Daily Republican., 1889-01-10

an unpretentious Delaware astronomer TO
slightly correct and possibly render more
Ineligible to popular comprehension, the
reason why the year 1900 will not DC 0
leap year.
The explanation extracted from the
London Standard, and published recently
In several papers, is somewhat at iauit
and seems not to put things as clearly as
might be.
The real solar, tropical year, Is 10
length 1856 days, 6 hours, 4S minutes and
40 seconds, as last reported, and lacks IA
seconds OF the length named In the Stan
dard; but this is not much.
There Is considerable amount OF his
tory extant of the efforts made 10 fix the
year at certain number OF whole days,
when 1t really thus has In 1t the fraction o.
a day (nearly one-quarter); but 1t would
be too lengthy to quo much OF 1t mere.
Ii Is easy to perceive that If the years had
all been counted In the calendar TO be
365 days long, when they are really about
3G5X, the seasons would have fallen be-
hind the almanac at the rate OF one day In
about every four yeara, or about whole
month In every 100 years. To prevent
this, and make sure that the seasons
should always come In their appropriate
months, leap year" was invented by the
ce ebrated mathematician Sos'zenes OF
Alexandria, Egypt, whom Julius Cesar
had called to his aid in adjusting the
calendar. They decided to add one day
to the month Of February il every year
that was evenly divsible by four, which,
OF course, occurs once every four years,
, thus to make up the yearly deficit oi
nearly quarter OF day.
This method of keeping time, being
established by Cesar, was hence calieo
, the "Julian Calendar" and contin utd
unaltered for about sixteen centuries,
and If 1857 Gays had been the exact
length OF the solar year, there neyeI
: would have occurred any need for fur
ther ljustment. =,
But 3154 days was tco much by II
minutes and IA seconds (say M min
utes) per year, and therefore leap yea
! every four years produced an oyer-cor
, rection of times M, or 40 minutes II
s the years, making a whole day II
a about 1873 years, consequently in th'
sixteenth century the accumulation o
n this ovtrcorrection had become SO con
a siderable that the equinox appeared
v about the 11th of March, instead of Oh
the 2lst, occas!oning much derangemen
In the notable feast daya, ETC., observed
y by the Roman Church.
!. Friar Ba- on about A. ID. 100 calle'
q attention to the cause OF this inevitabl
p arrangement OF times and seasons, whicl
!. had also been noted by other men 9
IS science before him; but Pope Sixtus L
In l474 was first to move towa DIS maxim
a correction of the calendar.
He called to Rome Rcgiomonianus,
noted scholar of that period, and engage
" his assi'tanee, presenting him with til
10 Blshopric of Ratisbon. But death intel
Nv | Nra tronGfAffn1 hl
At fore Gregory XIII took up and accpn
SO plishei what several preceding ponti
Y, and councils had attempted in vain.
IL obtained the assistance of numter {
10 mathematicians and astronomers, takin
~ ten years to examine their plans, and
o. A. D. 1859 accomplished what seems
le these days rather a simple matter.
III First, they shortened the year 1882
IT. taking ten days from the month OF Oct
In Der, causing the difference between VIII
o. was then called sold style" and me
e; style" and forcing the calendar again
I'd indicate the 2lst of March at the vcrna
,is, equinox. as 1t did at the council of Nj
III "a. D. 325) and as 1t now continues
III do.
Is. Next, to prevent getting wrong agai
III by the accumulation OF that excess
"a liA minutes per year, or days In Il
ld years, It was decided that the centur
'rs years 1900, 170e, 1890, 1900 ETC., tn
at would ali have been leap years, accordir
ol to the Julian calendar should all rema
Id common years except the one out
every four that would divide even by 40
This change holds back the julia
be calendar three days every 400 years, th
m is one day out of every 1880 year
let which very nearly counteracts the pr
us ylous troublesome gain of one day In L
al years just mentioned
on The adoption of this centurlal metht
Die Of correcting the accumulation OF q
odd minutes by which the solar year
short OF 365H days, constitutes the esse
tial feature wherein the Gregorian Gale
dar, now In use varies from that whi
'y was originated in the days OF Juli
'se Caesar. SO nearly does 1t correct &
,e, tendency towards Irregularities that
Oh will take 5000 years (not 1866 years
~ reporttd) to again derange the calend
~ to the amount of one day. Even Il
u, very arrangement may be couuteracts
sn when the time comes on similar prin
as pies applied to the millenial years
Iu' maRiLg still one more leap year lie
ny every third thousand years. j. g. j..
'es