Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-05
About Leap Years.

must wait eight years before tradition
AIRY law viii give them the right to pop
the question to willing bachelors. Only
century years that are evenly divisible
by 400 are to be classed as leap years, ac-
cording to the corrected calendar or
aained by good Pope Gregory in 1882,
and since adopted by every civilized
country except Russia, which is still as
far behind in its calendar as it is in
everything else,
From the most ancient times mankind
divided the year into seasons. The Ro-
mans had originally a year of ten
months instead of twelve. Consequent
ly. September, October, November, De-
cember-meaning respectively, seventh,
eighth, ninth and tenth months-closed
the year just as they do now. except
that December. the last month, instead
of being the twelfth, was the tenth, as
its name indicates. When the year was
divided into twelve months the old
names were retained, although the
months were showed forward.
In the time of julius Caesar there was
great confusion of the calendar. The
year was gradually slipping around till
the winter months were coming into
summer. Julius Caesar righted the con-
fusion to great extent by the Julian
calendar. which ordered that 365 days
should constitute a year, while every
fourth year should have 1865 days and
be leap year. But it does not take the
earth exactly 365l4 days to move around
in her orbit to the spot whence she
started ON Jan. ~ 1t requires eleven
minutes ten seconds less than fourth
of our day of twenty-four hours. Con
sequently. in counting full quarter day
each year, the calendar was taking eleven
minutes ten seconds Of what belonged
to the next year. In little less than
five years and half, thus a good hour
would be sliced off the new year. TAX
ing this hour from the day next after, it
would in time throw the old day away
behind in its dates and make the spring
months come in midsummer.
The Julian calendar was adopted 46
B. e. 1t ruled the days and centuries
till the time Of Pope Gregory in 1882.
By that time dates had gone ten full
days behind. 1t made Christmas come
the middle of December and knocked
Easter and other church festivals all
out of keller. On account Of these
church celebrations there was an abso-
lutte necessity for correcting the calen-
dar We owe the correction, therefore,
to religious and not civil requirements.
Pope Gregory summoned his wise men
and mathematician, and after long
study these decided that the wrong al
ready done could be rectihed by adding
ten days to the date of the month. Thus
Oct. became Oct. 10 and Easter and
right time Of the year.
But there was the ever RECURRING
f eleven minutes and ten seconds too
much which had been reckoned annu-
} ally in the year of the Julian calendar.
, How could the days be kept from again
slipping back? After more deep study
j and calculation the pope's wise men de
cided that to skip one leap year each in
three centuries would bring the records
F. about right The pope therefore ordained
that no century year shall be leap year
= unless it is evenly divisible by 400. The
. next century leap year will come in 1000.
. By that time probably it will not make
much difference to us personally whether
r it is leap year or not.
b. At the time the Gregorian calendar
was instituted there was a bitter feud
3 between Catholics and Protestants, and
Q the Protestant countries would not
3 adopt it, Switzerland and the Luther
Q ans of Germany held out till 100. Then
3 they had to add eleven days instead of
D ten to their calendar Last of all, Eng
S land, in 1852. came into the Gregorian
! reckoning, but she had to add twelve
Q days to her count. General Washing
t ton, born in 1882, was therefore born I'M
T. der the old style calendar, which would
o make the date of his birth Feb. 10 in.
o stead of the 22d
The difference between the civil year
and the natural year has now been re-
S duced very small. There is still slight
g difference. but by the Gregorian reck-
q oning it will take 5000 years for this
q difference to amount to as much as a
d day, which will be in the year 65S2. II
o we happen to be here at that time in
d some of our numerous travels, we can
j easily fix things straight in the calendar
d thanks to Pope Gregory.
o Mr.. Gladstone has lived good while
, eighty-two years Dec. 90. He said in g
e recent speech on the labor question thai
l. he had Witnessed in his life a oreat