The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-06-24
HoW the calendar was Made.

ton of tables somewhat similar to those in
onF.alinaIacs. sse
In the construction Of an almanac
rathenthat portion of it called calendar
the divisions of time that naturally
would suggest themselves would be the
solar day. dss lunar month, and solar year;
andssin. fact, these divisions were recog
ni2ed as far back as can be traced.
.ThesSnbdiyision Of the day into twenty
fo,ars hours is also very ancient, although
there .wassnot uniformity as to the manner
of. cemputation. The ancient Egyptians,
whose example in this respect is commonly
followed today. commenced the civil day
at midnight, and reckoned twelve hours
before. and twelve after noon-time As
tronohers, however, for the sake of con-
venience in computation, number the whole
tWentS four hours, beginning at midday,
TIE alaeans and modern Greeks have
chosen SUNRISE for the commencement of
the~das, and the; Italians, Bohemians, and
Othegs, ssaRsets ss ~ a
The arbitrary division Of the week into
seven days, although not recognized by the
Greeks, and not introduced, at Rome until
about the year 400, dates back into the re-
hottest antiqaitpin Eastern nations, being
especially noticeable in the Mosaic record
The earliest division of the year into
months comprised twelve lunations of
about 2gl days each, fnsking the year 354
DAVIS This division had the very incon-
venient result of transporting the begin
ming OF Ute year TO different seasons and
50, xerssearly in the. history of calendars,
various 81 xpedienfs were adopted to make
the months conform with the exact length
of the year.se
The Egyptians made the month 30 days
exactly, and added 5 supplementary days
at the end Of the year. They kept no
count of the additional quarter day and
more. aud thus the commencement Of the
ven went back little more than a day in
every four years Henc 1851 Egyptian
years are equal to 1860 years Of 1851 days
each.
Tha.Esreeks divided the nsonth into three
periods, as subsequently was done by the
French for : short time.
The Roman division was most confusing
and s4nseientifc. The month had three
epochs;irhlei the cule4ssls, RoaeS, and itles.
Tiie saietids were the first days Of the
month";. the ides began either on the thir-
tenth or fifteenth day; while the nones
began on the ninth day before the ides.
The astronomical year consists Of 300
DAYS 5 hours IS minutes and 10 seconds
of mean solar time--a period which pre-
vents q regular division into twelve or any
number Of months, and which cannot be
recognized in lis entirety as a civil year
Fnfiifthe number az days, which cannot
be- eraalIy. divided by twelve. and which
easiinot an be ai the same length, and from
the fragasaal day, il is impossible for all
the eiEik :seaFs to contain exactly the same
nunbA az Aays.
The Ronnr year bad only ten months,
opening with March. In the reign OF
Numa, Who. is sud to have succeeded ROM
usns.R g. II 6. two months were added
January al the beginning, and February
at.sthe. end, 81 the year and some two
h1lsdrseis and 4Eifay years later February was
given IL present position in the year.
Tksn the months had % and 30 days al
ternafely, makiag the year 354 days in all.
But A. Il wonld never do to have the year
caileiatss IN even number Cd days, enc
m6rS was aaded for luck. But even then
the yeaB1 was 0 days and nearly 8 hours
short and to restore tha coincidence be-
tween tllas ssiAr and civil gear Numa or
deTed an Al disienal, or interealary, month
to.te niserred every Second year between
the 3si and 24Ehsof February, and con
sifii3lss al % and q days alternately.
TVS made tlle mean -iength Of the year
3Ess1 sisys hut as this caused an error OF
"A iays d. is many years, il was ordered
thasreverFs slsird period Of eight years
shSilld .eoatain oalg three of these months,
consistirie of - days each, thus reducing
the meas, length 1t the year 10 1851 days.
Buzz the fegnistion Of these intercalary
mca<hs was nos based on any tixed princa-
PIE afIil was Ieffato the ponfiifs, the years
bepar d Be lengheaed and shortened in :
most nnaeceantable manner, in order g
hasten6f postpone the elections for politi-
cal purposes As a result Of these vatI-
ciiiatIoDs, during the consulate Of julius
Casarsthe cfr9 equinox differed from the
asfTonoaIical b. three months
III ntaes 70 put an end to these irregu-
Iaritiee esesar. by the advice and with the
assistanca 81 Sosisgenes. abolished the lunar
yes3 md intercalary month, and regulated
the year entirely BY the sun. fixing the
mean length # The year al 365l days, and
deereeing chat every fourth year should
have CSC days. sas al present. n order %
restore the mona 10 their proper places, he
orderet chat che year before the first I'M
def. tie new sastem should have two exkra
months Of b md 50 days re pectjyely
and As the iatsFcalary month naturally fell
into that year. this memorable year con
tanned a45 days, and + known as the -'lass
veal 6f confusion 4 was followed By
the first Julian year, the forty-sixth before
the birth Is Christ.
Caesar also ordered that the months
whose numbers were odd. beginning with
.JafinarS, should have 81 days eachz and al
oshsrssslaD. with the exception Vt February
which should have ~, except every fourth
yelf. when It should have is full number
Iinfortunafely for the stability of his
system, however, Julius Caesar named the
seyeath.montl, which had anciently beer
tienouiinafed Quiniilis, after himself His
granddaughter Cesar 0ctayius, after as
Stunning the title Augustus, aiso named q
month altef himself. his choice falling on
the eighth month, which then had but 30
days He therefore determined that his
month should be a. long as his uncle !. and
taking one day FROM February, gave it 70
August and that three months Of 81 days
each might not come together, September
and November were reduced to 30 days
each. and II gixen to. Oct0ber- and DeeeHl-
beFss. ,y = avsss
Even now the calendar was not perfect
The excess Of :3lj5l days above true solar
.rear alnenhts 70 a day IN one hundred aud
twenty-eigbt years and as the centuries
rolled on anti the year 1882, when the
calendar vas corrected by Gregory XIII.
he found il necessary to direct the sup
pFessions5f ten days. changing October the
SIN into the 18th. To correct the error in
the Julian INTERPOLATION, which was found
t0;amonnt to three days in every four hun
dtedtgesrs be ordered the intercalations
C5be omitted in all the centenary year