THE MAN IN THE MOON
Every county in Europe has some version of the old legend of the Man in the Moon.
Evidently their origin is to foe found in the Bible from the account in the Book of Numbers (chapter xv, verses 32-36) of the man who picked sticks on the Sabbath Day and was ordered to be stoned to death by Moses for so doing. i
The German version of the legend is that ages ago an old man went to a wood to hew sticks on a Sunday morning, and as he was returning with a large faggot of them on his/back, he met a handsome stranger, who rebuked him. . ':-
The old man growled at the stranger, "Sunday on earth or Monday in heaven 'tis all the same to me."
"Then bear your bundle for ever," said the stranger,, "and as you, do not value Sunday on earth yours shall be an endless moonday in heaven." At this the old man was caught up with his faggot into the moon, where you may see him any fine night when the moon is near the full.
"The Man in the Moon came down too soon
And asked his way to Norwich; The Man in the South he burnt his mouth
With eating cold pease porritch."
SMILES.
She: Are you going to take the car out in that rainstorm-? ■ . . He: Certainly. It is driving rain, Isn't it?
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19400309.2.164.9
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 59, 9 March 1940, Page 17
Word Count
238THE MAN IN THE MOON Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 59, 9 March 1940, Page 17
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