The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-04-10
THE OLD STYLE AND THE
NEW.
SOME NOTES OF INTEREST ON TIE
GREGORIAN CALENDAR.

Reference was made recently to the
adoption OF the Grcgorian calendar, in
accordance with which the year 1905
will not be a leap year. But there arc
many persons who, says the Boston
Transcript, are not acquainted with
the facts connected with the adoption
Of that calendar, which caused the
difference between what Is called ''Old
style and new style" Originally, a
month was the interval between one
new and the succeeding one;
but as twelve Of these months fell a
number of days short Of a year, it was
customary to i%nterculate Il month from
time to time, So that some year had
thirteen months, while others had
only twelve.
To remedy this Inconvenience, julius
Caesar decided to divide the year into
twelve months, without reference to
the moon, to call the length Of the
year 365t days, and to ~eQualizc the
matter by giving IN extra day to every
fourth year. This was an improve
ment on the former method, yet as a
year Is about eleven minutes and ten
seconds less than 365t days, in the
course Of centuries the calendar be.
came seriously incorrect. After much
study and calculation, Pope Gregory
XIII decided to remove the difficulty
by calling Oct. 5. 1882, Oct. Is thus
setting the calendar right ut that
time, and to prevent further dis
crcpancy, he arranged that the last
year Of each century should bc Il leap
year only when it can be divided by
400 and leave no remainder, thus
emitting three out OF every four Of
those last years OF. the century. As
the year 1900 cannot be so divided, it
will not be a leap year, and as the
year 1000 can be 30 divided, it will be
a leap year. This arrangement makes
the matter so nearly perfect that it
will be 200 years before the calendar
will again be a day wrong.
This Grcgorian calendar. as it is
called, was adopted Immediately in
many parts Of Europe; but it was not
adopted in England and the United
States until 1852, when it was enacted
that the day succeeding Sept. 2 Of that
year should be called Sept. II, thus
dropping eleven days. This is called
new STYLE" while the former arrange.
ment is called sold STYLE and readers
OF history who wish to get an exact
idea OF dates need to know whether
the figures given them are cold style"
or "new style'-tlat is, whether it
was before or after Sept. 2. 1852. Some
! times in chronological statements the
letters 80. S." or IN. S."arc added to
indicate which it is.
Another change was made at the
time the GregOrian calendar was
adopted in England. Before that time
the year commenced on March 25, so
that IN the year the whole of which
from Jan. ! to Dec. 81, we now call
1852, March "a was, according to the
then reckoning, March "a. 1851, and
the next day was March p, 1852. But
when the Gregorian calendar was
adopted it was also enacted that
hence!orth the year should commence
with the lSt day OF January. Readers
of English history need to bear this In
mind with reference to the dates be-
tween Jan. | and March % before 1852,
especially II they are reading an old
hook. Thus, IN Chambers EncyclOpa-
dia, IL is stated that Charles | was
tchcaded Jan. 30, 1919 but in the
History OF England" by Sir Richard
Baker, published in 1855, the date is
given as Jan. 80, 1913, because he
wrote when the year did not end until
March %. Sometimes, when old dates
have been given between Jan. | and
March %, they have been given in
this form: Feb IL, l746-7, to indicate
that it was LAG O. S. and 1747 N. S.