The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-08-15
THAT LEAP YEAR.
An Explanation of How the Year 1900
is Not a Leap Year.
Mr.. Editor;

Mr.. Editor;
notice IN today's society column where
you say that there will not be a leap year
latter 1896 until 1901. Speaking for my
self and others of the gentler sex who
! generally keep informed on such matters,
| think you are mistaken. The year 1900
is divisible by four, and as you know any
year divisible by four is q leap year.
| Therefore, we are entitled to a leap year
in 1900, and while 1 am no advanced
woman" stu, | shall insist on this right.
A MAIDEN.
In reply to the above The Statesman
will say that this dear maiden is not alone
| in her summaries as to 1900, but she is
nevertheless in error The fact that 1900
is not leap year is easily understood
when it is known that the primeval sys-
( TEN of reckoning time was based on the
moons changes, as is shown in our word
/ month" But the ruling of the moon
months We're reckOned with either 20 or
+ 30 days. Soon the rotation of the sea-
sons was made to serve as a standard.
/ 1T soon appeared, however, that the two
systems did not fully agree. 1t was then
that it was found necessary to invent
some means of adjustment. One of the
earliest means devised was that in use
among the Egyptians. By their arrange
ment the year was made up of the sea-
sons. and included 800 days, with II
months of 30 days each. In order to fill
out the lack arising from this system of
months five supplementary days were
added at the end of the year.
| The Jews reckOned their year as COM
posed of - lunar months of 30 and 80
days alternately and the discrepancy
which resulted was relieved by the occa-
sOnal introduction of thirteenth month
The Syrians, MacedOnians and kindred
people generally followed the Jewish
method. In pursuing this reckoning sew
en- years i'll a cycle of 10 have this inter
GALAXY month, and the number of days in
any yem9vares from 353 to 3S5.
The ancient Greeks made their year to
consist of - really lunar months. but
Scion in 594 made law forthe Athenians
that the months should comprise 30 and
30 days. with the addition of an inter
ca.ary period occasionally. Afterward
three times in eight years a month of so
DAYS was added. by which means the aver
age length of each year was made to be
364 Il days. Ancient Rome had but 10
months i'm the year, but i'll the time of its
kings the lunar year was introduced. I
numbering 800 days in the 10 months, an |
occasional imerealary month being en- !
n!oyed to make the necessary additions.
Inc Roman system of Computing time how /
ever, was beset with many difficulties. |
and the Grass ignorance of the priests !
caused hem to commit innumerable blum |
ders in their reckoning, until chro-
nology was hopelessly confused Julius |
Caesar, On the year 46 B. c., devised the
calendar which bears mis- name. In his ,
system the year had 365 days, save every |
fourth, which had 366. making the aver |
age about 365 IA. Exactly reckoned. |
the year was made up of 365 days, ) |
hours, 4S minutes and so seconds, or II :
minutes and 10 seconds less than 365 IA. |
Caesar gave also the current number of |
days to the months, and his calendar as
a whole was so excellent and its errors
were so slight that it was generally
adopted. Until the year $50 A. D. no
change was made i'm it, but by that time
the II minutes and 10 seconds of error
in each year had grown ITO ten complete /
days. AS a result the time of Easter
was shifted from its true place, and all |
the movable feasts of THE church, which
are reckoned from it, were thrown out
of the proper order. To remedy the re-
sultant annoyances, Pope Gegory XIII |
ordered THAT October 5, 1882,
should be reckOned as October 10, 1882. +
To guard against a recurrence of the
trouble Pope Gregory also decreed that
leap year, save every four hundredth,
but THAT exception beginning only at 1000 |
A. d. The excellence of Gregory's de-
vice is obvious, since brief computation
shows til at the total discrepancy by his
calendar would amount to no more than
one day in 5000 years.
Italy, Spain, and Portugal unhesitat-
ingly followed the Popes direction:
France made the change in the same
year, in December instead of October, as
did also the Low Countries. The Pro
teStantS, in the fury of the Reformation,
refused to make any such change, and
persisted In refusing until 100, when
the Lutherans of Germany and Switzer-
land adopted the new system. By that ;
time the continuance of the old error
made 1T necessary ITO make q change of ,
ele yen days instead of ten. Scotland
adopted the system in 1900 England
refused to yield until 1751. When the ,
bill was first introduced it failed. but
prejudice was not able ito totally destroy ,
common sense, wherefore 24 George ii,
lI5l. made THE calendar of Great Britain
and Ireland to agree with the Gregorian. | j
Russia. Greece, Roumania and the like
races vet RETAIN the old method as a
result of which, when one sends a letter
1ronl one of those countries to some re- n
glon where the calendar has been cor n
rected 1t must be doubly dated, as, for +
example. in this fashion, there being h,
twelve days difference now: January II,
lib, or June 90 July 2. o
Not one of the least remarkable feat IN
ires OF the century year is that it leaves n
those unhappy moUtals to whom some III,