The sun., 1908-01-12
STRANGE STORY OF LEAP YEAR
ALL SORTS OF QUEER THINGS
DONE TO FEBRUARY.

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The way in which the months which form
our year have been shaken up and juggled
around. pared down here and padded out
there makes a mighty interesting story.
The first European division Of the year
that we know anything about had only ten
months and SO4 days. This was the in
vention OF Romulus. who must have had
a lovely time patching up things so as to
come out even.
They evidently did get into a pretty bad
mess, for Numa POmpilius, the second King
Of Rome, had to add two whole months.
January and February. January, named
after Janus, the god who presided over
the beginning Of the year, was made the
first of the twelve months.
February, from a Latin word meaning
10 eXpiate, was clapped onto the end, that
being considered the appropriate period
for repentance. Il stayed there for 200
years before it finally got itself promoted
always been February which was tackled
first II anybody wanted to do anything to
the calendar.
Even with Numa's twelve months the
year had only SS4 days. The trouble was
that the ancients had a very great regard
for the moon and were trying to make
the months follow exactly the moons
revolutions. The result was that the year
was eleven days too short and the seasons
we're climbing over themselves in the most
confusing fashion.
Something had to be done. and Of course
February was chosen as the month to be
tinkered with The change was so clumsy
that one wonders how anybody could man
age dates at all under such a system.
Every alternate year a whole month was
donated to the year. but for some reason
instead Of putting II between two months
It was thrust squarely into February, be-
tween the Path and the 25th OF that long suf-
fering month. The length OF this intercalary
month. az il was called, was itself alternated
every alternate year. and 50 the length oS
the year was made pretty nearly correct.
Il was now one day too long, however.
instead OF being ten days too short, 30
that still aonther clumsy device had TO
he arranged for correcting this. The
year was OF different lengths at different
times. but once in twenty-four years il
came around TO the right point and then
started all over again.
That is. it would have come around all
right il it had been let alone But the
management of the calendar was in the
hands Of the priests. who could alter the
length Of the intercalary month-pOor
February again!-to suit themselves. These
shrewd gentlemen, therefore. used to spin
out the month when they wanted to hang
onto an Office for themselves or friends.
or would cut it short il they were in q hurry
for the annual elections.
As NAV well be believed the common
people had no comprehension of the right
way of running their complicated calendar.
They didn't know whether the priests
were doing the thing properly or not; 90
II was confusion worse confounded as
time went on, until in Julius Cssar's time
the year was hopelessly muddled up. The
winter months we're in the autumn. the
autumn months in the summer, and 50 on.
Something had to be done again. and
Cesar was equal to the occasion. He
planked in two extra months between
November and December. in addition to
the intercalary month in February; 80
that the year contained fifteen months
and AS days. This was 20 b. c. and il
known as the Year Of Confusion.
II really was the last year OF confusion
II cancelled all past errors. and the next
thing was to make subsequent years the
proper length.
Fortunately there was a philosopher OF
Alexandria, named Sosigenes. who had the
thing all worked out. Cesar adopted his
plan. and the result is our modern year.
even to our occasional leap year.
But poor old February still had TO come
In for some tinkering C8sar decIeed
that fha, nrn-sh1 Of ha ahntII kxa -
thirty and thirty-One days alternately,
except February. which in ordinary years
was to have twenty-eight days. with an
extra day every four years. The only
foolish thing about this arrangement was
that the extra day was not placed at the
end Of the month, as at present but between
the twenty-fOurth and twenty-ffth. where
the intercalary month had been.
II was CRsar therefore who introduced
leap year. In order that the name of Julius
Cesar might forever be associated with this
new calendar. the month in which his
birthday occurred was named after him.
1t is our July, formerly known as Quin-
tihs. This was very proper recognition
Of julius CRsar's services. but it contained
the seed of more trouble for February.
When julius died and Augustus sue
ceeded him. the latter was rather jealous
because OF that month which perpetuated
the first Cesar's name. He decided to
have one named after him too. so when his
army won some victories in the month fol-
lowing July he picked that one out to be
called Augustus.
That was all right as far as it went. but
there was one serious drawback. Angus
lus had only thirty days. while Julius had
thirty-one.
Horrid thought! Augustus was not the
man TO put up with a smaller month than
anybody else, so he calmly tackled another
day onto August.
The wonder is that he did not tack on
two So az 10 be not merely equal to but
ahead Of July. He made trouble enough
il was
The length Of each Of the last four months
had to be changed so that they would
alternate in their number Of days. And as
he had added a day to the year one had to
I've Topped OF somewhere. Needless to say.
H. came on February.
The year was now Of the right length
except for a fraction Of an hour; but this
eli ght error. only II minutes and 10 seconds
year. was allowed to grow until in 1882
II amounted TO ten days. In that year
Gregory XIII. decreed that October should
bc October IS. thus catching up those ten