The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-01-10
cuRIoslTiEs OF THE CALENDAR.
Not BE Another Leap Year for Seven
Years.
(From the New York Herald)

\pEOiA bD6 NOW 1Crk d5ftlu)
When the bells ring in the year 1897
their olamor will toll the inability of
woman to propose for seven years. In
other words, the year 1900 will not be a
leap year. There will be seven years
without any grant of special privilege to
the fair sex. 1t is curious prank those
same calander makers have played, on
the women directly, and on the men in
directly.
The introduction of an additional day
into tho calander once in four years is
necessary to prevent the average year
from being too short. AT the same time
il makes the average year little too long
This additional length is SO slight that it
acoumulates very slowly. Nevertheless,
it docs accumulate, and by the end of a
that reason once in hundred years the
additional day which marks year as a
leap year is omitted, and the average
length of the years is reduced.
the English law determined in 1751 on
reforms in the calandar, and from those
we draw ana use. he original determi-
nation Of the calenuar was made by the
pope, and afterward it was adopted by all
the countries except Russia and the Eas5.
From January IL. 1852, the civil year
was made to begin on that date, and not
on March l, as many had it. In the
same year II days were dropped from
the oalandar, from tho Sd to the 18th, iu-
elusive SO that what would have been the
18th became the Sd.
With this change effected the remainder
of the calendar followed its usual course.
By this change the day which would
have been December 25 became January
g. 1t was from this that the latter derived
it's name Of Old Christmas day.
The further regulation of the calendar
occurred in emitting the year 1900 from
the number of leap years. Therefore in
1901 old Christmas day fell on January 6,
and from that time until this that is
the day Of the month called by that name
In RIDERS 'British Merlin" for 1916
we find it stated that 1900 is not to be q
leap year, while 1901 is to be the fifth
year after bisseXtile, or leap year and the
first year of the Goth century. For this
century the first leap year was 1904, which
is described as such in the almanacs
which were then current.
One old almanac for 1900, Moore's,
names the year as the fourth after bissex-
ii e, OR leap year, and then states that in
spite of its being the fourth year from
leap year 1896, the month OF February
had only % days. Following this fashion
1902 is called the sixth year after bissex-
tile, and Is B the seventh.
Curious as all this appears to US it il
precisely what we will soon do. Through
ont seven years there will be no February
80 after 1886 All of the births and othel
events which occurred on that unfortu
nate day of the month will have nooppor
tunlty to celebrate their anniversary
That eccentric date, February 80, will
| then have an opportunity for renowI
brought on by its absence.
| Yhe calendar adjustments by which
these matters were arranged reaches for
ward to distance that is startling t.
one whose term of life is the 70 years o
man. 1t declared that the yeals 1900
1900 2100, 2200, or any other hundredtl
year. in time to come shall consist OF So
days and no more. But the fact ais
remains that this adjustment of the cal
undar was not quite accurate. The OH
day omitted once in the century mad
the average year a very little too short
70 remedy this defect the adjusters mad
! the following exception to the rule, max
| ing the hundredth year of 1865 days, exeep
every fourth hundredth year beginning
W It'll the year 1000. These years will b.
| leap years, that is the years 1000, 2400
$780, 300 will have Ii February 49, Blu
| their days are not Of greet concern to lis.