Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-10-21
THE CALENDAR.

z n D II Z
Creek. ROnan-J"Isna aud GrrgO.
rian UalsndaTs-The Lost Eleven
DhEs - WaSbtngtOn's True Birth.
day.
DR.. R. Shelton Mckenzie in Philadelphia
Saturday Night
Ismael Pasha, the khedive or heredi.
tary sovereign of Egypt, who has fre.
quently shown himself man of pro
gress, has now taken another step for.
ward by issuing decree ordering the
adoption of the Gregorian Calendar by
the Egyptian Administration, from the
middle of September, Heretofore,
Egypt, being o Mohammedan country,
has counted time by the hegira, or emf.
grafton mot fight Of Mohammed which
took place on the 18th of September, 622
A. d. when be secretly went from Mecca
to Medina, to avoid threatened assassin
&tion.
IL vas the Caliph Omar who, A. D.
go, mads the Hegira the starting point
of a new era-=Iot beginning exactly on
the anniversary Of tbs Hegira, but from
q date corresponding to our 18th or 10th
of July, 622 A. y In Turkey, Of course,
and throughout all parts OF Asia where
there are Mohammedans, the Hegira is
the starting point of their national and
religious era.
At present IN all Christian countries,
with the exception of Russia, the GREGG.
rian Calendar is in general use. The
Jewish, the Egyptian, and the Greek
Calendar had their day, in turn.
1t was natural, in the worlds infancy,
and later, that some division and mea-
surement OF time should be made.
And the morning and the evening
we're the first day." is the biblical record.
Then the same authority tells US how
God rested on the seventh day, and
made it holy. Thus arose the week.
Next, the phases or changes of the
moon suggested further division into
months OF twenty. or thirty days
each.
The alterations Of the seasons sug.
geated the adoption Of the year, in which
all four seasons are included. But it
being practically impossible to make
these divisions OF liBa equal, various
expediehts we're resOFted tG.
In the'earliest periods, the Jewish year
consisted, as it still does, of twelve lunar
months-a thirteenth being occasionally
introduced, TO accommodate it to the SUI
apd seasons. The like was done by the
ancient Syrians. Macedonians, etc.
The yeVish months have 20 and 30
lava ALTERNATELY, and in, cycle of nine
teen years there are seEep years having
an additional Tor iniercalargl months
introduced, to square the time account
Thus the lengthof the Jewish year varies
from 1853 to 1858 days.
The ancient Egyptians had their year
determined by the changes Of the sea-
sons, without reference to the changes of
the moon, and theiP year contained 365
days, divided into twelve months of
thirty days each, with Eve supplementary
days added at the end Of each year.
The Greeks, in their earliest periods,
reckoned according TO the lunar months,
twelve of which made the year. khopt
594 B. c. Solon introduced into Athens
the mode OF reckoning alternately TWEEN
ty.nins and thirty days to the month; ;
but to make Ii i'gll right, occasionally
threw in an additional month. Finally,
the Greek year consisted Of 365f days
The Roman year originally bed only
ten months; but, in their monarchtal
times, they adopted lunar year of 355
days, divided into twelve months, with
an oeeasopRl integcalary month thrown
in. This beea@e confused, in course OF
time, until. in 46 B q ,gplias Caesar, de-
string to remedy the errors aBd jDcon-
veniences arising out of the \nncertaig
and changing length of the year, inst.
tuted the Julian Calendar, which gave
60 the twelve months the number OF days
they still retain, provided that each year
should have 1861 days, with an extra day
thrown in 10 the leap-year, and thus
nominally made ieap'year to consist OF
S651 days-whereas it actually is 1865
days, FIVE hours, forty-eight minRtes and
Elty seconds-really being eleven mins
utes, teB seconds less,
This arrangement prevailed generally
among Christian Rstlons until the year
1882. BY WHICH time the accumulation OF
the aforementioned eleven minutes, in
each year, had amounted from the birth
of Christ, to ten complete days
Pope Gregory XIII, man of learn.
ing aud thought, ordained that ten days
should be deducted from the then year,
1882, by calling what, under the Julian
Calendar would have been the 9th Of
October the 10Th of October, 1862, and
also that every hundredth year [lS00
1900, 2lO0) should not be counted as o
leap year, except every fourth hundred,
beginning with 200O. This will reduce
the difference between the natural and
the civil year to less than day in. 5000
years.
The Gregorian calendar was adopted
by oil European States except Russia
England, Sweden and Tuscany.
The PrOteetants in the low countries