In the drunken spinning and sway
ing of this old earth as it .careens
around the sun, there are two times
of year when for a moment the line
between the poles—the imaginary
line passing 'through the center of
the earth —is actually vertical —that
is, at right angles to the plane of
the earth’s orbit around the sun. On
these ftvo days, in the middle of
March and the middle of September,
there is equinox—that is, equal
length of night and day. Long before
it was understood that the earth
moved or inclined, the equal length of
night and day was noted, and mystical
portents were attached to this fact.
Saturnalia in some countries, in
others the festivals of Spring sew
ing and Autumn harvest were cele
brated.
