The Washington herald., 1907-12-29
BY RUDOLPH DE zAPP.
Ladies. 1905 is a leap year.
Thirty days hath September.
April. June. and November;
All the rest have thirty-one

y
Thirty days hath September
April. June and November;
All the rest have thrty-one
Except the second month. alone
Which has but twenty-eight in fine.
Til Leap Year gives il twcnty-nine.
The history of leap year is interesting
not only to those of the gentler sex who
are matrimonially inclined, but also to
the student. the scientist. As a year is
the time OF the earth's revolution around
the sun. it should contain $50 days and a
fraction Of a day.
The ancients. having great respect for
the moon. wanted the year to be sub
divided into parts corresponding with her
revolution around the earth The diff
culties OF adjusting the moons revolu-
uons. or months, so as 10 be together
equal TO the earth's revolutions round the
sun gave rise to. February itself, and TO
many Of the changes which the month
has undergone before 1t stood with its
present number. of days
Romulus' division of the year is the
first European one known, and the one
upon which our own division is based.
He had ten months, whose total lengths
was S4 days. How he patched up the
year with the odd days so as to make
II anything like correct is not known. To
remedy this mistake. which left sixty
one days unaceounted for, Numa Pom
pilius. second king Of Rome. added two
months. January and February.
February Last of the Months.
January. named after Janus, the god
who presided over the beginning of all
things. was made the first month of the
year February. in Latin, means to ex-
plate. In this month the expiatory sacCi-
fees were performed. and as the sins of
the year were. very naturally. atoned for
after they were committed, February
was made the last Of the months. Two
hundred years after Numa Pompilius.
February was brought by the Decemvirs,
for reasons best known TO themselves
10 It's present position
Although two new months had been
added. namely, January and February.
the year was not long enough yet Numa
made his months to correspond TO the
revolutions of the moon. which made 354
days, or eleven days short Of the earth's
annual journey around the sun When
the Romans found one month had 10 be
changed, thov hit upon February. for no
apparent reason. unless its being the
month of the dead. The clumsy altera-
ton was made by naming a month which
appeared on alternate years
Several other clumsy corrections were
made until the days and months came
out pretty even. Things did not work
very we'll however. under this system.
for politics appeared. The calendar was
in charge of the pontiffs, and If they
wanted to keep friend in office they
could lengthen the extra month. or II
they wanted 20 hold elections before their
enemies were ready they could curtaiI
the month and catch their opponents
mapping. There is nothing on record 10
indicate that the pontiffs ever took adj
vantage OF their prerogatives IN this
respect.
Year Has 445 Days.
After while matters became so badly
mixed that in Julius Caesars time the
winter months were in the autumn and
the autumn months IN the sunni er. and
50 on Caesar took the bull by the horns
and introduced two months OF his own