Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-13

opposite sex that any bachelor is in duty
bound to respect as such.
The necessity for leap year arises from
the fact that the solar year does not exactly
correspond with the civil year, in conse-
! quence Of its not ending precisely on a
gwen day, but with the fraction of a day
If it were not for this arrangement Christ
mas would in the course of time be in mid
summer and our Fourth of July in midwin-
ter. The true year is measured by the time
it takes the earth to make its circuit
around the sun and arrive at exactly its
starting point in the zodiac. which IS 1855
days, . hours, IS minutes and 81 II seconds.
If you calculate upon this you will find that
our leap year arrangement is not entirely
perfect, giving rise to the necessity of add
ing eleven minutes every four years TO COM
plete the odd day.
True, this addition of eleven minutes
every four years does not amount to much,
but it amounts to something in the course
of time. 1t makes Just one day in 15S1l
years. Astronomers keep a note Of IL, and
as a consequence the year 1900, which
otherwise would be a leap year, will not
have the odd day. February of that year
would have twenty-nine days, but on ac-
count of this change made against time the
month will have but twenty-eight days.
Our old bachelors, in whose interest these
leap year talks have been made, may now
notify the other side Of the house that no
cards will be received in 1900. The present
is the last leap year but one in the present
century, so the ladies had best brush up for
the campaign Taking it that February 90
is the only day upon which they can cor
rectly work, they have but one more chance
prior to 1904. -
Have you a silver dollarl We DOM want
49, l.. Al
out if you have it. Look on the side oppo-
site the eagle, with his wings pinned up
after the manner of butterfly pinned up
by an entomologist. 1t is well that the
wings of that eagle are fastened securely,
for were he to bring them down he would
sweep out the whole of United America
Had you ever thought Of the terrible work
that eagle on our silver dollar might do2
But this is not what we started in to talk
about. On the opposite side you will find
'E Pluribus Unum," the motto of the
United States, meaning Zone of many"
That motto is not old, ard our aim is to tell
the young people of to-day how it originated
as our country's motto. In 1881 Mr.. Ed
ward Cave of New York founded the Cen
tieman's Magazine, with view to making
its contents strictly eclectic, giving a
little literature afioat at that time As an
appropriate motto for his publication he hit
upon ''E Pluribus Gnum." In that year
the question of motto for the United
States came up before congress, and many
were proposed but all rejected. Finally
who had just received a copy of
the Gentleman's Magazine pointed TO its
motto and said to the committee having the
matter in dharge, How would this strike
you?" 1t was one of the things that go
through by storm "E Pluribus Unum"
was made the motto by unanimous consent.
On several occasions we have heard per-
sons say they would like to correspond with
the writer Of GAZETTE Short Talks" if
they knew how to reach him. Nothing
could be easier. Address simply, {, Ca
zette Short Talks GAZETTE office, Fort
Worth, Tex" and the favor will be
placed into his hands. But don't
send US a very large number of spring
poems.