“Southern Asia,” agreeably to the Latin _australis_, southern. Previous
to its settlement by the British, Australia was known as =New Holland=
owing to its discovery by the Dutch in the year 1606. The existing name
of =New Zealand= likewise bears testimony to the deep-rooted affection
of the Dutch navigators, and indeed of the Dutch people generally, for
their native country--the word _Zeeland_, denoting sea-land, being
significant of the low countries. =Tasmania= was originally known as
=Van Dieman’s Land=, the name bestowed upon it by Abel Jansen Tasman,
who discovered it in 1642, in compliment to the daughter of the Dutch
governor of Batavia. The change of title was effected in 1853. =The
Society Islands= received their name from Captain Cook in honour of
the Royal Society; the =Friendly Islands=, on account of the friendly
disposition of the natives; and =Christmas Island=, because he set foot
upon it on Christmas Day, 1777. The naming of the =Sandwich Islands=
by Cook conveyed a graceful compliment to Lord Sandwich, First Lord
of the Admiralty. The =Philippine Islands=, discovered by Magellan in
1521, were named after Philip II. of Spain; and the =Caroline Islands=
discovered by Lopez de Villalobos in 1543, after Charles V., Emperor of
Germany and first King of Spain.
=Papua= is a Portuguese term for “frizzled,” in allusion to the
enormous frizzled heads of hair worn by the natives; =Java= is a native
Malay word signifying “the land of nutmegs;” =Sumatra=, a corruption
of _Trimatara_, means “the happy land”; while =Borneo= comes from
the Sanskrit _bhurni_, “land.” =Japan= is a European modification,
brought about through the Portuguese _Gepuen_, of the native _Niphon_,
compounded of _ni_, sun, fire, and _pon_, land, literally sun-land,
or “land of the rising sun,” and signifying “the fountain of light.”
=Formosa= is Portuguese for “beautiful”; whereas =Ceylon=, rendered in
the Portuguese tongue _Selen_, is but part of the original Sanskrit
_Sinhala-dwipa_, “the Island of Lions.” The =Mauritius=, when colonized
by the Dutch, received the name of Maurice, Prince of Orange; and the
=Isle of Bourbon=, when settled by the French, that of the Bourbon
family. =Madagascar= is properly _Malagasy_, the Island of the
Malagese, because the natives belong to the Malay race.
=Tierra del Fuego= expresses the Spanish for “land of fire.” The
=Island of Desolation= was so designated by Captain Cook owing to the
absence of all signs of life. =Hanover Island= honours the House
of Hanover; and =Adelaide Island=, the queen of William IV.; while
=Juan Fernandez= (also known as =Selkirk’s Island=, after Alexander
Selkirk, its solitary inhabitant from September, 1704, to February,
1707), perpetuates the name of its discoverer in the year 1567. The
=Ladrone Islands= merited this designation from the circumstance that
when Magellan touched upon one of the lesser isles of the group in 1520
the natives stole some of his goods; whereupon he called the Islands
the _Ladrones_, which is the Spanish for thieves. =Pitcairn’s Island=
was discovered by Pitcairn in 1768. =Easter Island= was so denominated
by Jacob Roggevin in consequence of his visit to its fertile shores
on Easter Sunday, 1722; the island having previously been discovered
by Captain Davis in 1686. =Vancouver Island= preserves the memory of
Captain Vancouver, a midshipman under Captain Cook, who discovered it
in 1792, while cruising about in search of a river on the west coast of
North America. The =Aleutian Islands= expresses the Russian for “bald
rocks.” =Queen Charlotte Island= was named in compliment to the queen
of George III.; and =Prince of Wales Island=, after the Prince Regent,
afterwards George IV. =Barrow Island=, discovered by Captain Penny in
1850, received the name of John Barrow, son of Sir John Barrow, the
eminent statesman; while =Baring Island=, also discovered by Penny
in the course of the same voyage, received the name of Sir Francis
Baring, First Lord of the Admiralty. The =Parry Islands= and =Baffin
Land= indicate the names of the famous Arctic navigators to whom their
discovery was due. =Banks Land= was so called in compliment to Sir
Joseph Banks, the eminent naturalist and President of the Royal Society.
=Newfoundland= is the only territory discovered by Cabot which has
been allowed to retain its original name. =Rhode Island=, a corruption
of the Danish _rood_, red, signifies Red Island, in allusion to its
reddish appearance; whereas =Long Island= has reference to its long
and narrow conformation. The =Bermuda Islands= were discovered by Juan
Bermudez in 1522. =San Salvador= means “Holy Saviour.” This was the
first land sighted by Columbus (October 11, 1492); he therefore gave
it this name, as a token of thanksgiving. =Jamaica= is a corruption of
_Xaymaco_, a native West Indian name signifying “the country abounding
in springs.” =Cuba= and =Hayti= are also native names, the latter
meaning “mountainous country.” The Island of =Barbadoes= derived its
name from the Latin _barba_, a beard, in allusion to the beard-like
streamers of moss always hanging from the branches of the trees.
=Dominica= is indicative of the day of its discovery by Columbus,
namely, Sunday, November 2, 1493; and =Porto Rico= is likewise Spanish
for “rich port.” When Columbus first sighted the Isle of =Trinidad=
he discerned three mountain peaks rising from the sea, thus conveying
the impression of three distinct islands; but on approaching nearer
he discovered that they formed one piece of land only; wherefore he
gave the island the name of the Trinity, of which it was so eminently
an emblem. But perhaps the most interesting of the West Indies in
connection with the subject we are now discussing is =Tobago Island=,
so called by Columbus from its fancied resemblance to the _Tobaco_,
or inhaling tube of the aborigines, whence the word TOBACCO has been
derived. =St. Kitt’s Island= is an abbreviation of St. Christopher’s
Island, so called by Columbus in 1493 after his patron saint.
=Ascension Island= was discovered by the Portuguese on Ascension Day,
1501; and the =Isle of St. Helena= on the Feast of St. Helena, 1502.
=Tristan d’Acunha= received the name of the Portuguese navigator who
discovered it in 1651. The =Canary Islands= were originally so called
on account of the numerous dogs, as well as of their unusual size
(Latin _canis_, a dog), bred here. =Madeira= is a Portuguese term
signifying timber; the inference being that this island was formerly
covered by an immense forest. =Majorca= and =Minorca=, literally in
accordance with the Latin _major_ and _minor_, the Greater and Lesser
Island, are denominated also the =Balearic Islands= from the Greek
_ballein_, to throw, because their inhabitants were anciently noted
slingers. =Corsica= is a Phœnician word denoting “the wooded island”;
=Sardinia= expresses the “land of the Sardonion,” a Greek term for
a plant indigenous to this island; =Capri= signifies the “island of
goats,” agreeably to the Latin _caper_, a he-goat; =Sicily= received
its name from the _Siculi_, a tribe who settled upon it in early
times; =Malta= was anciently _Melita_, “the place of refuge”; =Candia=
comes from the Arabic _Khandæ_, “the island of trenches”; and =Cyprus=
from the Greek _Kupros_, the name of a herb with which the island
abounded; while =Rhodes= indicates an “island of roses,” in conformity
with the Greek _rhodon_, a rose.
=Belleisle= is French for “beautiful island”; =Jersey= was originally
_Czar’s-ey_, meaning “Cæsar’s Island,” so called by the Romans in
honour of Julius Cæsar; the =Isle of Wight= denoted in the long, long
ago the Island of the Wyts, or Jutes; just as =Gothland= indicated a
settlement of the Goths. =Heligoland= expresses the Danish for “holy
island settlement.” =Anglesea= is really a corruption of _Anglesey_,
signifying, in accordance with the suffix _ey_, the Isle of the Angles
[_see_ CHELSEA]. The =Isle of Man= is the modern designation of =Mona
Island=, by which was meant, agreeably to the Celtic _mæn_, a stone
“rocky island.” The =Hebrides= were anciently referred to by Ptolemy
as the _Ebudæ_, and by Pliny as the _Hebudes_, denoting the “Western
Isles”; the =Orkney Isles= expresses the Gaelic for the “Isles of
Whales,” alluding to their situation; and the =Shetland Isles=, the
Norse for the “Viking Island,” conformably with their native prenomen
_Hyalti_, a Viking. The term VIKING, by the way, meaning a pirate, was
derived from the _Vik_, or creek, in which he lay concealed. The name
of =Iceland= needs no comment, further than that, perhaps, the north
and west coasts of the island are frequently blockaded with ice,
which has drifted before the wind from Greenland. =Spitzbergen= is
literal Dutch for “sharp-pointed mountains,” referring to the granite
peaks of the mountains, which are so characteristic of this group of
islands; while =Nova Zembla= presents a strange mixture of the Latin
and Slavonic, literally “new land.”
_THE MONTHS, AND DAYS OF THE WEEK._
The titles of the months are modernized forms of those in use among
the Romans, namely:--=January=, in honour of Janus, a deity who
presided over the beginning of everything; =February=, from the Latin
word _febru_, to purify, because the purification of women took
place in this month; =March=, after Mars, the God of War; =April=,
from _aperio_, to open, this being the month in which the buds shoot
forth; =May=, after Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom sacrifices
were offered on the first day of this month; =June=, from Juno, the
queen goddess; =July=, the name given to this month by Marc Antony
in honour of Julius Cæsar, who was born in it; =August=, named by
Augustus Cæsar after himself, because in this month he celebrated three
distinct triumphs, reduced Egypt to subjection, and put an end to the
civil wars; while =September=, =October=, =November=, and =December=
literally express the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of
the old Roman Calendar, counted from March, which commenced the year
previous to the addition of January and February by Numa in the year
713 B.C.
The Egyptian astronomers were the first to distinguish the days by
names, when, as might have been expected, they called them after the
Sun, the Moon, and the five planets, viz., Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, and Saturn. Of these the two first and the last survive, but for
the rest the names of as many gods of the Scandinavian mythology have
been substituted. Nowadays, then, we have the following:--=Sunday=,
originally signifying the day upon which the sun was worshipped;
=Monday=, the day of the moon; =Tuesday= devoted to Tiw, the God of
War; =Wednesday=, set apart for the worship of Odin, or Wodin, the God
of Magic and the Inventor of the Arts; =Thursday=, the day of Thor, the
son of Odin (or Wodin), and the God of Thunder; =Friday=, allotted to
Frigga, the wife of Odin, and the Goddess of Marriage; and =Saturday=,
the day of Saturn, one of the planets of the solar system.
_CREEDS, SECTS, AND DENOMINATIONS._
=Theism= and =Deism= both express a belief in God; the former term
being derived from the Greek _Theos_, God, and the latter from the
Latin, _Deus_, God. The =Theist=, however, admits the =Theocracy= or
Government of God (Greek _Theos_, God, and _kratein_, to govern); the
=Deist=, on the contrary, maintains that God in the beginning implanted
in all His works certain immutable laws, comprehended by mankind under
the name of the “Laws of Nature,” which act of themselves, and are no
longer subject to the supervision of the Creator. =Pantheism= (from
the Greek _pan_, all, everything, and _Theos_, God) is the religion
which rejects a belief in a personal God, but recognizes Him in all
the processes, and works, and glories, and beauties of Nature, and
animated creation. Briefly, the =Pantheist= holds the doctrine that
“God is everything, and everything is God.” The word =Atheism= comes
from the Greek _Theos_, God, and the prefix _a_, without. An =Atheist=,
therefore, practically answers to the description given by David in
the opening line of _Psalm_ xiv., “The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God.” =Agnosticism= is also Greek, in accordance with the
prefix _a_, without, and _gnomi_, to know. An =Agnostic= is one whose
belief is confined to that which he _knows_ and sees, and who rejects
everything at all beyond his understanding. =Secularism=, derived from
the Latin _seculum_, an age, a generation, is the term given to the
principles advocated by Messrs. Holyoake in 1846, which professed an
entire independence of religion, except so far as it pertains to this
life. The =Secularist= aims at promoting the happiness of the community
during the present life. His religion is that of this world, without
troubling himself about possibilities concerning a life hereafter.
Such views are closely allied to those set forth by John Stuart Mill
(born 1806, died 1873) under the name of =Utilitarianism=, by which was
meant, “the happiness of the greatest number.” This term was based upon
the Latin _utilitas_, usefulness. =Spiritualism= expresses a belief in
the soul’s immortality, as opposed to the doctrine of =Materialism=,
which contends that the soul, or thinking part of man, is the result
of some peculiar organization of matter in the body, with which it
must necessarily die. =Rationalism= constitutes the doctrine which
accepts the test of Reason and Experience in the pursuit of knowledge,
particularly in regard to religious truth, rejecting the gift of
Faith, Revelation, and everything connected with the supernatural or
miraculous. This was the religion (!) of the French Revolutionists, who
set up an actress to be publicly honoured as the “Goddess of Reason” in
the Cathedral of Nôtre Dame on the 10th of November, 1793.
The earliest form of religion on the face of the earth was
=Monotheism=, so called from the Greek _monos_, alone, only, and
_Theos_, God; therefore signifying a belief in, and the worship of, one
Only God. The word =Religion= is derived from the Latin _religare_,
to bind. Hence, Religion implies obedience, submission, and an
acknowledgment of certain orthodox doctrines regarding our duty to a
Supreme Power. =Mosaism=, otherwise =Judaism=, denotes the religion
of the Jews as enjoined in the laws of Moses. But even during that
favoured period when God manifested Himself in various ways to the
children of Israel, Idolatry prevailed. Let us consider what this
word =Idolatry= really means. _Idol_ is a contraction of the Greek
_eidolon_, the diminutive of _eidos_, a figure, an image, or that which
is seen, derived from the verb _eidein_, to see; while =Idolater=
is made up of the two Greek words, _eidolon_, and _latres_, one who
pays homage, a worshipper. An Idolater, therefore, is a worshipper
of images, or that which he sees. The Israelites, who prostrated
themselves before the Golden Calf, were strictly Idolaters; so were
the Egyptians, who worshipped the sun, the moon, the ox, the dog,
the cat, the ibis, and the ichneumon; but the Greeks and Romans were
scarcely Idolaters, because the mythological deities they worshipped
were unseen--as unseen as is the True God Himself. Neither were
they =Pagans=, which term, from the Latin _paganus_, a countryman,
a peasant, based upon _pagus_, a country, a district, has nothing
whatever to do with religion. The Greeks and Romans were, in fact,
=Polytheists=, and their religion was =Polytheism=, signifying, in
accordance with the Greek _polus_, many, and _Theos_, God, a belief in
more gods than one. The more general description of the religion of the
ancients is comprised in the term =Mythology=, written in the Greek
_muthologia_, from _muthos_, a fable, and _logos_, a discourse.
Alluding to the =Fire Worshippers= of the East, who fall prostrate in
adoration of the sun, it should be noted that these do not actually
worship the sun, but God, whom they believe to reside in it. This Sun
or Fire Worship, the religion of the =Parsees=, otherwise denominated
=Zoroastrianism=, was introduced into Persia by Zoroaster about five
hundred years before the Christian era. In short, the Parsees are
the descendants of those who, in Persia, adhered to the Zoroastrian
religion after the Moslem or Mahommedan conquest of their country,
whence they were at length driven by Moslem persecution to migrate to
India. The =Brahmins= are the priests or higher caste of the Hindoos,
who, like the Burmese, the inhabitants of the adjacent country,
=Burmah=, claim to be descended from _Brahma_, the supreme deity of the
Hindoo religion. The =Buddhists= are the followers of Buddha, a Hindoo
sage who founded the doctrine of =Buddhism= in the sixth century B.C.
=Mahommedanism= is the religion founded by Mahommed, or Mahomet (born
571, died 632). The term =Koran=, or more properly _Al Koran_, “The
Koran,” which constitutes the Bible of the Mahommedans, is Arabic for
a “Reading,” a “thing to be read.” The native name of the Mahommedan
religion is =Islam=, resignation and obedience to God, founded upon the
verb _aslama_, to bend, to submit, to surrender. The Mahommedans of
Turkey and Persia usually bear the style of =Mussulmans=, a corruption
and the plural of the Arabic _muslim_, rendered into English as
=Moslem=, and meaning a true believer, or one who holds the faith of
Islam.
Our reference to Mahommedanism having carried us some six hundred years
beyond the foundation of =Christianity= by Christ, we must of necessity
retrace our steps. Reverting to the Jewish people contemporary with
Jesus Christ and His disciples, a certain portion of these styled
themselves =Pharisees= because they affected a greater degree of
holiness than their neighbours. The name was derived from the Hebrew
word _pharash_, separated. The =Nazarenes=, so called after “Jesus of
Nazareth,” were a sect of semi-converted Jews, who, while believing
Christ to be the long-promised Messiah, and that His nature was Divine
as well as human, nevertheless continued the rites and ceremonies
peculiar to Judaism. The =Gnostics=, otherwise the “Knowers,” pursuant
to the Greek _gnomi_, to know, were those who tried to accommodate the
Scriptures to the speculations of Plato, Pythagoras, and other ancient
philosophers; having done which to their own satisfaction they refused
all further knowledge on the subject. The =Aquarians= (Latin _aqua_,
water) insisted upon the use of water in the place of wine in the
Communion. The =Arians= were the followers of Arius, a presbyter in the
Church of Alexandria, universally regarded as the first heretic. Soon
after his death (in 336), which was ignominious in the extreme, the
Arians renounced their errors, and were readmitted into the Church; but
this gave offence to another section of the Christians under Lucifer,
Bishop of Cagliari, styling themselves the =Luciferians=, who refused
all communication with the reconverted heretics. The =Donatists=
were the followers of Donatus, Bishop of Numidia; the =Macedonians=,
of Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople; the =Apollinarians=, of
Apollinarius, Bishop of Laodicea and Greek Christian philosopher. These
various sects arose in the fourth century of the Church.
The term =Catholic=, derived from the Greek _Katholos_, compounded out
of _Kata_, throughout, and _olos_, whole, signifies One, Universal.
During the first nine centuries of Christianity the =Catholic Church=
was indeed universal; but at that epoch it became necessary to
distinguish between the Eastern or Greek Church, and the Western or
Church of Rome, by adding the word “Roman” to the original Church
founded by St. Peter and perpetuated by his successors the Popes. The
=Greek Church=, which constitutes the orthodox religion of Greece,
Moldavia, and Russia, differs principally from the Roman Catholic
in regard to the Papal supremacy, and the doctrine of Holy Ghost
proceeding from the Father and the Son. The employment of the full
title of =Roman Catholic Church= is at all times necessary in England
when alluding to Christian doctrine in order to avoid probable
confusion with the Established Church of this country which retains
in its Creed the designation of “The Holy Catholic Church.” This is
because at the Reformation the =Church of England=, then styled the
=Anglican Church=, professed to be the Catholic Church governed by the
reigning monarch instead of the Pope of Rome.
The =Gallican Church= is the so-called Church of France or Gaul, the
ancient name of the country. Père Hyacinth, its founder, whose church
was opened in Paris February 7, 1870, originally separated from the
Church of Rome owing to his disapproval of the enforced celibacy
of the clergy. The =Lutheran Church= of Germany took its name from
Martin Luther (born 1483, died 1546), the monk who became the pioneer
of =Protestantism=. In the year 1529 the Emperor Charles V. summoned
a Diet at Spiers for the avowed object of enlisting the aid of the
German Princes against the Turks, but really to devise some means
of tranquillizing the disturbances which had grown out of Luther’s
opposition to the Church of Rome, and restoring the national religion.
Against a decree drawn up at this Diet six princes and the deputies
of thirteen imperial towns offered a vehement _protest_, and ever
afterwards the =Lutherans= were in consequence styled =Protestants=.
The first Standard of Faith, according to the doctrines of Luther, is
known as =The Augsburg Confession=, because it was presented by Luther
and Melancthon to Charles V., during the sitting of the Imperial Diet
at Augsburg in the year 1530.
The =Calvinists= were the followers of John Calvin (born 1509, died
1604), the zealous reformer of Switzerland. In due time these also
styled themselves Protestants. From Switzerland Protestantism spread
into France through the energy of a Genevese Calvinist named Hugh
or Hugue, after whom the French Protestants adopted the name of
=Huguenots=.
But Luther and Calvin were by no means the earliest of the reformers.
In England the =Wycliffites=, or followers of John Wycliffe (born
1324, died 1387), became known as =Gospellers=, after their leader had
completed the translation of the Bible in 1377. Eventually they adopted
the title of =Lollards=, in imitation of a sect of German reformers
headed by Walter Lollard, a dissolute priest, who turned theologian
and was publicly burned for heresy at Cologne in 1322. In France the
precursors of the Huguenots were the =Albigenses= of Languedoc, so
called because their capital was Albi, and its people were called the
Albigeois, early in the twelfth century; and in 1170, the =Waldenses=,
inhabiting the wooded districts of Valdois and Piedmont. The latter
received their designation in accordance with the German _walden_,
forests. The =Camisards=, or wearers of the _Camisè_, a peasant’s
smock, to conceal their armour, comprised a body of Protestant
insurgents who took up arms in the district of the Cevennes after
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., October 22,
1685. As these always conducted their attacks upon the soldiery under
cover of the darkness the term “Camisard” in military parlance soon
came to imply a night attack. The Protestants of Bohemia were styled
=Hussites=, after John Huss (born 1373, burned 1415); they were also
known as =Bethlemites= from the Church of Bethlehem in Prague, in which
Huss used to hurl forth his denunciations against the Church of Rome.
The =Moravians=, otherwise =The United Brethren=, who were driven by
persecutions from Moravia and Bohemia in the last century, claimed to
be descendants of the original Hussites.
Having now traced the rise of Protestantism generally, let us at
once dispose of the various sects and denominations before confining
ourselves to the Established Church and its offshoots.