one square inch. From it is made a beautiful red dye, which tradition says was used hundreds of years ago. In some places, where the weed is not found, the waters are blue or green. To the Hebrews it was known as _Yam Sûph_, the sea of weeds or sedge.

96. What was the Parthenopean Republic?

This was the name given to the state into which the kingdom of Naples was transformed by the French Republicans, Jan. 23, 1799, and which lasted only till the following June. The name is derived from Parthenope, an ancient name for Naples.

97. What is the origin of the names of the months?

January is derived from _Janus_, the god of the year, to whom this month was sacred.

February is from _Februus_, an old Italian divinity, or from _Februa_, the Roman festival of expiation, celebrated on the 15th of this month. January and February were added to the Roman calendar by Numa, Romulus having previously divided the year into ten months.

March is from _Mars_, the god of war, and reputed father of Romulus. It was the first month of the Roman calendar.

April is from the Latin _Aperire_, to open, from the opening of the buds, or the bosom of the earth in producing vegetation.

May is from _Maia_, the mother of Mercury, to whom the Romans offered sacrifices on the first day of this month.

June is from _Juno_, the sister and wife of Jupiter, to whom this month was sacred.

July was named by Mark Antony after _Julius Cæsar_, who was born in this month. It was previously called _Quintilis_, the fifth month.

August was named after _Augustus Cæsar_, on account of several of the most fortunate events of his life having occurred during this month. It was formerly _Sextilis_, or sixth month.

September is from the Latin _septem_, seven, because it was originally the seventh month.

October, formerly the eighth month, is formed from the Latin _octo_, eight.

November is from the Latin _novem_, nine, as this month was originally the ninth month.

December is from the Latin _decem_, ten, as it was formerly the tenth and last month of the Roman calendar.

98. What was the origin of the names of the days of the week?

As the names of the months were all derived from the Romans, so the names of the days of the week come to us from the Saxons.

Sunday takes its name from the sun, which was one of the principal objects of worship.

Monday is so called after the moon, also an ancient object of worship.

Tuesday is so called from _Tiu_ or _Tiw_, the son of Odin, and the old Saxon god of war and of fame.

Wednesday derives its name from _Woden_, or _Odin_, the god of battle, and the chief god of the Northern mythology.

Thursday is so styled from _Donar_, or _Thor_, who, as god of the air, had much in common with the Roman Jupiter, to whom the same day was dedicated.

Friday is named from _Frigga_, the wife of Odin and the mother of all the deities.

Saturday is named from _Saterne_, or _Saturn_, to whom the day was consecrated.

99. What year is 1886 by the Jewish calendar?

The year 5646 of the Jewish era began Sept. 10, 1885, and will continue 385 days, as it is an embolismic year. The Jewish calendar is dated from the creation, which is considered to have taken place 3760 years and three months before the commencement of the Christian era. The year is luni-solar, and, according as it is ordinary or embolismic, consists of twelve or thirteen lunar months, each of which has twenty-nine or thirty days. Thus the duration of the ordinary year is 354 days, and that of the embolismic year is 384 days. In either case it is sometimes made a day more, and sometimes a day less, in order that certain festivals may fall on proper days of the week for their due observance. The following table gives the names of their months and the number of days in each:--

HEBREW MONTHS.

=========+===========+============= Month. | Ordinary. | Embolismic. ---------+-----------+------------- Tisri | 30 | 30 Hesvan | 29+[1] | 29+ Kislev | 30--[1]| 30-- Tebet | 29 | 29 Sebat | 30 | 30 Adar | 29 | 30 Veadar | (--)[2] | (29) Nisan | 30 | 30 Yiar | 29 | 29 Sivan | 30 | 30 Tamuz | 29 | 29 Ab | 30 | 30 Elul | 29 | 29 ---------|-----------|----------- Total | 354 | 384 =================================

[1] The signs + and -- are respectively annexed to Hesvan and Kislev to indicate that the former of these may sometimes require to have one day more, and the latter one day less, than the number of days shown in the table.

[2] The intercalary month, Veadar, is introduced in embolismic years in order that Passover, the 15th day of Nisan, may be kept at its proper season, which is the full moon of the vernal equinox, or that which takes place after the sun has entered the sign Aries.

The following table shows when Tisri 1, the Jewish New-Year, occurs for each of the next five years by our calendar.

Tisri 1, 5647 == September 30, 1886. „ 5648 == „ 19, 1887. „ 5649 == „ 6, 1888. „ 5650 == „ 26, 1889. „ 5651 == „ 15, 1890.

100. What was the name of the penitent thief?

St. Dismas is the name which Romish tradition has attached to the “good thief.” He is represented with a cross beside him.

101. What was the origin of the term “halcyon days”?

The seven days which precede and the seven days which follow the shortest day were, by the ancients, called halcyon days, on account of the fable that, during this time, while the halcyon bird, or kingfisher, was breeding, there always prevailed calms at sea. From this the phrase “halcyon days” has come to signify times of peace and tranquillity.

102. Who was the “Christ of India”?

Buddha Gautama (624–543 B. C.), the reputed founder of Buddhism, has been so termed. He was of ascetic habits, till, tempted by his father, he abandoned himself to every pleasure. Afterward he renounced the world, and as a result of long study and bodily maceration, discovered that non-sentient repose is the highest good attainable by the pure and the just.

103. What religious sect anoint the sick with oil, depending upon this unction and prayer, and rejecting the use of medicine?

The Tunkers are found widely scattered throughout the northern and middle parts of the United States, but are nowhere numerous. They were recently estimated to have over five hundred churches and some fifty thousand members. The name which they take for themselves is simply that of Brethren, and they profess that their association is founded on the principle of brotherly love. The name Tunkers is of German origin, signifying Dippers, and is due to their dipping in baptism. They anoint their sick with oil, depending upon this unction and prayer for their recovery, and rejecting the use of medicine. They do not insist upon celibacy as an absolute rule; but they commend it as a virtue, and discourage marriage. Chiefly engaged in agriculture, they are industrious and honest, and universally held in good repute among their neighbors.

Sole dependence upon prayer is the characteristic also of a small religious sect of which a few members are to be found in England, calling themselves the _Peculiar People_.

In Switzerland, the name of Dorothea Trudel, who died in 1862, was long famous for the cure of ailments by prayers.

104. What noted sage advocated the doctrine that virtue was intellectual, a necessary consequence of knowledge; while vice was ignorance, and akin to madness?

This was the fundamental doctrine of the philosophy of Socrates, the Athenian philosopher (469–399 B. C.). Knowledge, virtue, and happiness he held to be inseparable. His religious doctrines culminated in the conception of the Deity as the author of the harmony of nature and the laws of morals, revealed only in his works, and of the soul as a divine and immortal being, resembling the Deity in respect to reason and invisible energy.

105. What palace in an ancient city contains five hundred rooms?

The Palazzo Imperiale, at Mantua, Italy, contains five hundred rooms, whose choicest embellishment consists in the glorious paintings and exquisite designs of the great Mantuan artist, Giulio Romano.

106. What was the “most useful conquest ever made by man”?

Baron Cuvier, the most eminent naturalist, says of the dog: “It is the completest, the most singular, and the most useful conquest ever made by man.” This conquest was made long before the dawn of history. Cuvier has also asserted that the dog was, perhaps, necessary for the establishment of human society. Though this may not be apparent in the most highly civilized communities, a moment’s reflection will convince us that barbarous nations owe much of their elevation above the brute to the possession of the dog.

107. When was the first blood shed in the Revolution?

In the conflict known as the “Boston Massacre,” between the British soldiers and the citizens of Boston, March 5, 1770. Two Americans--Samuel Gray and James Caldwell--and a half-breed Indian negro--Crispus Attucks--were killed, and eight citizens were wounded, two of them mortally,--an Irishman named Carr, and Maverick, an American.

108. What remarkable fish is found only in Lake Baikal?

The golomynka, the only known species of its genus, which belongs to the goby family. It is about a foot long, is destitute of scales, and is very soft, its whole substance abounding in oil, which is obtained from it by pressure. It is never eaten.

109. Who was inventor of the most perfect alphabet ever devised for any language?

George Guess, or Sequoyah, a half-breed Cherokee Indian (1770–1843), invented, in 1826, a syllabic alphabet of the Cherokee language, which consisted of eighty-five characters, each representing a single sound in the language. This is said to be the most perfect alphabet ever devised for any language. For the characters he used, as far as they went, those which he found in an English spelling-book, although he knew no language except his own. A newspaper called the _Phœnix_ was established, a part of it printed in Cherokee, using the alphabet of Guess. A part of the New Testament was also printed in this character. Guess was not a Christian, and is said to have regretted his invention when he found it was used for this purpose.

110. Who was the “Little Giant”?

This was a popular sobriquet conferred upon Stephen Arnold Douglass (1813–1861), a distinguished American statesman, in allusion to the disparity between his physical and his intellectual proportions.

111. Which was the grandest funeral pageant ever known?

That of Alexander the Great. For two years after his death the body was deposited at Babylon, while preparations were being made for the march to Egypt. At length all was ready, and the grandest funeral pageant ever witnessed on earth started on the long march of over one thousand miles from Babylon to Alexandria. Over a year was occupied in this journey. The accounts of the splendor and magnificence of the golden car that bore his body are almost incredible. The spokes and naves of the wheels were overlaid with gold, and the extremities of the axles, where they appeared outside at the centre of the wheels, were adorned with massive golden ornaments. Upon the wheels and axle-trees was supported a platform twelve feet wide and eighteen feet long, upon which was erected a magnificent pavilion supported by Ionic columns, and profusely ornamented, both within and without, with purple and gold. The interior of this pavilion was resplendent with precious stones and gems. Upon the back of the platform was placed a throne, profusely carved and gilded, and hung with crowns representing the various nations over which Alexander had ruled. At the foot of the throne was the coffin, made of solid gold, and containing, besides the body, a large quantity of the most costly spices and aromatic perfumes, which filled the air with fragrance. Between the coffin and throne were laid the arms of Alexander. On the four sides of the carriage were _basso-relievos_, representing Alexander himself, with various military concomitants. There were the Macedonian columns, the squadrons of Persia, the elephants of India, troops of horses, etc. Around the car was a fringe of golden lace, to the pendants of which were attached bells, which tolled continually with a mournful sound as the carriage moved along. This ponderous car was drawn by a long column of sixty-four mules, in sets of four, all selected for their great size and strength, and richly caparisoned. Their collars and harnesses were mounted with gold and enriched with precious stones. A large army of workmen kept at a considerable distance in advance, repairing the roads, strengthening the bridges, and removing all obstacles along the entire line.

112. What is the “oft-quoted epitaph” composed by Franklin?

“THE BODY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER, LIKE THE COVER OF AN OLD BOOK, _its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here food for worms_. Yet the work itself shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.”

113. Which is the largest stationary engine in the world?

The largest stationary engine in the world is at the famous zinc mines at Friedensville, Pennsylvania. It is known as the “President,” and there is no pumping engine in the world that can be compared with the monster. The number of gallons of water raised every minute is 17,500. The driving-wheels are thirty-five feet in diameter, and weigh forty tons each. The sweep-rod is forty feet long, the cylinder one hundred and ten inches in diameter, and the piston-rod eighteen inches in diameter, with a ten-foot stroke.

114. What was the origin of “pin-money”?

“Pin-money” is a term applied to a lady’s allowance of money for her own personal expenditure. Long after the invention of pins, in the fourteenth century, they were very costly, and the maker was allowed to sell them in open shop only on the 1st and 2d of January. It was then that the ladies of the court and city dames flocked to the stores to buy them, having been first provided with the requisite money by their husbands. When pins became common and cheap, the ladies spent their allowance on other fancies, but the term “pin-money” remained in vogue.

115. Why are our Presidents inaugurated on the 4th of March?

The reason why the 4th of March is the day on which our Presidents are always inaugurated is that the Continental Congress appointed the first Wednesday in January, 1789, for the people to choose electors; the first Wednesday in February for those electors to choose a President; and the first Wednesday in March for the government to go into operation under the new Constitution. The last-named day, in 1789, fell on the 4th of March; hence, the 4th of March following the election of a President is the day appointed for his inauguration. By the act of 1792, it was provided that the Presidential term of four years should commence on the 4th of March. By the amendment to the Constitution made in 1804, if the House of Representatives should not elect a President by the 4th of March, the Vice-President becomes President. The 4th of March is thus virtually made, by the Constitution as well as by statute, the day when a new Presidential term begins.

116. What was the origin of the word “tariff”?

On the coast of Spain, just outside the Straits of Gibraltar, there is an island called Tarifa. When the Moors had possession of Spain, they established a custom-house upon it. The taxes were fixed by the collector. Every vessel passing through the straits in either direction was brought to and robbed of as much as this collector saw fit. If the captain delivered up about fifteen per cent of his cargo, or paid its equivalent in money, he was allowed to go in peace. If he proved stubborn, his vessel and cargo were confiscated. Generally, however, no resistance was offered. When the vessel arrived at the port of discharge, her owner assessed the loss on the purchasers of the goods. Hence all money collected on cargoes is called a tariff, from the island whence the custom was first started.

117. What newspaper is called “The Thunderer”?

The London _Times_. This name was originally given to it on account of the powerful articles contributed to its columns by the editor, Edward Sterling.

118. Who was the “Man of Destiny”?

This appellation was conferred on Napoleon Bonaparte, who believed himself to be a chosen instrument of Destiny, and that his actions were governed by some occult and supernatural influence.

119. What was the origin of “catch-penny”?

This term originated in London, in 1824, just after the execution of Thurtell for the murder of Weare. A publisher made a great deal of money from the sale of Thurtell’s “last dying speech.” When the sale of this speech fell off, a second edition was advertised, headed, “_We are_ alive again!” with little space between the first two words. These two words the people took for the name of the murdered man, reading it, “_Weare_ alive again!” A large edition was rapidly sold. Some one called it a “catch-penny,” and the word rapidly spread until it came into general use.

120. Where is there an underground river in the United States?

There are two underground rivers--the Echo and the Styx--in the Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The Echo is about three fourths of a mile long, two hundred feet wide at some points, and from ten to forty feet deep. It is crossed by boats. Its course is beneath an arched ceiling of smooth rock, varying in height from ten to thirty-five feet, and famous for its musical reverberations; not a distinct echo, but a harmonious prolongation of sound for from ten to thirty seconds after the original tone is produced. The long vault has a certain key-note of its own, which, when struck, excites harmonics, including tones of incredible depth and sweetness. The Styx is much smaller than the Echo. It is about four hundred and fifty feet long, from fifteen to forty feet wide, and from thirty to forty feet deep. It is spanned by an interesting natural bridge about thirty feet above it. Both these streams have an invisible communication with Green River, the depth of the water and direction of the current in them being regulated by the stage of water in the latter stream. In the waters of both streams are found a blind fish (_Amblyopsis speleans_) of an almost pure white color.

121. Who was the first martyr to American liberty?

Thomas Hansford, one of the leading participants of Bacon’s Rebellion, is generally accredited with this honor. After the failure of the rebellion, he was captured at the house of a young lady to whom he was paying his addresses, taken to Accomac, and hung as a rebel, by Berkeley, the royal governor, in spite of his prayer that he might be “shot like a soldier.” This was Nov. 13, 1676.

This name has also been applied to Christopher Snider, a boy eleven years of age, who was killed in a mob in Boston, Feb. 22, 1770.

122. Who was the author of “Curfew must not Ring To-night”?