Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-05
Flow Leap Year Was Created


Old maids, young maidcns and the
rest of the feminine gender who were
disappointed matrimonially in 1908,
should take fresh courage. for now
they are at liberty to throw out the
dragnet and bring in life partner
If they wish.
Yes. it will be Leap Year." the
year set aside by the calendar max
ers for the exercise OF woman.
rights" valued privilege which
comes to the fair sen but once every
four years. Don't stand back. ladies'
but get busy and avoid the rush. Th,
crop of old bachelors is large and g
rich harvest awaits the fair ones VIII,
will pop the question in gentle and
conflding manner.
AS for the name leap year." Ii
seems to be misnomer, since or
leap year February, the changeablt
month. does not leap day. but take
on one. However. the most plausi
Bile tradition as to the origin of thu,
name Is 10 the effect that the lay
knew but 365 days to the year. an,
That when, every four years. tho
29th of February appeared on the cal
endar. 1t was not counted as ia,
In the eyes OF the law. but was
"lcapt" over.
The history OF leap year, however
Is clear, and moreover, very inter
esting. AS year is the time OF the
earths revolution around the sun, il;
should contain 800 days and frac
tion OF a day. The ancients, having
great respect for the moon. wanted
the year 10 be subdivided into parts
around the earth. The difhcultie,
of adjusting the moons revolutions
or months.so as 10 be together equa
to the earth's revolution around the
SUN gave hise to February itself, and
to many of the changes which IN,
month has undergone before II stood
with its present number OF days
jsomulus' division of the year Ii
the first Europeans knew an6
the one upon which our own divisio.
is based. He had ten months. whose
total length was BOA days. How he
patched zip the odd days 50 as tc
make 1t anything like correct Is no
known To remedy this mistake
which left sixty-one days not ac-
counted for. Numa Pom"ilius, second
king of Rome, added two months
January and February. January,
named after Janus the god who pre-.
sided over the beginning of all things
was made the first month of the year
February, In Latin. means 20 expi-
ate. In this month the expiator.
sacrifices were performed. and as the
sins OF the ear were very naturally
ntcned for after they were committed
February was maze the last OF tho
months
Two hundred years after Num-;
Pompilius, February was brought by
the decemvirs, for reasons bes
known to themselves, to its presenl
position. Although the two months
had ben added January ard Februar.
the year was not long enough yet
Numa made his months to cores.
pond 20 the revolutions of the moon
! which made 35l days, or eleven days
short of the earths annual journe,
around tho sun. When the Roman
found one month had to be changed
they hit upon Fabruary,for no appar.
ent reason unless because OF It's be-
ing the month of Tie dead.
The clumsy alteration was made by
naming month which appeared OF,
alternate years. Several other .clum
sy corrections were made until tn.
4 days and months came out pretty
even Things did not work yer,
well, however, under this system
for politics appeared Tho calendai
was In charge OF the pontiffs, and
they wanted 10 keep friend in of
flee they could lengthen the extrs
month, or If they wanted to hoiu
elections before their enemies were
ready they would curtail the month
and catch their opponents napping
1t was fine game OF politics. Ate
awhile matters became so badly mix
eI that in Julius Caesars time tht
/ winter months were In the autumn
and the autumn months in the sum-
mcr, and so on
Caesar took the bull by the horns
so to sperk. and introduced two
months of his own between Novem
her and December. This gave the
fomans year of AS days. This
Particular year, which was b. c.. As
is known to history as 1.-The Year o.
Confusion" This wonderfully yea,
Cancelled all previous errors. End wien
the question of how to make the sue
cee'iing years of equal length. and tc
correspond to the annual revolution