The Irish standard., 1896-02-01
Biitss tllesHswas this differences: our Electors
are not permaneIlt bod w but men
chosen every four years B:
THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1896. {.

| The year 1896 is bissextile or leap
year, and the month of February has
twenty-nine days. In the Roman calen-a
dar the days inithe latter part Of each
month were designated by their number
in the interval preceding the first day
Called the calends) Of the following
month. The day now known as Feb. %
was the sixth day before the calends of
March (sextocalendas Martias). The
Julian calendar, in which the custom OF
adding day to February every fourth
year was introduced, provided that the
additional day should be inserted not at
the end of the month, but six days ear
lier, forming a second sixth day ibis
sexto calendas Martias). Hence arose
the word bissextile, which is still retain
ed as the name of the year in which the
additional day is inserted, though now
it is added at the end of the month. The
name leap year refers to the fact that
for year after the insertion of the ad-
ditional day, each date comes two days
later in the week than it came the pre-
vious year, instead Of on the following
day of the week, as In ordinary years.
The dates may be said to leap over
day. The leap year contains 36b Gays,
or two days in excess of fifty-two weeks.
According to the Julian calendar all
by four. 49, .-t.ass
The true length of the year, as deter
mined by astronomers, is 365 days, five
hours, forty-eight minutes; forty-six Sec
onds. The error of adding day every
fourth year, or of making the year. ex-
actly 365 days, six hours long, is there
fore eleven minutes, fourteen seconds
each year This accumulates to nearly
three days each four centuries. The
modification of the calendar introduced
by Gregory in the sixteenth century and
which has been accepted by Christian
nations in western Europe and America
corrects this error of the Julian calendar
by requiring that the century years
shall not be leap years unless Invisible
by 400 instead of by four. The year
1900 was leap year. but the years 100
and 1900 were not The year 1900 will
not be leap year. ... ...
CHRONOLOGICAL ERAS.
The year 1896 comprises the latter part
of the one hundred and twentieth and
the beginning OF the one hundred and
twenty-frst year of the independence OF
the United States of America. III
1t corresponds with:
The year 5000 Of the Julian period.
The year 74D4-7i05 of rhe Byzantine
era, the year TAOS beginning Sept l.
The year 565G-5657 of the Jewish era
the year 5G57 beginning at sunset on
Sept. Z. ...-4s.
The year 2649 since the foundation OF
Rome according to Varro.
The year 2i3 since the beginning OF
the era of Nabonassar, which has been
assigned to Wednesday, Feb. 26, OF the
39G7th year of the Julian period; cores
bonding, in the notation OF chronolog-
lists. to the 747th, and in the notation OF
astronomers to the 746th year before the
birth of Christ.
The year 1912 of the olymiads, or the
fourth year of the 66Sth olylnplad. be-
ginning in July, if we fix the, era OF the
olympiads at 1854 B. c.
The year 220s OF the Grecian era, or
the era Of the Selucidae.
The year 1912 Of the era OF Dlocletlan:
The year 1856 of the Japanese era and
the Goth year Of the period entitled NELL
The year 1313-1314 Of the Alohammedan
era, or the era Of the Heglra, the year
1914 beginning June H.
The first day Of January, 1895, is the
2.413.56Oth day since the beginning OF the
Julian period. ...
ECLIPsEs FOR THE YEAR 1896.
In the year 1896 there will be four
eclipses-two central eclipses OF the sun,
one annular, the other total, and two par
tial eclipses OF the moon.
1. An annular eclipse of the sun, FeO.
13. invisible in America. The central
line of the eclipse lies wholly in high
southern ATTITUDES The eclipse Is par
tial in the South Atlantic Ocean, south
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, In the south
eastern part Of South America and the
southwestern part OF Africa.
9 A partial eclipse of the moon feb.z3,
;.,,,;,;1>o r,,o,.ioa h1II visible pGner-
ally in Europe, Asia and Africa. me
n,aenitlide of the eclipse is O.S71 moons
diameter, u. ,l-,.o
8. A total eclipse Of the sun. Aug: 8,
invisible in America. The central line
crosses northern Norway. Siberia. the
Island of Yezo and the Pacific ocean.
The duration of the total phase varies
from one minute and twenty-elght sec
onds to two minutes and forty-tWo sec
onds. :.
4. A partial eclipse of the moon, Aug.
% and q, visible in America. The times
of the several phases are as follows:
Moon enters penumbra Aug ~, lf:vl
y. m. Moon enters shawow' Aug. ~.
1924 a. m. Middle of the eclipse Aug.
%. 1853 a, m. Moon leaves shaved Aug.
%, $3.50 a. M Moon leaves penumbra
Aug. %. 4:4S a M. The magnitude Of
the eclipse is O.735 moons diameter, II.
The largest number of eclipses pos
sible in any year is seven, five Of che
sun, two of the moon. The least NUMBER
is two, both Of the sun.
r" OCCUPATIONS. ,.
The moon in it's monthly orbit occults
multitude of stars each evening, and
bright stars and planets: u
1896 the moon passes over some OF the
stars of the Pleiades each month. The
occultations which are visible in Amer
lea occur on April Is, Aug. 3, Oct. % and
Nov. 20. OCCUPATIONS of Antares occur
each month and of Regulus each mouth
until November; of these, the occultaf-
lions of Regu1us Jan. 3 and Feb. q are
visible in America. Mercury and Venus
are occulted twice, Mars once and Jupiter
three times: OF these, the occultations
of Mars April and of Jupiter July ~
are visible in America.
FLORAL DECORATIONS FOR CHILL
sDREN'S PARTIES. #sa
In giving birthday party. for children
the table should be decorated with the
birthday flower of the month in which
they were born; January, snowdrop; Feb
ruary, the primrose; March, violet; April,
daisy; May, hawthorn; June, wild rose;
July. .lily: August; DOLBY; September,