The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-27

In March
The Egyptians, who reached q high
state of civilization in the dim twilight
Of remote antiquity, calculated the
year as consisting Of three hundred
and sixty days, or twelve months of
thirty days In the pursuit OF astrol-
ogy-that vain attempt to evolve the
secret of the supposed mystic connec-
ton between the celestial bodies and
tie destiny of mantle Egyptians
were unconsciousiy laying the ground
work of the sublime science of astron-
omy; and in period OF continued OBJ
servation they found TINT the year OF
three hundred and sixty DAY fell short
OF a true solar year by FIVE days This
new year came into force and COM
menced on the 2sth of February, TAI B.
{, and this day was the beginning OF
the era of Nebonassar The year Of
three hundred and sixty-five DAYS wa.
followed for period of seven hundred
and twenty-three years; but in the
year 20 & c supplementary day was
added every four wears, and this wear
OF three hundred and sixty-fve and one
fourth days became q fixed wear. and
was adopted by the Romans when they
conquered Egypt This year was also
adopted by the Copts, and the frst year
OF the era of the martyrs commenced
on the 29th of August, A. d. 2s4.
The Greeks, the most cultured of the
nations OF antiquity, were rather slow
to turn their powers of observation TO
the sky. They employed at first-bor-
rowing from the Egyptians and the
Bahylonians-ths year of three hun
dred and sixty days, divided into
twelve months Of thirty DAYS. Each
month consisted of three decades; and
this Is the sole example In ancient his
tory OF week of ten days Melton. of
Athens IN 49, B. c., having observed
the summer solstice, found that a
period OF nineteen solar years con-
tanned two hundred and thirty-fire
Iunations exactly, and that at the end
OF this period the sun and the moon re-
turned to the same point in the heav-
ems This discovery was considered so
important that an account of it was
carved in letters of gold upon the tenn
pie of Minerva, and hence the origin of
what is generally known as the golden
number For the purposes of chrouol-
ogy, the Greeks counted the years bv
means OF olympiads; the first olympiad
occurred 776 T. C., and the last in the
year 40 of the Christian era.
The Roman year, as instituted bv
Numa and regulated by the moon, con-
sisted Of three hundred and fftv-eight
days, divided into twelve months of
unequRled length. But this year of
three hundred aud fifty -fve DAYS did
not correspond to the periodic return
OF the seasons, and in the time OF JUL
tus Cesar the Roman calendar had
fallen into great disorder To correct
this confusion, Cesar sought the as.
sistance of Sosigenes, a distinguished
astronomer of Alexandria; and it was
decided that the civil year should con-
sist of three hundred and sixty-fye
days, six hOurs-in other words, that
there should be three consecutive
years of three hundred aud slxty-five
days, and that the fourth should con-
tain three hundred and sixty-six
days, the extra day being differentiated
between the Esd and the cath Of Feb
ruary; and as the cath was the sexto |
calendas- six days prior TO the LIST of /
March inclusive-the additional day /
was called Observation-Disclosures; hence /
the origin of our word bissextile. !
This change took place in the year -
b. c.; and to correct the disorders in 4
the calendar, it was necessary that the /
previous year should consist of four /
hundred and forty-fve days The Jul |
ian year is still actually followed by !
the Russians, Greeks, and some Orien-
tai Christians.
The year as fixed by Julius Cesar be-
ing fully eleven minutes longer than /
the true solar year. another change
was made in the year 1882, when Pope
Gregory XIII. ordered that Thursday,
the 18th Of October, 1883. should be fol-
lowed by Friday the 18th of October
This, as it has been called, the New
Style, was not adopted in England till
the year 1852. The quarter days are
Christmas, Lady Day, Midsummer and
SO, when the New Style
came into operation. these days
we're advanced, so TO speak, eleven
lays, and thus became the 5th Of Jan
nary. April and July. and the 10th Of
important days in con-
1ection with stock and annuity bust
ness Cham bers' Journal