The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-16
To Adolf eregorian CsIsndar.

Russia win abandon the Julian calendar
and adopt the Gregorian, now In use the
civilized world over except in Russia ana
Greece So reports Consul General AAa-
loway, at So. Petersburg A commission
OF sixteen members, Including nine as
tronomers. VIII arrange the details Of the
change, and the new calendar will proc
ably 90 into operation I'm Isel-
The event win be OF great Importance
TO commercial interest both in Russia and
elsewhere. since the old style calendar.
which Is now twelve days behind that IN
general use, has proved perplexing 10
Russians doing business abroad and TO
foreigners doing business with Russians
The necessary eouble-dating OF CORE
spondeace and business paper has often
created confusion. Endless complications
arise in commercial transactions as wei
as in historical datesc
To put the new calendar into opera
ton. however. may not be an easy mat
ter; but the autocratic government OF
Russia may be able to surmount all dif-
ficulties with as much facility as did
Pope Gregory XIII. the author OF the
Gregorian or new style calendar. BE
summarily ordained that the 5th Of Oc-
tober. 1Ss2. should read October Is lSS2-
that the days from the flfth 10 the four
teenth. inclusive. never saw the light All
Catholic countries Immediately adopted
the new calendar, but the Protestant ma
tions held out against Il It'll Ice. Eng
land. however. did not fall into line I'M
I'll f15l.
The famous dandy Chesterfield. not the
scientific man Of the time. set sfOot the
reform in England. In one OF his pub
lished letters he humorOusiy describes his
attempts, in spite Of his ignorance OF as
tronomy, to convince his parliamentary
colleagues OF the desirability OF calendar
reform. BY his success eleven days were
dropped from the month OF September.
1TS2, and suffered total eclipse. Many
considered themselves cheated out OF
these. so that the alleged loss of time
became a political Issue. Hogarth quick
~ seized the humor of the situation and
depicted an election feast In which hg-
ured a banner with the motto, Give Us
back our eleven days" Bradley, the as
tronomer. came to CheSterfield's aid with
scientific reasons for the chronological
innovation; but he died before he had
effected much. and his death was attrib-
uted to direct interposition OF PTovi-
dence for his alleged in1picus work. The
ouakers IN Philadelphia set their breth-
rem In the old country n worthy example
by adopting the new calendar without
| carp or cavil.
At the state department in washington
| II Is believed that the Russian govern
ment will adopt the method Of Pope Greg
| DRY. and will call. for example, the 4th
| Of some particular month the 18th; or
win initiate the British parliament and
decree that the third shall be followed
by the sixteenth--in either case dropping
twelve days at once. Or Il may drop one
day out Of each year until the required
number shall have been dropped. as was
done by the government of the Neither
lands. II twelve days shall be dropped
out of a certain month future historians
| will be confronted by period In which
every activity was completely suspended
a period without births. marriages or
| deaths. a temporal nonentity. But all
Russians will gain twelve days on their
| birthday succeeding the change without
having lived an hour longer.
Now that Russia cOntemplates the
| change from the Julian to the Gregorian
calendar. Greece will almost be compelled
| to follow her example. for OF all civil
| ICED nations Greece cannot well af1ord
| to continue UNIQUE az to time.