The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-07-27

ing the date for the national public
school celebration from Oct. IL to Oct
81 is step i'm the right direction OF
scholarly accuracy, and IL Is remarks
BILE that it should have been So long
overlooked
If there is to be a national observ.
ance of the 400th anniversary of the
discovery of America il should take
place on the date which marks the true
century point 1t is obviously stupid
to await the recurrence of date which
by reason of arbitrary changes i'm the
methods of reckoning time has lost its
significance and does not Indicate the
true cycle of years.
Every American knows that Column
bus discovered this hemisphere on Oct
-, 1892, and at first thought Oct. ~,
| 1892, would seem to mark the 400th an
niversary of that event. But il will be
remembered that time was then calcu-
lated upon Il different basis than is now
| in vogue.
For many centuries the Julian calen-
dar was the accepted authority for all
calculations, although its inaccuracy
was not unknown. In 1882 reforma-
ton took place. The Gregorian calen-
dar was then introduced in Europe,
and this calendar is now used by by all
civilized nations, with the exception OF
Russia, which still adheres to the Julian
method of computing time. When this
reformation occurred il was found nee
essary to drop ten days from the calen-
dar, and Oct. 4, 1882, became Oct. 10,
1882. These dropped days were the ac-
cumulatiOns of many centuries of en-
roneOus reckoning. The Julian calen-
dar assumed that year contained 1861
days, and as this was II minutes and IA
seconds too long, the error amounted to
days every 400 years. The Gregorian
calendar corrected this defect by max
ing every centurial year common
year unless divisible 10y 400, whereas
by the Julian calendar every year Cen
turial year included) divisible by was
IA leap year. Thus by the new style of
computation the years 1900, 100, and
1900 were not leap years.
AS previously stated the reformation
took place in 1892, and ten days were
suppressed. But rs the discovery of
America was previous to the year 1900,
which by the Gregorian calendar was
common, there are but days to omit.
Consequently on October p, 1892, the
sun will occupy the same relative posi-
ton to the earth as on the 18th day of
October, 1882, when for the first time
Columbus beheld these shores.
For these reasons, together with the
fact that every precedent is in favor of
adopting the "new style" of reckoning,
we favor the change. The GregOrian
calendar was not introduced into Great
Britain until 1851, ignorance and pref
m "a hn al, RI hnt
time. Consequently it has been neces-
sary to correct the dates of our Ameri-
can anniversaries which commemorate
events previous to 1751. Washington
was born Feb. 18th, but by the 'new
style" his birthday falls on the 22nd and
that is the day we celebrate. The an
niversary of FOrefathers' Day, and of
the founding of the city of Boston are
both observed on the corrected date
1t is unfortunate that the act of con-
gress of APRIL 25, 1890 naming Oct. -
1892, as the date for the dedication of
the Worlds Fair grounds has not been
amended by Il change of date to Oct.
2l. The fair will practically be year
late, and the dedicatory exercises
should take place on the true anniver
sary, which is Oct 81 Congress has
already shown its good sense by plac-
ing the popular and general celebration
of which the public schools are to be
the centers on the correct date. 1t only
remains for congress To eXtricate the
nation from the comical predicament
of "A two-headed celebration of Discov-
cry Day by changing the Chicago date
to correspond with tho corrected date
it has already set for the popular public
school celebrations.