The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-09
RUSSIA Will Dnor TWELVE DAYS.
Al Last She. Too. Decides 10 Adopt
the Grc&orian Calendar.

From the New YORK sun.
Washington. July 8-Coasul General
Holloway reports from St. Petersburg to
the state department that the Russian
government has, after many years dis
cussion, decided TO abandon the Julian cal
endar and adopt the Gregorian, now in
use the world over except in Russia and
Greece. A commission Of sixteen members.
including nine astronomers, will arrange
the details of the change, and It as hoped
that the new calendar viii go into opera
tion in 1901
The adoption by Russia of a new cal
endar," said one of the state department
officials, will be an event Of the first i'm
portance to commercial interests, both In
Russia and elsewhere, as the old-styie cal
endar which Is now twelve days behind
that in universal use, has proved a serious
annoyance TO Russians doing business with
foreign countries and TO outsiders doing
business with Russians as correspondence
has to be doubfe-dated and here Is a great
deal Of confusion as to dates.
I'll is not an easy matter to put into op-
GRAFTON a new calendar especially when
the Old one IS nearly two weeks behind
Endless complications arise in commercial
transactions, such as payment of rents,
notes and bills, 20 say nothing of historical
dates. But the autocratic government Of
Russia may be able 10 surmount these
difficulties with as much ease as did Pope
Gregory Kill, who established the Gre
eOr.an or new-style calendar in 1882 by or
daining that The 9th Of October of that
year should be called the 18th, thus neon
tinenUy dropping ten days from the
month so that The days from the 5.h TO
the Hth inclusive never saw the light.
This arrangc ment was Immediately adopt
ed by The Catholic countries Of Europe,
but the Protes. ant nations held out against
Il until 1900, ard England untl 1851.
"The first attempt to introduce the now
calendar into the latter country was re-
sisted by the bishops. who were opposed
to the slightest semblance Of submission
to what they considered the arrogance Of
the Pope in presuming to set the calendar
Alright England was, in fact the last
civilized country, outside Of Russia and
Greece, where the Greek Church, is pre-
dominant 10 adopt the improved calendar
Some indication Of what the Russian min
istry may encounter In the way of popular
opposition 10 The reform of the calendar
is afforded by Englands experience in the
eighteenth century Singularly enough.
it was not an astronomer or man Of science
who set afoot the reform In England. but
the famous letters. who introduced and
promoted the legislation required to put
the new calendar in force. In one Of his
letters to his sen he humOrously describes
his attempts, MOI withdrawing his ignor-
ance Of astronomy TO convince his parlla-
mentary colleagues of the desirability Of
adopting the new calendar. His efforts
were ably seconded by astronomers and
men Of science, and eventually proved sue
cessful. the necessary Legislation receiving
the sanction Of Parliament in 1851.
1.-The bin Variously known as the Calen-
dar Amendment act and Lord Chest epheld's
act, dropped eleven days out of the month
of September, 1852, by calling the day az
ter the End the Attn. The intervening days
thus suffered a total eclipse. People went
to bed on the night Of the End and got up
on the morning Of the 14th Some Of them
therefore, imagined that they had been
cheated out Of 50 much time, that the
days lost On the calendar were actually
annih!latcd The alleged loss Of time be
came a political issue. An attempt was
made 10 defeat the son of one Of the pro-
moters OF the Ches .eriield act, who was
standing for Parliament by raising The
election cry, Give us back the eleven days
we have been robbed Of The incident
was quickly seized upon by the caricatur-
lists Of the day. Hosarth. in one Of his
pictures representing Rn election feast. In
PRODUCES a banner carried by one OF the
crowd bearing the inscription Give Us
Back Our Eleven Days. t
When the astronomer Bradley who lent
his assistance TO the preparation of the
act. died of a lingering Illness the com
mon people ascribed his sufferings to
judgment from heaven for having had a
share ia that impious undertaking. In
marked contrast with these proceedings
was the action of the Quakers in this
country, who met IN Philadelphia IN 1851
and formally adopted the new calendar by
resolution without any sort Of objection
THE Russian government may put
new calendar into effect in several ways.
II may follow the method Of Gregory
and call the 4th Of some particular month
the 10TH or initiate the British Para-
ment and decree that the 30 Of some one
month shall be followed by he 18th, in
either case dropping twelve days at once
Or It may drop one day out Of each year,
as was done by the Netherlands, until the
required number is dropped, or it may
drop two or three days each year. Prob !
ably the first method would present few |
err objections and cause less confusion
In any case the business world would have
10 make The necessary adjustments Of
rents, commercial paper and indeed Of
all commercial transactions recorded on |
dated documents. The month out of which |
twelve days are dropped win present the |
a appearance to future historians of contain |
ing a period in which every activity was
suspended. 1t viii be a period
without marriages, births or deaths but
everybody viii sain twelve days on his |