The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-02-25
For The RECORD
TIE OLD SQUARE ALMANAC.

Feb. 90. In another Almanac that we have
looked into, this day Is entered as leap
Year Day." When We were boys the old
square almanac, and all the others, marked
on the cover, and elsewhere, very prominent
~, each fourth year that this is Bssextile
or Leap Year" We do not fiud it now-a-
days, on the title page the Latin name seems
to be entirely disused, and the younger peo-
pie, at least, have no clear notions about leap
year. Perhaps we can make il plain to them.
The year, they know, is measured by the
earth's revolution around the sun, which 1t
accomplishcs In about 1856 days and six hours.
To dispose of the six hours conveniently, ev-
cry fourth year has one day added, four times
six making up the twenty four hours for the
Booth day of leap year so that the year Of
the Astronomer and the year Of the Historian
keep the same reckoning of days. The ad-
ditional day, with US, lengthens out little
February, by giving 1t Goth.
But the Romans doubled the oath day, and
as that was reckoned the sixth lsextus) of the
Kalends of March-that is, the sixth day be-
fore the first Of March, for they had way of
counting backwards, sometimes 1.-The repeat
ed day was called twice sixth, Vie sertus, and
hence Bissertilis or Bissextile, for the name
of the year. But why Leap year? Because
this insertion of an extra y-intercalation
it is called-so disturbs the relation of week
days to nonth-days that from February 20
to the end Of the year, week day is passed
or lsaped over in the fixed dates thus, for
instance, the fourth of July win fall, in
three successive years, on successive days Of
the week, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
but then comes leap year, and Saturday is
leaped over, and the fourth Is on Sunday -
But the astronomical year is only about six
hours longer than the Historical year. II is
actually eleven minutes aud three seconds less
than this and so one extra day in four years
is too great an allowance. A further correc-
ton is made by counting the last year of ev-
cry century, a common year, linstead of leap
year, as it would be by the general rule) unless
its FIRST two digits be divisible by four. Thus
1900, 1900, 1900 are common years ; 1900, 1000
leap years. This last correction was made by
Pope Gregory XIII, 10 1882, and chronology
according TO his revised Calendar Is called
New Style; by the former, less accurate
method 1t is Old Style. The discrepancy in
dates amounted to about ten days, in Gregory's
time now, to twelve and Russia, the only
European nation that still retains the old
style, is, in its dating, twelve days behind the
rest Of the civilized world. In some more
important matters, she is thought by some to
be half as many centuries behind. Webster's
note on the subject is good !. Pope Gregory
reformed the Calendar by retrenching 10
days 10 October, 1882, in order to bring back
the yernal equinox to the same day as at the
time Of the Council of Nice, A. D., 3s5 this
reformation was adopted by Act of Parlia-
nent in Great Britain in 1851, by which Act
eleven days in September, 1859, we're retrench
ed, and the third day was reckoned the four
teenth." It used to be thought necessary to
write that Washington was born February
%, 1882, s. According to o. s. it would
be Feb. IL.
March /, the square almanac says, is st.
David's day. It does not mean the royal
Psalmist of Israel, but the patron saint of
Wales " one of the three canonized saints of
Britain His legendary life is crowded wit