The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
oURIosITIEs OF THE CALENDAR.
Throughout Seven Years There VIII
he No Feb. 20 After 1896.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
The introduction of an additional day
into the calendar once in four years il
necessary to prevent the average year
from being too short At the same time
It makes the average year a little too
long. This additional length is so slight
that is accumulates very slowly. Never
theless, 1t does accumulate, and by the
end of a century it amounts to nearly a
day. For that reason once in hundred
years the additional day which marks
q year as leap year is omitted, and the
average length Of the year is reduced.
The English law determined in 1851 on
reforms in the calendar, and from those
we draw and use. The original determine
alton OF the calendar was made by tho
pope, and afterward 1t was adopted by
all the countries except Russia and the
east. From Jan. II. 1852, the civil years
was made to begin on that date and nor
on March /, as many had 1t. In the same
year eleven days were dropped from the
calendar. from the third to the thirteenth.
inclusive, so that what would have been
the fourteenth became the third
With this change effected the remainder
of the calendar followed its usual course.
BY this change the day which would have
been Dec. Is became Jan. s. 1t was from
this that the latter derived its 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 Jan. s. and
day of the month called by that name
In Riders British Merlin for 1901 we
find 1t stated that 1900 is not to be a lean
year, while 1901 is to be the fifth wear
after bissextile, or leap year, and the
first year of the twentieth century. For
this century the first leap year was 1904
which is described as such in the alma
macs which were then current.
One old almanac for 1900 Moore's names
the year as the fourth after bissextiIe. or
leap year, and then states that in spite
OF its being the fourth year from lean
year 1895, the month of February had onfy
tWenty-eight days. Following this FASH
ion, 1902 is called the sixth year after bis
sextile, and 1903 the seventh.
Curious as all this appears to us. 1t is
precisely what we will soon do. Through
out seven years there will be no Feb %
after. 1886 An of the. births and other
nate day of the month will have no op-
portunity to celebrate their anniversary
That eccentric date, Feb. 20, will then
have an opportunity for its renown
brought on by its absence.
The calendar adjustment by which these
matters were arranged reaches forward
TO distance that Is startling to one whose
term OF life is the seventy years OF man.
II declared that the years 1900, 1900, 2100,
200, or any other hundredth year in time
to come shall consist of 365 days and no
this adjustment of the calendar was not
quite accurate The one day omitted once
In the century made the average year
very little too short
To remedy this defect the adjusters
made the following exception to the rule
making the hundredth year of 365 days,ex-
sept every fourth hundredth year begin
ming with the year 1000. These years Will
De leap years, that, the years 2003 2400
$50. 800. Will have a Feb. 20. But their
days are not Of great concern to us.
AT Wildwood. the beautiful country
home of the Hauptons ~, Sou+t, Carolina