Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1853-11-26
THE DIVISION OF TIME.

Many ages must have elapsed aitet the
creation of the world before any method oil
computing Time, or of dating events, was
brought into established use. At very
early period time was measured by the rev.
olutions of the moon, the seasons, and the
successive returns of labor and rest but so
late as The age of Homer formal calendar
seems to have been unknown as guide 10
history or a register of events.
The division of days into weeks is the
most ancien, mode of marking time, and
probably took place al the Creation. The
next division was that of months, which ap-
pears 10 have been in use even before The
Flood. The months were marked by the
revolutions of the moon, consequently were
lunar months.
The highest natural division of time is into
years. AT first year consisted OF only
twelve lunar moths, 1t is supposed that this
method OF reckoning was in use as early as
the Deluge, and that it continued for many
ages after. But this was very imperfect
mode Of computing time. for lunar year
was neatly eleven days shorter than a solar
year hence the months could not long cor
| respond with the seasons And even in the
| short space of seventeen years the writer
months would have changed places with
those of summer.
| The calender which is now generally
adopted in the Christian world was Instituted
| by Romuus. His year began on the lst Of
March, and continued only ten months, or
about 3o4 days. hence was very imerfect.-
Numa gave the year 355 days, added two
more months, and transferred the beginning
of the year TO the Is Of January. But this
was still making the year too short.
When julius Caesar obtained the sover-
eighty of Rome, he found the months had
changed from the seasons, aud in order TO
bring them forward 10 their places he formed
one long year Of fifteen months, or 445 days,
This has been called the year Of confusion 1t
ended January lst, fouy-fve years before
Christ From this period the Julian year Of
365 days and yours commenced. The
common year continued only 365 days, bu,
once every four years the hours amounted
TO another day, and this day was added 10
23d of February, or the sixth calends oil
March, which was TO be reckoned twice
hence This year was s,y led Bissexlie, o,
Leap Year.
The Julian year, however, was still imper
feet, for the earth performs lis annual circuI
round the sun in 365 days, hours, As min
ules, 45i seconds; hence the solar year wa
shorter than the Julian, or civil year, By
minutes, 14A seconds, which in 1870 year
amounted 10 a day.
In the course of time this Inconvenience
becoming too considerable TO be unnotced
Pope Gregory XIII. substituted new calen
dar, called the GregoIian Calender, or nev
> style. 1t was published in March A. Z
f 1892. Ten days had now been gained b
the old mode Of reckoning, and these wer
= struck out of the month of.Ociober following
= by reckoning the fifth day of iha, month tn
fifteenth.
> Aud in order to prevent the recurrence c
a similar variation in lime 10 come, he Of
\ I
i fourth year as before, and that from the yea
n 1000 every fourth centennial year should b
= received as leap year, and the other lhre
h centennial years as common ones. Thus III
: years 1900, 1900, l9OO 2loo, 22oO, etc. al
y to be reckoned as common ones, ani l60
u 1000, 2400, etc, as leap year. Ever IN
: correction is not absolutely exact, yet the e
Is ror is so small as to hardly vary Que day in
- thousand years.
, The mode of computing time as establish
>, ed by Gregory is called New Style, and th
n by Julias Caesar, Old Style, The New Sly
! was adopted by Spain, Portugal, and part
IS Italy on the same day as at Rome, and
/. France on the tenth Of December followin
D. which was reckoned the twentieth day
1t But in Great Britain this change was n
a adopted until September, 1852, when /
~ years had elapsed since the Gregorian alter
&c ton consequently little more than anolh
o day had been gained II was therefore enact
ns by Parliament that eleven days instead
ten, should be stricken ont of the month
- September, 1852. On the second day of II
"a month the Old Style ceased, and the tn
or day was reckoned the fourteenth. By
ng same act Great Britain changed the beg
ne ming of the year from The 25th OF March
y, :" lst of January.
% The time for commencing the year
~ usually been determined among dfIer'
la nations, by the date Of some memorial
lar event, such as The Deluge, the Incarnation
,er Christ, etc.
1ts The Egyptians began the year with The
mt lumnal equinox The Jewish eclesias
la year began in the spring, but in civil aha
they retained the epoch of the Egyptians
l.. The ancien, Swedish year began about
lime of the winter solstice. The Turks a
,' Arabs commence their year about the m
80, die Of July.
:. When Romulus began the year Of Mar
;a he named the last four months according
bio their position. The names September, Oc
no. ber, November, December, designated ii
'ri, order-seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth
mo- But Numa changed the beginning of the y
al to The lst OF January without altering
a