The Washington herald., 1908-02-29

fixed the laws whereundeT they should
revolve in their allotted courses through
illimitable space and through countless
years, He gave to this old earth OF ours
a path in which TO travel around the sun
And 1t takes just enough longer than an
even number OF days for il to complete
that circuit 10 put the reckoners OF time
at their wits end to keep the calendar
in harmony with the seasons. A year, to
be exact, consists Of 365. 24242424 days, and
how TO handle that fraction Of a day so
as TO keep the calendar exactly right is
problem never solved.
If a year consisted OF s65. % days. or
S65 days and hours, instead OF 365 days
hours. 4S minutes. and 451z seconds.
counting time would be easy AS IL IS.
when we add a leap year every fourth
year we get just a little ahead OF time
Then we come along 10 the end of cen
tury with our leap years. and by that
time we have gotten so much ahead that
on the year ending the century we must
not add the quadrenniaI day lest we get
too far in advance Of the earths travels
around the sun. But when We take these
centenary leap years out we get a little
behind time again. so that every 40Oth
year we have TO put one in again This
fractional part OF a day makes us always
just little behind time or little ahead
OF it. as the case may be. In 1900 years
things will still be a day ahead of time,
and II has been suggested that the years
divisible by 1000 be made not a leap year
for twenty centuries AT a time.
Russia has for some years been propos-
ing a reform in the calendar. Unwilling
fFa % T1~v,,
his revision of the Julian calendar
through which she has from that day TO
this been out Of joint with the rest of the
civilized nations in the reckoning OF time
she now proposes 10 head the nations
Of the earth in a new worId-wids re-
vision Of the calendar 1t is true that
not much is being heard Of these pro-
posals since the war with Japan but
every century the Julian calendar. TO
which she adhere, renders Russia further
away from the mark of correct time. and
sooner or later she VIII have TO accept
the Gregorian system or else pursuade
the world to make a change But so
thoroughly inwrought into the lives Of
men and nations has the present reckon
Ing Of time become that not until the
Greek calendars is it likely to be revised
Mathematicians have figured out a plan
whereby the present system could be kept
right for 10000 years. At present We
have thirty-two leap years in every I2S
years. They figure that If there were
made to be thirty-one such leap years
in that length Of time. il would keep our
calendar and our good oil earth in har-
mony for 1O0.0C5 years to come And not
many Of US are caring seriously what
Will happen beyond that Gay.
Most interest centsrs in leap year be-
cause it is the year I'm which women is
supposed to have the right to propose
even If she does not exercise that right
How did the idea originate? Myth and
history both have something to say on
the matter. Myth attributes it to no less
a parsonage than St. Patrick himself
As that worthy saint was going along
the shores OF Lough Neagle. after having
driven the frogs out OF the bogs and the
snakes out of the grass. he was accosted
by St. Bridget, who, with many tears and
lamentations, told him that dissentions
had arisen among the ladies in her nun
merry over the fact that they were barred
from the privilege of popping the ques-
ton. At that time celibacy although
approved by the church. and regarded as
a wise thing. was not rigidly enjoined on
the clergy. St Patrick-a sternly single
man himself-was so moved by the tears
that he conceded the right of women 70
propose every seventh year But St
Bridget protested, threw hes arms around
his neck and begged him to make II every
fourth year He responded that If she
would only embrace him again he would
make il so. and make leap year the long
est year Of all. at that. Then she pro-
posed to him, but he had taken the vow
Of celibracy and had TO console her with
a silk dress and a kiss. And ever since.
the legend runs. every man VINO refuses
to marry A girl who proposes to him
shall give her a silk dress and kiss.
What an opportunity to get husbands or
silk dresses this year Of grace 1905 does
afford!
The suppositicn that women have a
right to propose on leap year hNs histor-
ical warrant It is said that law was
passed in Scotland in 1888. which read:
TT is statut and ordaint that during the
reign of her maist blissit Mageste. for
ilk yeare known as lepe yere, ilk mayden
ldaye Of both high and lowe estait shall
be at the liberte TO bespoke We man she
likes abbott he refuses to talk her TO be
his lawful wye, he shall bemulcted in
We sum of ane pundis or less. as his
estait may be; except and avis gf he
can make II appear that he is betrothit
TO ane ither woman ne shll be free"
A similar privilege was granted to the
maidens OF Florence and Geneva in the
latter part of the fifteen tn century. and
there are books eXtant that tell Of actual
advantge being taken Of the leap year
rights OF women in England in the be-
ginning of the seventeenth century,, and
that the men who laughed ut n woman
who OTODOSe1 Wpc 6Orr1pd fO no b1rViad
without the benefit OF clergy.
A remarkable leap year party was held
by Rossini, the great musical composer,
on February @, 1854 He was seventy
TWO years old, but was then celebrating
what he thought tho be his eighteenth
birthday. He declared on tat occasion
that 1t was his deliberate purpose to turn
over new leaf and disregard the frivoli-
ties of his youth dthe indiscretions OF
his teens. But even then he was cele-
brating only his seventeenth birthday
since the year 1880 was not a leap year
as he nd counted it.
The first rel reforms in the calendar
were made by Julius Caesar. in 45 3. c.
Before that time there were no leap
years He established one for every
fourth wear. and in AZ p. c. proclaimed
that year one of AS days. so taht the
calendar would be made to conform to
the solar year. From that time until the
Gregorian calendar was widely resisted
by Protestant nations, on account Of its
having been prepared by a Pope. but
one by one they joined I'm the procession.
Englnd adopted il in 1852 and advanced
her time from September TO September
Il. Among all the nations OF the earth
to-day only Russia and the Greek Church
no dot use the Gregorian calendar.