The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1892-08-05
OCT. Fl, NOT OCT. ~.

At the instance of the executive COM
mittee of the national public school cell
ebration of Columbus Day, bill was
recently introduced in congress instruct
ing President Harrison to issue 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. 10 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.
-, 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, was commonly accept
ed. This calendar assumed that there
were 3654 days in 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 1882,
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
of 1852 became Oct. 10. AS the
error was 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 1889, 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, 1899, the sun will occupy
the same relative position to the earth
as on the memorable Oct. 70, 1892.
The Gregorian calendar was not III
troduced into Great Britain until 1751,
popular ignorance and prejudice up to
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 in the interest of scholarly
accuracy. The public school stands for
enlightenment and progress, and it
would not be in keeping with this spirit
to compute the four centuries that will
intervene between the date of the dis
covery and the date we are to celebrate
by an erroneous c. Iendar which had its
day and was discarded more than 300
years ago.
All the precedents for celebrating
American anniversaries are in favor of
the old calendar to the new.
For instance, "Forefathers' Day. in
New England is celebrated Dec. p, al
though according to the Julian calendar
the Pilgrims reached Plymouth Dec.
II. 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
IN historical event. This is the first eff
tort that has ever been made fittingly to
observe, by national commemorative ex-
ercises, the achievement of Columbus,
s1d the right day should be celebrated.
For this reason we are glad that Oct. 81
S to be the day. We want the children
If the land to observe an anniversary
With all that name implies, and not nee
,ssarily the recurrence of a fixed date,
which, owing to the arbitrary changes in
he methods of computing time, has lost
Is significance and in our day does not
accurately mark off the century point.
1urrah for the national Columbian
public school celebration of Oct 81