The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-02-08

comitants of human existence. Con
sidered from "a purely secular stand
point it bids fair to continue its career
for cycles to come.
Eighteen hundred and niHeth-six is
the r. living time of the century for
spirslers. lmmemorial use accordS to
woman in leap year The right to usurp
mans privilege and WOO her blushing
mate. For the year one motto would
be, "Woman proposes, man disposes.
Hitherto in the annals of our century
the leap year records show no extraordi-
na y results from the spinsters' efforts.
Eighteen hundred and inety-six will
he wever, more than compensate for
past failures. Spinsters will array them
selves for supreme endeavor.
In the ordinary leap year the woman
hardly moves into the work with all her
powers concentrated There is the
Lurking suspicious of another leap year
to come if this be unsuccessful, and the
secret expectation that in the interview
ing time some man may WOO her. In
view of these things she prosecutes
ner undertaking without the despera-
ton bred of lack of hope in the future
In other words she is unnamed.
We have charged all that for The leap
N"nI-I>96, or, rather, the calendar
i.'r us centuries ago. The year 1906
- not to ID" an ordinary cap year. In it
~ spinster must lead forlurn hope
tnry must mass their forces tor one
:. eat final assault upon 'he citadel of
mI,culne indifference to their wnsome-
ness.
Il adjustments, strategy aye, force,
ven-must be employed if need be for
h'- gaining of success, the gaining of
~ u. The reason of the vast inheritance
- the YEAR L. Spln>t Is is found in the
, {, that il has no suCCe SOr until 1904
Nnrn the bells ring in the wear 1907
'h~ir cllmnr will toll the inability Of
Nrnan to propose for seven years. In
- her words, the year Io u will not be a
hap year. There will be seven years
without any grant Of special privilege to
the fair sex
Bachelors who love their liberty must
beware, for never before in their history
v ere the signs of capture SO alarming.
The new woman has plans for the new
wear, looking toward a mana new man
or an "rld man" Not only will the new
women themselves present dauntless
phalanx Of Amazorian wooers, but the
emboldening effect of their example Oh
that any bachelor had best beware the
ShyeSt maid, or he may lose his hand,
il not his heart. Seven years without
opportunity means for the ordinary
spinsler no other opportunity. She will
be in the retired list when another leap
year comes. If it is to be done at it
m isl be done quicky-the getting OF
husband An artist has conceived of
tie symbolic spinsler, lariat in hand
watching for the moment when the
fleeing man may be caught by IFS cling
ing loop. The picture is the precise re-
presentation of the fact.
The spinster will employ force to the
utmost The unveling strands of the
laridt will be hurled by no waverng hand
and there will be no escape for him over
whose shoulders the resistless moose
falls. The spinsters will look in the
glass and see there in the shadow pic
lures conjured up by sorrowfu anticipa-
ton, the pictures of spinsters seven
wears hence when the battery of charms
will be routed by the arms of Father
Time. Spinsters will not fail in 1896 if
their utmost strength can avoid defeat.
If, after all, they do fail, they will anathe
matte the calendar maker.
1t is curious prank those same cal
endar makers have played, on the
women directly, and on the men in
directly.
The introduction of an additional day
into the calendar once in four years is
necessary to prevent the average year
from being too short. AT the same time
it makes the average year little too
long. This additional length is so slight
that i, accumulates very slowly Never
theless, it does accumulate, and by the
end of a century it amounts to nearly a
day. For that reason once in hun
dred years the additional day which
makes year as leap year is omitted,
and the average length OF the years is
reduced.
The English law determined in 1851
on reforms in the calendar, and from
those we draw and use The original
determination of the calendar was made
by the Pope, and afterward it was
adopted by all the countries except
Russia and the East. From January ~,
1857, the civil year was made to begin
on that date, and not on March I, as
many had it. In the same year eleven
days were dropped from the calendar
~ 4 From UsJorna'e Of nSt',cins