Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-08-19
OCT. 21, NOT OCT. IL.

At the instance of the executive COM
mittee of the national public school cell
ebration of Columbus Day, a bill was
recently introduced in congress instruct
ing President Harrison to issue a procla-
nation making Columbus Day a gen.
eral holiday. In the interest of scholar
ly accuracy this bill wisely authorized
the change in date from Oct. 12 to Oct.
81. 1t has passed both houses of con
gress and received the presidents sigma
ture.
Above all other dates nearly every
pupil in our public schools remembers
that Columbus discovered America Oct.
10, 1892. They will all want to know
why the 400th anniversary falls on Oct.
81, 1892.
For many centuries the calendar in
stituted by Julius Caesar, known as the
Julian calendar, vas commonly accept
ed. This calendar assumed that there
were 3GJi4 days in a year. But as this
made the year II minutes and IA seconds
too long, it could not without correction
very long answer the purpose for which
it was devised. Consequently, in 1889,
it was found necessary to reform the
calendar, and the Gregorian calendar
was adopted. In order to correct the
errors that the old calendar had made.
10 days were dropped out, and Oct.
5 of 1882 became Oct. Is. As the
error vas found to be exactly 3 days
in 400 years, the Gregorian calendar
omitted the leap year from every cen
turial year, excepting those which were
divisible by 400. Thus the years 1900.
100 and 1900 were not leap years.
AS above stated. this reformation took
place in 1882, and 10 days were omitted
from the calendar. But as Columbus
discovered America previous to the year
1900, which reckoned by the Gregorian
calendar would not be a leap year, there
would be but 8 days to omit.
On Oct. 81, 1892, the sun will occupy
the same relative position to the earth
as OF the memorable Oct. 10, 1892.
The Gregorian calendar was not iu-
troduced into Great Britain until 1751,
popular ignorance and prejudice up te
that time successfully opposing it. By
the masses of the people it was believed
that the obliteration Of 10 days would
shorten their lives. 1t is remarkable
that Russia still adheres to the Julian
reckoning. .
We have already announced the
change as III the interest of scholarly
accuracy. The public school stands for
enlightenment and progress, and it
would not be in keeping with this spirit
tn nnTnnnfa tho fnI1r ca1f1tsiaS fhnt will
intervene between the date of the dis
coYery and the date we are to celebrate
by an calendar which had its
day and was discarded more than 800
years ago.
All the precedents for celebrating
American anniversaries are in favor of
correcting the old calendar TO the new.
For instance, "Forefathers' Day" in
New England is celebrated Dec. 81, al
though according to the Julian calendar
the Pilgrims reached Plymouth Dec.
IL. Washington was born on the 18th
day of February, "old STYLE" but We
celebrate the anniversary of his birth
on the 22d of February, "new style"
The original proposal for the public
school celebration set apart Oct. 10, but
the friends of free education who are
pushing the enterprise believed a bad
precedent would be established, as it
named a false date for the observance of
an historical event. This is the first eff
fort that has ever been made fittingly to
observe, by national commemorative ex-
e~rcises, the achievement of Columbus,
and the right day should be celebrated.
For this reason we are glad that Oct. 81
is to be the day. We want the children
of the land to observe an anniversary
with all that name implies, and not nee
essarily the recurrence of a fixed date,
which, owing to the arbitrary changes in
the methods of computing time, has lost
its significance and in our day does not
accurately mark off the century point.
Hurrah for the national Columbian
public school celebration of Oct. 81.
- - 800