Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-07-10
QUERIES & ANSWERS.
WHAT IS TIE TRUE ouApaA-ceN-
reNNlAt ANNIVERSARY
Care fosiLaGinitis-rhs Old raIr-o reunds
Federal Courts Ia observation-disclosures
eas Preserves. &c.
I1xcnsrno. Va.

lHScnBUho. VA.
zb0s Editor De Dispdfch,
! take the liberty 20 enclose you letter
that appeared last week IN the Vrginsan OF
this city.
Congress has Just passed q bill changing
the date for the Chicago celebration from
October i2th--ihc date by the Julian cal
endss--to October 2ist, which IL noi the
true date by the Gregorian calendar.
Will you do mo the favor to look over the
enclosed letter and satisfy Yourself that
October 22d, Is the trae quadri-centenn'al
day, and then tell us why Congress- APP
2adl Very respectfully,
The bill passed by Congress IL correct.
II represents the true date, the difference
between the Julian and the Gregorian
calendar Cor rather, 0te corvect tinac) IN N92
being nine days.
In the year of the first Council OF Nice
the vernal equinox fell on March 2lst, but
under the error Of the Julian system In
1882 IL fell on March 18th. 1t was manifest
that this error would go on increasing with
time. egecting more and more the church
days and true dates. And Pope Gregory
XIII. saw that Ii was necessary to correct
the calendar and 10 devise another system
for keeping IL correct. In order TO do
these things, after due consideration, the
Pope ordained that the following 9th of
October should be rcckoned as the 18th,
thus correcting the error which bad been
made under the Julian system ssnce the
Council Of Nice. and making the dates
under the Gregorian system correspond
with the dates OF 325 A. ID. And he further
ordained a system of his own by which the
dates would be kept uniformly correct for
several thousand years: that is. strictly
speaking, approximately correct.
The Pope accepted rs correct the Julian
dates OF the council year (S25 A. ID, so
there was no difference between the Julian
calendar and his calculations in that year.
The difference between the Julian system
and me correct time increasing at the rate of
day (twenty-four bours) in 1873 4-l0 years
not counting fractions of less than half a
day. and counting more than half as
whole day-the difference was one day
from 800 TO BIS; two days from $40 TO 6i7;
- nine days from 1425 to 1853; ten
DAYS from 1854 TO 1888. The difference
between the Julian and he GreGoridn cal
endsrs being ten days from October is
IN. So, 1882, 70 March 10 On. s., 100;
eleven days from March Ii On. 81, 100.
20 March 10 On. S.. 1900, and twelve days
from March IL IN. S., 1900, to March 10
IN. 81. 1900.
An old style date Of March 20, 392 A. d..
being erGcaient 10 March 2ist, correct time;
October "a, 1892 TO October 2lst; May
II, 1907, 10 May Path, present style.
etc.
The only difference between the Julian
or old style and the Gregorian or new
style systems is this Under the old
style every 4th year Qncluding, of course,
every Tooth year. was counted leap year
but under the present style every Tooth
year is moi counted as leap year. creeping
every 400th year, q. q, 1000, 1000, &C., are
leap years under both systems). Thus
three days are now rstrencbed IN every
400 years. The correct difference is three
days in every 3Ss 40 years. The final diff
ference between the Gregorian system and
the correct time at the end of every 400
years increasing at the rate Of about two
hours and twelve minutes viii amount TO
one day in about 1850 years.
Although, strictly speaking, the Gregg
rian calendar is not at all times strictly
correct, the system is a practical one, and
Is neGr enough to accuracy at present for
all practical purposes.
While 1t is true that error had arisen un-
der tho Julian system prior 10 1875 A. d..
which Is not corrected by the Gregorian
calendar. 1t is equally true that there were
errors in the modes OF computing time be
fore Caesar. But these do not enter into
the calculation. because 1--WE cannot go
behind the records" The bill recently
passed by Congress represents the true
date because it accords with our present
style Of dates.
II is important 10 make the old style
dates correspond with our present style,
because if we do not we commit an error.