Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-02-08

on until toward the close OF February.
when The intcrcaiary month was I'M
scrtcd az the usual place. This added
twcnty. days TO the year but did
not suffice The calendar was still two
I months out. and the lst OF March was
Swing Rome the weather OF Christ
/ mas. So at the end of November
4 (Which came at what Is now the end
I 81 September two moro months were
+ inserted. containing between them six
ty-scVen oslys by the insertion OF
these special months. which have new
cy since appeared i'm the calendar. the
month OF December was brought TO
= the season IN which IL now falls. the
two intermediary months covering our
+ October ana November. These two
I months were in sense duplicated.
+ Thus in this wear there had been added
4 90 the rcgular 800 days ninety more
This made the unprecedented total OF
+ 40 days. or fifteen months. The year
extended. according TO our present reck-
oniug. from the beginning OF October
f TO twelve months following the next
+ Dec. 81. This started the year OF
Rome 100 (B. q. ~ ut the time at
/ which our years now commence.
This remarkable yeap~was scoflingly
called "thc year OF confusion" but Ma
erohius correctly says that Il should
rather bc called the last year Of con
fusion The strong measures that had
+ 90 hc taken were necessary IL order was
F Oh he restored and the months once
sgain placed I'm their old time honored
seasons.
But an Caesars changes were not
set carried ont. The year had still 80
days. and this was ten and Il quarter
days too short. II was determined TO
avoid iu future The insertion OF an in
tCrcaiary month. The old experience
with this arrangement had been sutIi-
CiCuUy unfortunate. 30 the year was
raised to it's present length Of $50 days
and thus made solar year 10y adding
two days each 10 January. ScXtilis and
December and one day each 10 April.
Jurc September ana November. the
gus .1y over being adjusted by the
insertion of an extra day every four
yC'rs ut the end of February. Our in
sorti1n Of this day at the ancient tcrmi-
nation of tbc year is now our only re-
mirier Of thc enc time insertion there
OF whole month
In this way was the great soldiers
work carried out and the system OF
chronology established that we practi-
caily use toiay. It was an appropriate
trinutc when Augustus changed the
uauC of thc month when Caesar was
BORN SD th1t we have a reminder OF this
in tae name OF Julius duly in place OF
lbs ancient designation Quintilis
but. after all. The year of Julius Gaze
sar was uoi correct enough. for the real
ycar Is cicyCn minutes twelve seconds
s.or. of thc 800 days and Is hours of his
necuoul. This is very slight. max
ing only about thrcc-Quartcrs of day
in century. Hut In the sixteenth cen
turI tle year was TEEN days behind true
Time. and corrections were again made
in llc calendar. II was siin a Pontifex
llNmus who did this. FOR the bishops
ci Rome assumed that title after the
f.n ~ tle empire. I'm 15S2 Pope Greg
Drt Nili mric tnc necessary corrcc-
toms iy ordering that the day after the
-a cf October should DE called tho
llth. ana tc -uard against the error in
t-e fstFc it was ordered that the year
c'u.'eun. c.ch century should not be
leap year cNcept $40 every fourth cen
tury.-Nalter !. kidd n New York
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