Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-09-20
ELLSWORTH, MAINE, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1867.
How Long is a Yearp

O" AlSOe3 40 q = OS&Ag
Thee are great many people who do
not understand the philosophy of the leap
year. Some even suppose that leap year
was instituted by the goddess Venus only
to confer upon ladies the privilege of pop
lping the question. or that February has
twenty nine days that it might have a
cllauce OF the luck Of odd numbers. OF
course il is not necessary to bling any
science to hear against any such notions. -
The subject really involves Ger ain impor-
tant nlceties, which we are persuaded not
more than one i'll n thousand clearly com.
preliends. and for that reason We shalt try
to ctucidate it.
Our civil year is founded upon the peri
od OF the revolution of the earth about
the sun. We say founded upon. only. tor
the natural Or astronomical year as deter
mined by astronomers is not the same pc
ri"d of time as the civil year. If the nat
ural year had exactly 365 or 366 days
there would be no trouble; the civil year
would accord with it and represent the
same period OF time. But the natural
year can not be divided into an exact num-
ber Of days ; and to complicate the matter
still more. astronomers show US that there
are several kinds Of natural Years in con-
sequence of there being several districts
hut legitimate ways of measuring the Pc
riod of the earth orbit.
We give two examples. Let the earth.
the sun and fixed star he in the same
straight line at given instant Now the
time which will elapse before they will be
again in the same relative position is one
kind of year. This yen"is called side.
ral year and its length is 365 h 9m
i9'6 sec. But if the period be measured
ON the ecliptic. rs for example the time
which eapses between the suns crossing
one Of the eqHinoctial points and again
reaching the same We sc, Il different re
suit This year is called the equinoctial
tropical or solar year. and its length is
365 d. 5 h Is III. 497 sec.
Now it has been agreed that this solar
year shall be the foundation or standard oi
the civil year, and that the two shall be
drought as nearly as possible into accord
In ancient times the subjects were very
poorly understood, and the civil year cnn
stantly getting nut of reckoning wit. the
sun. he discrepancy cvidrutly became
n serious affair. when the natural winter
eneroaehed on the summer Of the calen
der.
Julius Cesar. 4i B. c. made the frs
reasonable and substantial reform. HI
saw that the solar year was about 3G5 -
days ons-the figures We're near enough t,
the truth to answer his purpose If lhs
civil year he 365 days. it is quarter of ,
day short Of til. solar Year. BY his chang
Is in the reckoning of time. Cesar's name
is made to live forever and to he on tn,
lips # all men. The month Of July il
named in his honor, and the Julian Calen
der is still followed. over considerable
r pant of the earth
II the SOLAR year Were exactly 301 4
days. there would never have arisen an oe
cnslon to reform the Julian Calender. II
fact. every julian Year gets in advance o
the solar year about ten ,unutes j; in u cen
: tury nearly whole day. In Ctesars tim,
the vernal equinox fell ", the 25th of Marcel
IL the slxte nth century it had fallen back
10 the lltf. The difference was getting II
he important and the subject WAS ably dis
cassed. The Result was that Pope Grtgor,
XIII, in l577, approved and ordered re
, furm. The change actually took effect il
1882. In honor of the Council of Nice
ten days were dropped from the calender
IN order t" bring the vernal equinox for al
time ON that day of the month, tie 2lst o
March. at which it occurred in the yca
1861 OF the meeting of the council. 1
there had been respect for the memory o.
Cesar, fourtp.." :, .ta,s instead vi ten wout
have been omitted.
To prevent "A discrepancy in the future
between the solar and ci'il year, irwa:
found 'hat if only those centennial years o,
which the number after supprr sing til,
tw" ciphers. Is divisi lc by four, be regard
ed as leap years the purpose is accom- plish
ed. The plan WIS adapted In accordance
with it 1900 will not hea leap year.
The protestant nations and those under
the rule of the Greek Church. of cours.
looked upon reform instituted by pope
with no far"r. But protestant Germany
and Denmark adopted it in 100. England
followed in 1852. aud from that time for
ward '"ld s;ylr' and new s'yle' oi necessit,
became household words wherever ENGLISH
WAS spoken. The Greek Church is how
ever still unrelenting. and all those na.
tons which are under its government still
adhere tn the Julian Calender The mos
conspicuous among these nations ia Russia
Julian reckoning is now twelve DAYS q .ej
than Gregorla2.