The Somerset reporter., 1892-07-21
The Correct Columbus Day.

The recent action of Congress chung
ing the date for the national public
school celebration from October 18th To
October 2lst l. Il step in the direction of
scholarly accuracy. aud ii Is remarkable
thai il should have been - long over
looked.
If there i to b, u national observance
of the tooth anniversary of the discovery
of America it should take place ON the
date which marks the true century-point
1t i obviously stupid to await the re-
currcncc of a date which by reason of
arbitrary changes in the methods of
reckoning time ha~ lost it, Significance
and does not Indicate The true cycle of
years.
Every american l>noWs that Columbu,
discovered This hemisphere on October
H. ! l92, and At fir-t thought Octnbcr II.
1872. would seem To mark the tooth an
niNerearN Of that event. But il will be
remembered that I me Wa> then ralula-
ed upon different ha,i. Than i, NOV in
vogue
For many centuries the Julian ealen-
dar Wd- the accepted authority for all
calculations. although il naccnracv
was not unknown. In l5S2 Il rrforlm-
dar Wa- thcu introduced in Europe. and
this calendar i nnN Used bN all civilized
nations. with the exception al Russia.
which It'll! adhere- IL HE julian method
Of computing TIM. Wien thi- refnfma-
ton occurred it na- found necessary 10
drop ten day from thu calendar: and
October T. l5~2. became October Il.
lose. These dropped day, were fhe ae-
tsIi LEAF
Gus reckoning Tie Julian calendar A.
-umcd HAT var contained 3G5 IL
days, and H. this vi, II minutes and II
SECOND TOO loug. he error amounted 10 3
day every l0p Years TIN Grrgorian
calendar corrected this defect Il, making
every crulurial Year "A common year un-
les di,i-ihlr bY 100. whereas h, the
Julian calendar cXrrl Year .centurial
year included di, i-ible l., / VIZ a leap
year Thus hX the neN -tXle al com
putaiou the years LOO. l7ho aud lsoo
were not heap years.
y previously stated The reformation
took place in l5S2. and ten DAY, were
suppressed. But a. the discovery of
America was preSi ou> 10 the year i500.
which by the t'rcgorian calendar was
common. there are but day> 10 omit
Consequently on october q. ls92. the
sun will occupy The ,ame relative posi-
tiou to the earth ~ on the l2th al Dctoh-
or, i92. when Tor HE first inn Column
bus bchcld these shores.
For these reasons, together with the
fact thai every precedent i, in favor of
adopting the new style" Of reckoning.
We favor the change.
he t'ro%orian calendar Nh, not in
troducrd into Great Britain until l75l.
ignorance and prejudice defeating HE
change up 10 that time. Consequently
it ha- been necessary 10 correct the
date of our American anniversaries
which commentaries event, previous 10
l13l. Washington MIS- born February
INN, but by HE ..neW style" lis birth
day fall on the 22nd and that i the
day "" celebrate. The anniversary ol
F"rctallIrr's Day an of the founding of
the city Of Bo-ton are both observed ON
the corrected date. II l. unfortunate
thai TIA" Act of ongres, Of Apri -.
$50. naming bctohcr l2lh. ls92. Il, The
date for the dedication of the Norld'>
Fair grounds ha~ not been amended by Il
change of date 10 October 2lSt. Tie
fair viii practically he "A year lale, and
The dcdicatorN exercises should take
place On the true anniversary. which is
OctObrr 2l-t. Congress ha- already
shown it, good sense by placing the
popular and general celebration of
which the public schools are to he the
crntrr- on the correct date. II only re-
main- for Congress 10 eXtricate the
nation From the comical prcdicamen Of
a tWu-hradcd celebration of Discovery
Day by changing HE Chicago date 10
correspond with lie corrected date il Ia.
already -ct for HE popular public school
crlrhratinu-