Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-12-31

Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars 4
Jupiter Saturn. We call three days
of the week directly after the planets
Saturday (Saturn), Sunday tSun),
Monday (Moon). and four through the
Saxon names for the others: Tuesday
(Tuesco--Marsl. Wednesday (Woden
Mercury. Thursday CThor-Jupi.
teri. and Friday tFriga-Neuusl.
The month, no doubt. originated
from the phases Of the moan. These.
sharp and wellGehDcd. are four In
number: the nes moon, first quarter,
full moon and last quarter. Escb OF
these phases occupies about seven
days. SO that from new full moon 10
new full moon. there Is something
more than twenty-nine days. which Is
called a synodicAi month, or lunston.
No nation Up Ia the present time
has devised a sgsteH OF absolute &C
curacy In the measurement OF the
collar year. Some ancient nations, such
as the Chsldesns, reckoned the year
a. SEQ days. This lis the principle OF
that most ancient astronomical term,
a
circllng the heavens on each aide OF
the eciiptic. within which the planets
known 10 the ancients always revolve.
IL extends eight degrees on each side
OF the ecliptc. IL Is divided into
twelve equal parts. called signs OF the
Zodiac. II IL n great cycle. and is d.
vided into $50 degrees. like all cir
cles: hence $50 days in the Chaldean
year.
The EgyptiAns counted 365 days In
their year. AS the year contains
esq., days nearly, such systems could
not fail 10 w0rk great inconvenience.
for the seasons would move round In
4 cycle from one time OF the year TO
the other. Let me make this quite
plain. Take the winter solstice, for
instance, which happens on Dec. Il.
AT the end oi four years the solstice
would be not ON Dec. y. but on Dec.
%. The sun would be behind time. In
order. therefore, that the seasons
should occur at the same time Ia the
civil year. II Was necessary To take
account Of this fraction of day.
julius Caesar, the great Roman EN-.
peror. determined TO recttfy the error.
He called the celebrated Egyptian as
tronomer, Sosigines, to his aid. Sosi-
eines suggested the addition OF day
every fourth year. This day was add
ed to February, and Is known TO 'us as
Leap Year" bat Co the Romans as
Rissextile IBIS. twice. seXtuR, SIXTH.
This corrected calendar became
known a. the Julian. But as IL made
the year consist OF 365 days. 6 hours.
Il was In excess OF the actual time by
minute 1913 seconds Small as was
this fraction. IL accumulated TO about
one day in every lSi years.
The calendar needed reform Time,
civil and ecclesiastical, required re-
adjustment. But To urge the neces-
sary change was dangerous. as the
learned Friar Bacon found To his cost.
For pointing out errors in the calendar
he received as a reward for the ad-
yoeacy Of the truth prison. where he
remained ten years.
As often happens, ecclesiastical
requirements minister to civil neces-
stiles. The immediate cause of the
correction OF the calendar was an
error in the time Of observing the
Easter festival. The Council OF Nice.
in A. ID. 325, decreed that Easter IS
the Sunday following the full moon.
next after the Yernal equinox. Owing
to disputes arising from this decree
Pope Hilarius. in 463, ordered that the
paschal moon shonid not be the actual
full moon, but an ideal one. falling on
the 14th day of the moon by the
metonic cycle (so-csiied from Metoni.
Greek philosopher. S-ho discovered
IL. II consists OF niDstesn years, at
the end OF which the Sin IL In about
the same position he MS st the be
gjnning).
In 1852 IL was found thsf the real
eQuipoox fell ten days before the nom
Inal one. and from the error la the
Me;oBtc cycle. Easter had got four
days wrong Then Pope Gregory
XIII refoemed the calendar, called
efter hiE fhe GregorIsn calendar, by
the aid N Glsvius. . learned Jseun.
The equinox OF 1882. which should