CANCER-THE CRAB

 

CANCER-THE CRAB 

THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC 

By C.J. BLAKE

THE word which stands at the head of this paper, suggests to us the thought of a very terrible disease, rather than of a brilliant constellation; but we must recollect, that cancer means a crab, and that the disease in question is so called because of the supposed resemblance of the tumour, which is its seat to a crab with outstretched claws. Crabs were as well known to the ancients, as they are to ourselves, for they have been found at all times and in all parts of the earth, and they are spoken of as being a common article of food amongst the Romans. They are of various kinds; from the little pea-crab, which crawls into the shell of a cockle or mussel, and there makes a home for itself. to the large crab found in the seas around the coast of Japan, which measures ten feet between the tips of its nippers or fore-claws.
Many of these creatures are very curious in their habits; for instance, there is the land crab, which burrows in the earth like a rabbit, and only visits the sea once a year, for the purpose of depositing its spawn or eggs; and the robber crab, which is found in the Coral Islands. eats cocoa-nuts, and was formerly supposed to climb the tall cocoa palms, to bring the nuts down. But it is not certain that robber crabs can really do this, though they have often been seen to strip the outside fibre from fallen nuts, in order to find the soft spots, or eye-holes at the top. Inserting a claw into one these holes, they manage to scoop out the contents of the nut and so to furnish themselves with food. 

 The hermit crab, again, steals the shells of creatures for itself, sometimes taking the shell of a dead fish, and sometimes killing the living owner of the shell. 

Though we have not these strange kinds of crabs in our own country, we can observe the common or shore crab, which is itself a very singular creature. Young crabs do not much resemble their grown-up relations; there is almost as much difference between a young crab and an old one, as between a tadpole and a frog. As the young grow older they cast or moult the shell, and every time they do so, the new shell grows firmer and stronger. If they happen through accident to lose a claw, they have also the happen power of producing a new limb in its place. 

The people of old looked at these queer creatures, with their ten legs, of which the first pair form the nippers, their eyes set on stalks in their heads, and fitting into their shells when not in use and curious way of walking or propelling along. They said that the crab walked backwards, and though this is not exactly true, they thought that it was so.

Then they went on to consider that the sun in heaven after going as far as he possibly could towards the north, was now coming towards the Equator, and that the time of  hot weather was at hand. 

So they took the crab for the sign of the summer solstice, or period of heat; and they found a constellation, or group of stars, in that part of the heavens to which the sun had attained, which to their minds resembled a crab, with its nippers, and other claws, and its flat body and short tail.

You will sometimes learn in your geography lessons about the Tropic of Cancer, and perhaps you will remember then, that the tropic is the line which marks the sun's backward course towards the Equator, and consequently the region of heat. CJ BLAKE 

References:

Chatterbox 1903

GEMINI- THE TWINS

 

GEMINI- THE TWINS 

SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC 

By C.J. BLAKE 

THE year of the Zodiac did not begin in January, as ours does; the first month, of which as you will remember, Aries, the Ram, was the sign was the month of March. We are accustomed to begin the year in the midst of winter, but to the ancients who regulated everything by what they saw in the natural world around them, the spring with its budding and blossoming of fresh life, appeared the most fitting time for a new year to begin. The third sign. that of the Heavenly Twins. therefore indicates the month of May. 
The notion of double or twin stars was a very common one amongst the ancient astronomers, and indeed many stars are so called to-day. These double stars are not really close together, they are often thousands of miles apart .Still they are not separated by the immense distances in space, which divide other stars, and as seen from our earth, even through powerful telescopes, they appear to be so close to one another, as to deserve the name of twin stars.

When, in process of time, the knowledge of the signs of the Zodiac passed from the Chaldeans and Egyptians to the other great nations of antiquity, the Greeks and Romans made interesting legends about the two infant boys who were represented as the third sign. The Greeks thought that they stood for Castor and Pollux , two sons of their great god Zeus or Jupiter. They said that these boys, because of their heavenly parentage were wonderfully strong powerful; that Castor as he grew up became able to accomplish all possible feats of horsemanship to tame and drive or ride the most fiery and unmanageable steeds, and that Pollux was the champion of all boxers and wrestlers. The Greeks as well as the Romans, believed that in their battles two mysterious warriors, riding on white horses, armed with spears and wearing stars in their helmets, often appeared to encourage and aid the soldiers, and that these two visitors from another world were Castor and Pollux, the heavenly twins. 

 Then the Romans had another story, in which the twins stood for Romulus and Remus, the supposed founders of the city of Rome. They told how these children, when infants were deserted by their mother, and how a she-wolf nursed them, and took care of them, until they were found by a good old shepherd named Faustulus, who took them home to his wife. 

When these boys grew up, they too were very strong and warlike. They agreed together to build a city, and when they had done so, Romulus resolved to fortify it, and to this end built a wall, and dug a ditch or trench round, to keep it safe. But Remus laughed at his brother's efforts, and jumped over the ditch to show how worthless was such a protection. This so enraged Romulus, that he killed his brother Remus and reigned over the city himself. 

We cannot now place faith in such stories as these, but the people of old believed them, and thought of them, when hen they looked up to the stars, or when they made the sign of Gemini upon their plans of the heavenly sphere. CJ BLAKE 

References:

Chatterbox 1903

 

Pauline

 

Pauline - A Poem

By F.B. MONEY COUTTS 

 IN a back street, in a back quarter, lived 
Pauline 
In Paris- called of France the queen; 

Howbeit gloom and grief are there, 

In corners that do not appear.

Where Pauline lived the street was narrow, 

Shunned even by the jaunty sparrow; 

He found no sun in which to bask, 

Though light's a little boon to ask. 

All day sat Pauline at her work 

In that bad back-street, close and murk, 

Which, seemed perverse and in disgrace, 

To shun the day's benignant face. 

And yet this little jacket-trimmer, 

Of Nature's beauty had a glimmer, 

One little plant she kept alive; 

'Twas marvel how she could contrive. 

It was a rose-tree in a pot- 

No bunch of blue forget-me-not 

To maiden, new-betrothed, so sweet; 

To poet never bloom so meet. 

Yet cherish it howe'er she might, 

It could not brook eternal night; 

And not the sunshine of her eyes 

Could for its vital need suffice. 

So every day, for light and air, 

She bore it with her to the square, 

And talked to it till she was glad; 

It was the only friend she had. 

She placed it in the plots of sun, 

Counting its petals, one by one; 

And almost thought, with happy laugh, 

Its draughts of sun she saw it quaff. 

And so it branched, and so it flowered, 

And Pauline was right richly dowered, 

Instead of being a sun to it, 

In her it kept the sunshine lit. 

Fresh breezes seemed to haunt its scent, 

A ray of sun seemed in it pent, 

And like a bee, deep buried there, 

Would Pauline's spirit cease from care. 

And all this happened in an alley; 

And Pauline might have been a Sally, 

Or Jane, or any mother's daughter; 

And what could Pauline's rose have taught 

her?

Is it to cherish things of beauty, 

However ugly be thy duty? 

And if thou hast not roses red, 

A lovely thought will do instead. 

Or is it this-thy soul to tend 

And care and nurture on it spend, 

And give it times when it may lie 

Like flowers that look into the sky? 

References:

Friendly leaves 1882

The Pauline 1903

 

THE MISER

 

THE MISER

by ELIZA COOK  

To be frugal is wise; 'and this lesson of truth 
Should ever be preach'd in the ears of youth. 

The young must be curb'd in their spendthrift haste, 

Lest meagre want should follow on waste: 

But to see the hand that is wither'd and old 

So eagerly clutch at the shining gold- 

Oh! can it be good that man should crave 

The dross of the world- so nigh his grave? 

Sad is the lot of those who pine 

In the gloomy depths of the precious mine; 

But they toil not so hard, in gaining the ore, 

As the miser in guarding the glittering store. 

He counts the coin, with a feasting eye, 

And trembles the while if a step come nigh: 

He adds more wealth; and a smiling trace 

Of joy comes over his shrunken face. 

He seeks the bed, where he cannot rest, 

Made close beside his idol chest; 

He wakes with a wilder'd haggard stare,

 For he dreams a thief is busy there; 

He searches around-the bolts are fast, 

And the watchmen of the night go past. 

His coffers are safe; but there's fear in his brain, 

And the miser cannot sleep again. 

He never flings the blessed mite 

To fill the orphan child with delight: 

The dog may howl, the widow may sigh, 

He hears them not- they may starve, and die. 

His breast is of ice, no throbbing glow 

Spreads there at the piercing tale of woe; 

All torpid and cold, he lives alone 

In his heaps, like the toad embedded in stone. 

Death comes-but the miser's friendly bier 

Is free from the sobbing mourner's tear; 

Unloved, unwept, no grateful one 

Will tell of the kindly deeds he has done. 

Oh! never covet the miser's fame, 

'Tis a cheerless halo, that circles his name; 

And one fond heart that will truly grieve, 

Will outweigh all the gold that we can leave. 

ELIZA COOK 

References:

Chatterbox 1877

SO FUNNY

 

SO FUNNY - Anthropology of 1776

HAVE you ever seen a n. in the street and thought how funny he looked, with his thick lips, his sooty face, and his woolly black hair? I dare say you have- and, perhaps, laughed out loud, too- and wondered why some people are made with such very queer faces! Well, now listen to me and I will tell you a true story that was told to me. 
A kind clergyman, much interested in n., brought home two lads with him from Africa, meaning to have them educated in England. They were intelligent and well behaved, and they accompanied him by special invitation, to the house of the first friend he visited. At morning prayer the lads, already instructed in such matters, folded their hands as usual, and sat, gravely awaiting the reading of the passage of Scripture. Suddenly, without apparent reason, a broad smile broke over the countenance of one darkey, followed by a titter from the other; and as their mirth could not be concealed, the service was stopped, and the clergyman told them to state what it was amused them so much.

'There! There!', cried both the lads at once, bursting into fits of laughter; 'very much funny! Sambo must laugh!' 

And what do you think it was that amused them so much? The four little red-headed daughters of their host, who were sitting gravely opposite the n. lads. The Africans had never seen red hair before. I do not think it is necessary for me to point out the moral of this anecdote.

H.A.F. 

References:

Chatterbox 1876

AN EXPENSIVE MOUSE NEST

 

AN EXPENSIVE MOUSE NEST - A TRUE STORY

ON opening a box of cigars a few weeks ago, the nest of a mouse was discovered inside, containing several young ones, and about ninety cigars had been converted into chaff for nesting material. 

References:

Chatterbox 1876

ARIES

Zodiac

By C.J. BLAKE 

'The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins, And next the Crab, the Lion shines 
The Virgin, and the Scales; 
The Scorpion, Archer, and He-goat, 
The Man that bears the watering-pot,
And Fish with glittering tails.' 

What is Zodiac?

A schoolboy, inquiring what the Ram and the other objects mentioned in the verse were, and being told that they were the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac, said very naturally, 'Yes, but what is the Zodiac?'

Well, to explain what is meant by the term Zodiacm we must go back a very long time- more than four thousand years, to the days when there lived in the West of Asia a wonderful people called the Chaldeans.

Something about these people you will remember to have read in your Bibles, and the more you learn about them, the more you will be surprised at the talents and the knowledge which they possessed so long ago. 

Their land consisted of flat, fertile plains, so that they were able to look up to a very wide, over-arching sky, spangled with the brilliant stars, which in the East shine more brightly than with us. 

The wise men amongst them were constantly watching the stars and other heavenly bodies. They noticed that the sun always took one regular way through the sky, describing in his course a great circle, to which they gave the name of the Ecliptic. On either side of this line these early astronomers marked out a wide space-nine degrees on each side-and the broad path or belt round the Heavens thus formed was afterwards called the Zodiac. 

This name comes from a Greek word 'zo-on'. meaning an animal, and you will see that nearly all the signs employed to mark the divisions of the heavenly circle are figures of living creatures.

Within this circle the sun, the moon and planets made their movements; the sun going entirely round it once in a year of three hundred and sixty or more days; and thus the Chaldeans arrived at a similar way of counting time to that which we use at present. They divided this great belt into twelve parts, according to the twelve months of the year, the sun being thirty days in passing through each part. 

To every division they gave a sign such as ram, the bull, and so on, and a constellation or of stars bearing the same name occupied each part. They invented curious characters to stand for these signs in their calculations; these signs are very often given in modern almanacs. 

Some writers say that the ram was chosen for the first sign, because it was a sacred animal, frequently used for sacrifice. Others think that the ram had the first place, because where there was a large flock of sheep, it was common for a ram to go before as the leader. So the ancients in their poetical manner likened the heavenly bodies to a great flock of sheep, following their leader. 

CJ BLAKE 

References:

CHATTERBOX, No II,1903  

 

SONG ON THE BATTLE OF ST VINCENT

 SONG ON THE BATTLE OF ST VINCENT 14TH FEBRUARY 1797 

Tune: HEARTS OF OAK ARE OUR SHIPS  

SAID Neptune one day, when conversing with Mars, 
"You boast of your landsmen, I boast of my tars:

"Lo! these ships of proud Spain, see how pompous they ride!

"Now mark how my Britons shall humble their pride.

          "My Jervis shall maul them, let Spain no more brag; 

          "His force is inferior, 

           "His courage superior,

"And Vict'ry shall perch upon Jervis's flag." 

He spoke-and, behold the, two fleets hove in sight, 

And Jervis, preparing with coolness to fight, 

His tars with true courage first strove to inspire, 

Then rush'd on the Spaniards, in thunder and fire. 

       The Britons now maul, them let Spain no more brag; 

       Our force was inferior, 

       Our courage superior,

And Victory soar'd over Jervis's flag. 

Our sailors struck home and well pointed their guns, 

Dread carnage ensu'd, and they pepper'd the dons; 

Each man was a hero, a true British tar, 

Whose ship is his home, whose amusement is war. 

        Brave Jervis has maul'd her, let Spain no more brag; 

        His force was inferior, 

        His courage superior, 

And Victory perch 'd upon Jervis's flag. 

Mars view'd this engagement; then said, "By the Styx, 

"My standard 'mongst Britons for ever I'll fix; 

"Like Romans they fight, and their souls are all fire.

 "And battles like this even gods must admire. 

           "These Britons shall conquer, no nation shall brag; 

           "With forces inferior, 

            "They've courage superior, 

"And Vict'ry shall perch on Britannia's flag.

"In my bosom, says Neptune, "this nation I keep;" 

"Her sons are my fav'rites, her walls are the deep; 

"Their king is my friend ,and great GEORGE, under me," 

"A trident shall wield,- my vicegerent at sea.

           "My Britons shall conquer, no nation shall brag; 

           "With forces inferior, 

           "They've courage superior, 

"And Vict'ry shall rest on Britannia's proud flag." 

The following deities, to judge from the few remains that relate to them, were sparingly invoked. There are altars to Neptune and Oceanus at Newcastle; to Diana at Bath. New stead, and Caerleon, where also a tablet records the rebuildng of a temple to her; to Aesculapius at Lanchester, and Maryport ,while at Binchester he is associated with his daughter Salus, and she alone is the subject of an altar at Caerleon; and to Bellona, goddess of war, at Old Carlisle, and according to Spartian, she had a temple at York. The Parcae or Fates have altars at Carlisle and Lincoln; and the god who brought undertakings to a suc- cessful issue, Bonus Eventus, is occasionally associated with Fortuna and other deities. 

References:

1. REMAINS HISTORICAL & LITERARY CONNECTED WITH THE PALATINE COUNTIES OF LANCASTER AND CHESTER PUBLISHED BY THE CHETHAM SOCIETY 1.5 VOL XLV PRINTED FOR THE CHETHAM SOCIETY M DCCC LVIII 

2.SIGHT SINGING FOR SCHOOLS Adapted to the Requirements of the New Code of 1883 LONDON NATIONAL SOCIETY'S PEPOSITORY BROAD SANCTUARY WESTMINSTER 1884-17420 f - 3 

3.THE ROMAN ERA IN BRITAIN BY JOHN WARD MA FSA AUTHOR OF "ROMANO-BRITISH BUILDINGS AND EARTHWORKS." WITH SEVENTY SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR SECOND EDITION METHUEN & CO LTD 36 ESSEX STREET WC LONDON First Published Second Edition August 1911 1920