x 2 January. 
war, among the Romans, his temple was always kept 
open ; and for seven hundred years it was only shut 
three times—one of these being in the reign of the Em¬ 
peror Augustus, during which our Saviour was born. 
Our Saxon ancestors called January Wolf-monat , 
i.e., Wolf Month, because of the popular belief that the 
wolves, that then infested the woods, were more daring 
and voracious in this month than in any other—pro¬ 
bably on account of its extreme cold in our northern 
hemisphere. But, notwithstanding the severity of the 
weather during this month, we may often notice, in 
sheltered places, pretty flowers, few and far between, 
both wild and garden, which enliven and brighten the 
scene. The modest snow-drop, the yellow jasmine, the 
blue periwinkle, the rugged gorse, the celandine, and 
others ; with the evergreen ivy in full fruit, the luddy 
holly-berry, and the sacred mistletoe, cheer us with the 
prospect of bright days yet to come, and remind us of 
the goodness of an all-wise God. Of these, the snow¬ 
drop comes first in order in our “ Garland of the Year. 
It has been suitably referred to by that admirable poet¬ 
ess, Mrs. Browning, in the following beautiful lines : — 
“ The poor, sad snow-drop,—growing between drifts, 
Mysterious medium ’ twixt the plant and frost, 
So faint with Winter while so quick with Spring— 
So doubtful if to thaw itself away 
With that snow near it.” 
