The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-04
GheGntelLiaetrter.
THE EAsrER PROBLEM.

PerpIexities OF the Caiendar.
From the \. Y, Thbune'l
The moon, which according TO the III
suas Almanac was new on SATURDAY the
18Th ult., at lG minutes past P.N7 Is
the paschal moon, and as such furnishes
the occasion Of much recent discussion.
Ea.ter controversies have disturbed the
SorId at intervals for more than fifteen
centuries, and n mere synopsis oil them
would easily fill this newspaper. They
all admit, and indeed accept as basis
that the paschal moon determines me
date Of yesterday. On the date o.
Ester depend the. movable feaS:Sy Of tne
Church. So far, the subject is a. clear ~, =.
MONDAY; one step beyond and we mus US
deal with the vagaries OF whas ~
liet SO properly calls |the IhIU nn; hT
moon" All the civilized S T;n', ~ 9S5
the ears at the Council oil MI ..,h =" ne.
over this and othermaiter'; anu , hna' I Is
done and determined 'hen "n 49, nc o ~
been fruitful source VI ~ u 10 rI'ca
since. Even the very nI t VI '"J t ,"|,
has undergone ~ ena 80 HN an Oo'
people, Il taken sn.u II, E!,I %"I ,ro,'II Ja
cycIopGdla was nov At ,. Map, ~ "O fosm u
clare that 'ne Ni.'" ny, e. y; uoIa ;Os.asJ
lated at a pleasant CITY o' ray t nT;aSo
o. NFsn.In T"T ~ .. E;aa"
Nnat was certain! ~, ueS U,;o,,I ~ W. :" =
o. MEG, II quo 10 .L no. "".os Ia, h. So,J
nice PC!nILmS tnI' -, E es aH .ssats ,isn
on nnnuIy, anu .;i, "os ~. w ,S.~ WI. III. T %S:
very PtooSTLs SUI S;n,, Us. a sna" .noo % .a
determined O%S uSP p;I, 1890; eies S L.To as
'e!flnS 70 Tue GouneIa , u .,n. na's vs.
cF'Gel % II Srsat G ;sS.;, snA' '"e'' 10 Nv
authentic tecoFE 70 Ius.n,y ..or0.,,. ,rh;oh
Inc present Eas.eF SS"StoIe's !,.n mn'tn
has been PtouTc1lve Of many iestess 70
newspapers 10 England anu Jew IN ' nus
country Is cRlehy Oaseu r on Lu,e LOT sot
a'ceIia'nihs Iho uasc u .GaS I.t.I -uNy W.
has tound PLACE IN many popular WotNS
Of reference incluulng some ehcycloPe-
dii'. ms rue, y Is 'heFein us9a'ly
stated, was suoP'su ~ Tue o'unc't q y.
"NIce, ana hXes E1SteF'uay Us 'ne nFs'
Sunday after the lGIl moon wI,Sn nap
pen! on or next aiteF MatSh II out Il
the full moon iall on SUNDAY. tneh not
that but the following SUNDAY u Easter
day. Tried by the ABOVE rule the anna
nae this year seems 70 be IN error, Tor II
says that Easter falls on April III; and
yet i also says that tue iull moon Is on
April 8, shortly before 3P. ~, anu as that
IS Saturday, the rule would make April
9 Easter Sunday. To this the hrst natn-
raj reply IS that perhaps some otheF me-
ridian OF longitude should be taken.
Well, at Greenwich Eng') TINS lull moon
will appear at ~ minutes past I P: NJ on
April s. Though the calculation DC
made for point as lar east as Rome, or
even at Jerusalem-which IN ole maps
was the center oil the World--stiiI VIII
the full moon be found arriving before
Saturday midnight: Then comes another
explanation, that the ecGleSlasIlcaI DAY Is
different from the ciVIl day, ana hence
the evening OF APf6l IL accounts! ny
the Church as U. ms Is pLausiDIe'
but 1t does not happen 10 DC me iaet.
Inc actual rue is MOI based upon me
date oil the iiil moon' tnough strange 70
say the mistake was ulaue OIL so stating II
IN an act oil fSrliamen!. ,.,
In some oil the common books oil refer,
ence the RUE Is pore aGc"rsIeiy sta!ea
thus; "EasteF.day - lne SuhuIy iol-
lowing tnat i4th uay Oh Tue ea.en ..a
moon Wnich nappens upon VI a .sH. I Itst,
March I'll except 'na1 whe ~, Una. At IN
day Is Sunday, then Easter lalls on me
following SUNDAY Inc attempt 70
work out the date from thls RUE mas,
however, plunged correspondents III an.
other set Of dlincui1tes. Inc new moon
At Greenwich dated from March -, al l
minutes past 7. n. Fout'een Says IaG
ed to this, again bring us 70 SATURDAY,
Apr'IS, 1t does not materially help lne
matter to reckon the Astronomical age oil
the moon rs the basis oil tne IA Gays, lor
the lith day oil the age oil the moon, az
laid down in the Nautical Almanac, sui
fails OF reaching midnight on April ..
But at this point an inquirer might be
driven into utter distraction II he should
learn that these IA days OF the moon are
exclusive; they must include the hrst day
otthe new moon, !. {. March %, as one OF
them, and hence the last OF the ii would
come on Friday, April Z.
Onthe other hand there Is no lack OF
people who are quite contented to accept
the conclusions which they derive from
the tables in the Episcopal prayeT-oooK'
The method popularity adopted with these
tables is first TO obtain the Dominlcal let'
ter, which is, for 1916, "B" to Feb. ~
and "a" for the rest Of the year. The
golden number given by the table Is, Tor A.
Is; from these data A and 10y the Mum
Der Of Direction" is found BY the table to
be26. This 20 is the number OF days to
be added to March 81 the yernal squi'
nox); and the date which the addition
gives, April Is, is Easter Sunday. Per
haps this ought to be satisfactory. The
London authority, In matters oil science
Nature, came 10 the rescue Of almanac
makers and pronounced their WORK II
giving April 10 as the Easter uate, cor
rect. For proof, IN asuGseq1ent numoer
Nature cited ana exempllned Tue elaoGr
ate rule Tor hnding yesterday w1icn sn'
German astronomer uanSs ueviseu. pu'
calculations oased upon aTol'FAEy aF
rangements oil figures or tables, only Sc.
the question at issue one sep luEi WS
back. Inc inquiry tneh ien .L WY
DO not these results agree WIN Tue au
mlsted relation oil EaS'eF-"Ny 10 'ne
paschal noon a, ...... .,.,,
Upon looking INTO Inc question thus