THE GASTONIA (N. C.) lAILY GAZETTE
m -' . . . - i f il i Hi am .
EVOLUTION OF CALENDAR
A ROMANCE OF MAN.
' WASHINGTON, Oct iS.-Tbe vo'
lution of the ralencur, from the days
when man could count only from day
lo day, through the time when, the
lunar month was reckoned as a
"year", to the present time of an al
most universally used tima counting
pystem, is a romance of the history
of man- Piecing together the few
known facts of theealendar's life
fctory, scientists have found different
interpretations stid uses for well
known facts and remains of early life.
For instance, according to Moses
B. Cotsv.orih, writing in a recent pub
lication of the Pan American Union,
the well-known Egyptian pyramids
were not erected by early monarehs
of that realm as monuments to their
jrreatnesa nor as tombs for their bod
ies; but were huge sun dials with the
id of which the yearly precession of
the equinoxes was discovered and the
calendar devised.
The pyramids were constructed by
mathematicians and astronomers, Mr.
Cotsworth holds. The size, height
nnd slopes of each being determined
to aid astronomy. Each of the piles
,j lower Efirypt was built at a differ
Vnt period, until the last was found
... to be the more nearly perfect for
studying the sun and stars on the
meridian of Egypt. Not until each
was abandoned for a better he claims,
was a pyramid given over to the uses
of a royal tomb.
The pyramidal form, in conjunction
' with the obelisk, was devised to cast
a shadow of sufficient sharpness to be
measured and analysed day by day.
The wonderful Washington monu
ment, at Washington, U. C, which
ehadow measurements found to be
constructed perfectly from base to
peak, while following the form of the
Egyptian obelisk, is too high, he
found to cast a shadow useful for so
lar measurements. The blending of
the sun's rays around the top, at that
distance, blurs the shadow. However,
ho declared, the shodow was used for
certain - measurements which proves
that September 23 and not the 21st is
the day of the fall equinox.
The pyramid Was the result of the
Egyptians' efforts to get a sufficient
ly long shadow to measure the
months and years more accurately,
and along its sides the early astron
omer gazed to mark the movements
of the stars and planets.
Stonehenge, an ancient monolithic
ruin in England, attributed to the
Druids, was another mechanical
means of determining solar and lunar
movements, it was said, as was the
purpose also of several other similar'
ancient stone constructions in various
parts of the world. '
The primary reason for the calen
dar in carl days was the need of
knowing when to sow and reap, how
to handle cattle and to determine oth
er propitious days. All peoples, it is
supposed, used the periods of the
moon as their longest time space, but
this was varied and unequal through
the year. Noah, it was said, adopted
the early Egyptian calendar of a five
month year, 30 days to the month and
three ten-day weeks, as a better way
to ration the tribal supplies.
Bundles -of small sticks were the
first known means of actually keep
ing track of the passage of days, and
even today some American Indians
keep five bundles of 30 sticks, pulling
out one Btick each day. The last bun
dle is repeated in each half year to
. oven things up, and the middle bun
dle is split in two equal eronns to do.
t rmine the approach of mid-summer
and mut-wintcr days. In the Fiii Ial
unds the "moon stick" was used, nn
which a notch marked the waning of
cacn moon. .,..',.'
The Hebrewsf evolved a six month
year when Jacob set out stakes from
, n central position in a line to the ho
rizon to mark where the sun rose and
hot on the longest, shortest and me.
!ian day of the year. The extreme
fcjres given to early Bibla worthies
were attributed to counting "moons"
as years and later five and six months
as fuJl years.
One of the means used by the early
priesthoods, to impress the masscsj it
was explained, was the secrecy at
tending the determining of the sea
sons and years. Sacred rods used to
measure the shadows by which the
time of years was' determined, were
jealously guarded, and when, on the
pet date, "the priests measured out on
the ground the lengths of the shad
ows, the ceremony was accompanied
by great eIiow.
.Today, in Borneo, expert calendar
mfckurs among the Dyaks have secret
measuring poles. They travel over
the country setting up measuring
rods and setting in the ground pegs
at certs in distances by the secret
rods. They te!t the farmers to plant,
cultivate or reap when the pole's
shadow touches certain pegs in the
middle of the day. At the end of the
harvest they return and gather the
tithes of the crops which are their
fees. "..' A -
So accurate were the measurements
of the early Egyptian astronomers,
according to the writer, that thev
were able to determine to the third
decimal point the exact length of the
year, which they set at 365.242 dayt.
The famous Egyptian Sphinx is
neither a monument nor a tomb, Mr.
Cotsworth declares, but was designed
and built primarily as another as
tronomical instrument by which the
Fur.rise and setting points of spring,
f umraer and winter were fixed. That
measurement was not so accurate as
the observation of the noon day shad
ow, so was abandoned in favor of the
latter.
According to Mr. Cotsworth's theo
ry, the early Egyptians were facej
with the reed of .maintaining and in
creasing their population to ward off
invasion by the Assyrians on the
north and the Ethiopians on the
south. To do so they had to increase
their food supplies. As no more tilla
ble hnd was available it was up to
them to increase the yield of their
Innds by intensive and careful farm
ing:. It was then necessary to know
jv.st exactly when to sow and when to
reap, and such intensive crops could
only be developed by locating the
rwise points in the seasons.
Precise knowledge depended upon
Ftudy of the sun, and as the Egypt-
is nr. had neither telescoie nor . sun
glass observation of shadows was
developed. To have better shadows
the pyramid was gradually evolved as
a huge sun dial, and the need was ful
filled. Three crops of certain grains
are still harvested in Egypt,
In Central and South America the
Aztecs, Mayas and other early civili
zations also devised calendars, such
as the Aztec calendar stone now in
the museum at Mexico City. Being so
much closer to the equator than the
Egyptians, the Tatter's form of pyra
mid observatory was impossible be
cause an increased antrle of fclope
would be necessary and this was im
possible to buiki then. Their open
step pyramids, than, were onlv capa
ble of determining the year' length
to the SCHth day and not the fraction
of the 3CCth. ;
POISONED COFFEE OF
HER FATHER-IN-LAW
Mr. Meda' Hodell, 20 Years
Old, Charged With Murder
Of Her 64-Year-Old Fath-er-In-Law,
David Hodell.
WHITE CLOUD, Mich., Oct. 19.--The
State was believed today to be
near the close of its case against Mrs.
Meda Hodell, 20 years old, who is on
trial for the alleged murder of her 64-year-old
fathcr-in-law, David Hodell,
The high point in tne prosecution, n
was iatiniatcd, was reached yesterday
with the introduction of a signed
statement which state police oflicera
identified as a voluntary confession
by the young woman.
The alleged confession relates that
Hodell was 'sick and miserable" and
requested ' his daughter-in-law to
"put him out of the way." '
"And so I did it," Mrs. Hodell was
quoted as saying, "because 1 thought
it better for him and 'better for us jf
he were 'over there'".
The statement further says that
poison was placed in Hodell's coffee.
Mrs. Hodell listened to the reading
of the statement without emotion.
Her attorneys contend she confessed
under duress. Prosecution witnesses
have denied the charge.
It developed yesterday that chance
remarks by, relatives of Mrs, Hodell
led to the investigation that resulted
in her being charged with the slaying
of her father-in-law, as well as her
husband, Romie Hodell. .
Officers were engaged with the
mystery surrounding her husband's
death, it was said, when one of the
defendant's brothers asked a stale po
liceman if his sister had told him
"that she poisoned the old man."
Tito new angle was followed up and
developed a stronger case, it waa
said, than could be made of the death
of the younger Hodell. The woman
will face a charge of slaying her hus
band after the present case is dispos
ed of, while her mother, Mrs, Alice
Dudgeon, and her brothers, Lee and
Herman Dudgeon, are charged with
complicity. .
HAMPTON ROADS, VW Oct. 19.
'--The President's yacht Mayflower
today brought the members of the na
tional advisory committee for aeron
autics to Langley field for their annu
al meeting, and will take them back
to Washington tonight. The party in
cluded Commander Jerome C. Junsa
ker, in charge of the design section
of the naval bureau of aeronautics,
who was appointed to membership on
the committee several days ago to
succeed Rear Admiral D. W. Tuylor,
former chief instructor of the navy,
upon his retirement from actice duty.
Others in the party were Dr. Chas.
D. Waleott, secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution, chairman of the
committee Dr. Samuel W. Stratton.
former director of the bureau of
standards; Dr. Joseph S. Tmes,' of
Baltimore, chairman of the executive
committee; Major General M. M.
Patrick, chief of the army air serv
ice; Rear Admiral W. A. Moffett,
chief of the naval bureau of aeronau
tics; Rear Admiral Taylor; Prof. C.
F, Marvin, of the Weather Bureau;
Dr. John F. Hayford, of Northwest
ern University; Dr. Michael I. Pupin,
of Columbia University; Orville
Wright, of Dayton, Ohio; George W.
Lewis, executive officer, and J. F.
Victory, assistant secretary.
LOS ANGELES, -Oct. 19. A' life
for a life, St was learned at the dis
trict attorney's office today, will be
the demand of the state at the trial
of Mrs. Clara Phillips for the murder
of Mrs. Alberta Tlemaine Meadows,
20-year-old widow, which will open in
the superior court here tomorrow.
Mrs. Phillips is accused of having
beaten Mrs '.Meadows to death with a
hammer July 12 last, in an isolated
part of the city.
It is believed here insanity will be
the chief basis of the defense. Alien
ists for both the state and defense
have examined Mrs. Phillips.
It's the persistent advertiser that
wins, Keep your as ia Tne Gazetee au
the time and watch the result.
He'll Be King
Soothes and Heals.
No nwd tmH-rhig any more with ca
Urrh. J. II. Kennrly Drajj Co., guar
'' that if a Hymiici outfit does not
rrlicve you, theey will pay for it tliem-
I' J' v
. - - 1
- y t '
t I . z
rv""
Probably this baby doesn't know
bell be a king some day. He's the
Prince Michael, son of tie crown
prince sad prtrce;a of Rumania.
VULCANIZING
Of The Better Class
THE BRADFORD GO
122 S. Oakland St.
Gastoma, N. C.
- "... : iiF
WHEN LIVING
EXPENSES
, -.: , are high as nt present, it takes re'sl GRIT to save a
'. little every week, but you fan do it if you try.
8how your (JRIT tol;iy by rtarting nn account nt
Our Savings Ilcpartnient and g't ."4 pT cent -Interest on
what you save. ' ' -
" 1 .. You'll never regret saving regHlarljv
" ' - . -
The first National Bank
"The Bank of Dependable Service"
WATCH YOUR
TOWN'S SMOKE
There is scarcely a week which does not
witness the rearing in this city of another chim
ney for a home or factory whose thin trail
of smoke bears mute testimony to its progress
and industry.
Gastonia is growing, but she has really only
started to grow. The citizens of visioh have
much to contemplate in the promise of the fu-'
ture. ."';' ' '.:.',..'"'
Well may we say to the world: "Watch
Gastonia's smoke."
" Our Service Makes Friends "
The 3rd. National Bank
- . GASTONIA, N. C.
WELL BALANCED LIVING
Not Over 90 Per Cent For Expenses
At Least 10 Per Cent For Savings
No matter what your salary, you should
keep to this plan. Put at least 10 per
cent in a Savings Bank every month
where your money enjoys the fullest
protection, where you are assured a
rate of interest, and where you can with
draw, if necessary, without delay.
The Savings Department of this insti
tution has served the people of this com
munity for over seventeen years, and we
invite you to open your savings account
with us.
"It pleases us to serve you.'
A
The
CITIZENS
National Bank
,':
UNDERTAKING AND EMBALMING
A full line ; of coffins and caskets reasonably
.priced. We have a splendid mtor hearse and give
' you FREE HEARSE HIRE. We can save you
money and assure you of the very best service
that can be had.
JACOBS FURNITURE CO.
Day Phone 622 Night Phone 230
Cor. S. Oakland and Franklin Gastonia, N. C.
WOMEWS AND MISSES
Autumn and
Winter
Garments
if:
isc.
' Presenting Every New Theme of Fashion in Silhouette,
( Fabric and Trimming "
At Almost Unbelievable Price Moderation Due to the ;Tremen-.
clous Purchasing Power of Our Large Chain oif Stores ; 4
It can be truly said that in no former season have Women's Garments been more
attractive revealing richer quality materials, more excellent workmanship-and in '
a smartness and distinction of styles that will please the most particular-4-exaeed-ing
in value your highest expectations. v :;
; in?
. f ,-t:
it j-
COATS AND WRAPS
SUITS - - DRESSES
FUR & PLUSH COATS
$12r
$14.75
The Kind
-Mark the
24
of Suits
Well-bred
$M.50
- UP
That
Man
Suits like these can take their place in
any society. Of.fine fabrics, in attrac
tive patterns and colorings, perfect in
style and tailoring, they have that air of
correctness and refinement you demand.
When you see this new group (just ar
rived) you'll agree that h ere is the new
fall suit you're looking for priced much
below what you're used to paying for
similar quality ! Look over the broad as-
sortment. Your choice is here, whether
you; prefer the : newer patterns or the
v,more , staple blues and Oxford grays.
I Medium ; and dight shades - of grays,
browns, and tans. Solid colors,, stripes,
mixtures, pin .checks,- , '
and so on. In regular, .
stout, and long sizes. XfcTI fi Sll
and
up
Also a remarkable se
lection! of Boys' one &
two pair pants suits.
7 13
Ut
AND YOU CAN
You need not do without smart new clothes! You will be surprised at the
small initial outlay of cash needed and the equally small weekly or " monthly
payments required. A smair proportion of the weekly salary setjaside as a
"clothing allowance," takes care of the situation admirably, and yvil.will al
ways be sure of getting what you want, when you want it and making your
selection .trorn unusually large assortments. t ,
k-t ettxire family '-"'-jo ,x ' jr---zsf at af& rnccg . 1
v.; ...
229 W. MAIN AVE
GASTONIA, N. C