The Busy Man's Hand-Book

Historical, geographical, scriptural, scientific, legal, social, mercantile and medical information, condensed into one volume for someone with no time to look further.

Matters of Religious Interest

42 pages in this part of The Busy Man's Hand-Book.

Matters of Religious Interest

ascribed to Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, in Campania (400 A. D.); but there is no evidence of their existence for a century later. The first…

Weights and Measures of the Bible

A gerah. 10 gerah = 1 bekah. 2 bekahs I shekel 60 shekels = I maneh = = 5° manehs = I talent WEIGHTS.

Jewish Money Reduced to English Money

1.3660 manehs=1 kikkar (talent) A Gerah = £0 O 1.36 Ο IO gerahs = I bekah 2 bekahs = O I 1.68 2 bekahs = I shekel = O 2 3.37 Ο 2 3.37 A…

Roman Money Reduced to English Money

Pence English.

Bible Time

The Natural day was from sunrise to sunset. The Natural night was from sunset to sunrise. The Civil day was from sunset one evening to…

New Testament Day

66 66 First Watch, evening.... 6 to 9 P. M. Third hour.

Dictionary of Proverbs and Quotations From the Bible

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord; but a just weight is his delight. A fool uttereth all his mind; but a wise man keepeth it…

Dictionary of Proverbs and Quotations

He that keepeth [silent] his mouth, keepeth his life; but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Things Not Generally Known

A Miss is as good as a Mile. This is handed down in a tale by Turpin, of two friends, Amis (or Amys) and Amile (or Amyle), who are supposed…

Things Not Generally Known: Hobson

Hiawatha. A mythical personage of miraculous birth, believed by the North American Indians to have been sent among them to clear the…

Things Not Generally Known: Irish

Humbug. A corruption of the Irish words "uim bog," pronounced "humbug,” signifying worthless money, such as was made by James II. at the…

Things Not Generally Known: Lynch

Lynch, Judge. In America, a personification of violent and illegal justice, or of mob-law. The name is usually alleged to be derived from…

Things Not Generally Known: Saragossa

Maid of Saragossa. An appellation bestowed upon Augustina Zaragoza, a young Spanish woman distinguished for her heroism during the defence…

Things Not Generally Known: Mars

It is the exact equivalent to a "beau," an elegant, in which sense it is applied by thousands, who use it vulgarly, without suspicion of…

Things Not Generally Known: Grundy

Mistress of the World. A common designation of ancient Rome, which was for centuries the grandest, richest, and most populous of European…

Things Not Generally Known: Johnson

Puck. Originally the name of a fiend, subsequently the name for that "merry wanderer of the night," styled also Robin Goodfellow, who plays…

Things Not Generally Known: German

Renard. A name given to a fox in fables or familiar tales, and in poetry. It is derived from the celebrated German beast-epic…

Things Not Generally Known: Arthur

Round Table. A huge circular marble table, at which, according to the old romancers, King Arthur and his knights were accustomed to sit. It…

Things Not Generally Known: England

Sailor King. A title popularly conferred upon Willian IV., of England, who entered the navy in 1779, at fourteen years of age, and…

Things Not Generally Known: Coventry

Sent to Coventry. This comes from a peculiar law of the town of Coventry, which deprived the privileges of the trades to all but a…

Things Not Generally Known: Sicily

Sicilian Vespers. A name given to a memorable massacre of the French, which began at Palermo, in Sicily, March 30th, 1282, at the hour of…

Things Not Generally Known: Tammany

St. Tammany. An Indian chief, who, in the United States, has been popularly canonized as a saint, and adopted as the tutelary genius of one…

Things Not Generally Known: Persons

IO years Persons. Age. 134 45 years 66 15 66 20 25 66 66 30 66 35 66 40 66 131 50 66 129 55 124 60 119 65 70 66 66 I12 66 103 722" Persons…

Things Not Generally Known: Elbert

Uncle Sam. This term is said to be derived from some casks of provisions pur- A. E the name of the chased for the use of the Continental…

Things Not Generally Known: Trojan

Achilles. the son of Peleus and Thetis, was the bravest of all the Greeks in the Trojan war. During his infancy Thetis plunged him in the…

Things Not Generally Known: Apollo

Esculapius, son of Apollo and Coronis, or as some say of Apollo and Larissa, daughter of Phlegias, was the god of medicine.

Things Not Generally Known: Neptune

Amphitrite. A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who angered Neptune. She is sometimes called Salatia. She was mother of Triton, a sea deity…

Things Not Generally Known: Mercury

Caduceus. A rod entwined at one end with two serpents. It was the attribute of Mercury, and was given to him by Apollo in exchange for the…

Things Not Generally Known: Saturn

Ceres, the goddess of corn and harvests, was daughter of Saturn and Vesta. She was the mother of Proserpine, who was carried away by Pluto…

Things Not Generally Known: Jupiter

Clio. The first of the Muses, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemosyne. She presided over history.

Things Not Generally Known: Terra

The goddess or plenty, represented as bearing a horn filled with fruit. Cybele. A goddess, daughter of Cœlus and Terra, and wife of Saturn…

Things Not Generally Known: Dejanira

Dejanira. A daughter of Æneus, king of Ætolia. Her beauty procured her many admirers, and her father promised to give her in marriage to…

Things Not Generally Known: Juno

Echo. A daughter of the Air and Tellus, who was one of Juno's attendants; she was deprived of speech by Juno, but was allowed to reply to…

Things Not Generally Known: Greeks

Eos. The name of Aurora among the Greeks.

Things Not Generally Known: Oceanus

Fortuna. A powerful deity among the ancients, daughter of Oceanus, according to Homer, or one of the Parcæ according to Pindar. She was the…

Things Not Generally Known: Cœlus

Gigantes. The sons of Cœlus and Terra, who, according to Hesiod, sprang from the blood of a wound inflicted on Cœlus by his son Saturn…

Things Not Generally Known: Hercules

Hercules. A celebrated hero who, after death, was ranked among the gods. Hero. A beautiful priestess of Venus, greatly enamored of Leander…

Things Not Generally Known: Oceanides

Oceanides and Oceanitides. Sea nymphs, daughters of Oceanus, from whom they received their name. According to Apollodorus they were 3000 in…

Things Not Generally Known: Phyllis

Phyllis. A daughter of Sithon. She received Demophoon, who landed on her coasts on his return from the Trojan war, and fell in love with…

Things Not Generally Known: Cupid

Psyche. A nymph who married Cupid. Venus put her to death because of this, but Jupiter, at the request of Cupid, granted immortality to…

Things Not Generally Known: Tartarus

Sphinx, A monster, having the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a dog, the tail of a serpent, the wings of a bird, and the paws of a…

Things Not Generally Known: Solar

Solar Time. Solar time is that used for all the ordinary purposes of life, and is measured by the daily motion of the sun. A solar day is…

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