The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-23
Old nnd New Style.

how THE ELEVEN DAYS CAME TO BE DROPPED.
Many persons know that there is difference OF
eleven days between Old and New Style--that is,
that what three hundred years ago would have
been the Est Of January, is now the 12th-but how
this was bought about is not so generally known
The following from the Cincinnati Commercial will
explain the matter
How it was managed before the Christian Era,
to bring the year round to it's proper beginning
and square the difference Of time is not clear
Probably they fixed upon certain lunar revolution
in connection with the seasons, and did not mind
the fractions OF hours and minutes that afflicted
the astronomers about the time of julius Cesar
That imperial Roman decreed, on tho strength of
computations made by an Ale9andrian philosopher,
that every fourth year should CONSIST Of 366 days
to make up for the odd hours of the other throe
years, and by his arrangt tment the additional day
was conferred on February, probably because it
had the fewest days Of any month in The year.
But the calculation Of the Ale1andrian wes
found to be at fault A day every fourth year was
too much by eleven minutes, ten seconds, and
threatening of q second-a small matter, you ay
think, but Of considerable account in the long run
The natural time fell behind the reckoning ard
how much the difference amounted to after the
lapse Of centuries is shown By single fact. From
the time OF the Council Of Nice, in 325, when the
yernM equinox fell on the 21st of March, Pope
Gregory, in 1852: discovered that tho over-reckon-
ing, according to the Julian arrangements amounted
to ten days and brought the vernal &C quinox on 7
the 11th OF March And so the error had to be
The Pope decreed that the 5th of October that I
year should be reckoned as the 18TH and to keep
the year !" E" for tho future (the surplus, being
eighteen hours, thirty-seven minutes and ten
seconds in q century, every centennial year that
could not be divided by four should not be bissex
tile, thus dropping tho extra day three times every
1our hundred years. In countries where the Popo's
word was law this method ofreekoning was adopted,
and it is to be regretted that it was not univer-
sally accepted. But the Protestants in those days
had as strong prejudices against the Roman Ponttf
as they have now, and did not take his suggestion
o:2s Hndly: What business had the Pope to meddIc
with the year any how? 81
But the regulation was founded upon sound as {
economical calculations, and is now prevalent in /
al clVlh2ed countries except Russia Great Brit 6
am hHweoeT fS od ad not adopt it till 1872 and still
treasury N 1854 the difference in recEonnn T
which Pop, Gregory had discovered Amounted ~ \
eleven days. apd go an q act of Parliament was pass Il
year was reckoned as the 14th It is out of these
changes in reckoning that what are called the NV
STYLE and ati the oid STYLE have arisea difference
dence at st. Petersburg, or dealings with the Il
Treasury Of Great Britain. - s.
It is, however, satisfactory reflection that the n
years now 80 arranged that further chaneesI
will be necessary for Thousands of years 10 come.
The LIST Of January OF each year will find the sun
md stars in their pllces and ION time" with SO
rival variation tlat the reckoning will not have
20 be changed for period 80 distant that we need Ii
lot bother our heads about it than about q!
he theory OF the French savan who assumes that ia
he the vi come when the moon will fall into cl
be ca th, the earth into the sum- and finally all W
be- stellar universe into one compact globe of mat re
,r, leaving space literally void and darkness. in
These years. whose duration is calculated to the an
action Of second, go fast enough with the most m
u.s. and bring with them all the issues of life m,
I'd death. Each brings nearer to the silent sic
nd, from whose mysterious shores neither tho alb
ice Of warning, nor entreaty, nor love, nor afec-