Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-02-29
LEAP YEAR.
What 1t Is, Why it IS and When it is. Ex-
planned to the Unwlse.

What 1t is, Why it IS and When it is. Ex-
planned to the UnwIse.
A number of people having got into a
dispute as to what, why and when Leap
Year is, they have referred the question
to the astronomical department of the
News for settlement. To begin with,
some of them are insisting that this is
the first Leap Year in eight years, but
this is incorrect; 1904 was Leap Year,
but there was an eight year interval be.
tween it and the next one before it, as
1900 was not Leap Year. And this
brings up the question Of what, when
and why.
Our method of reckoning time is bas-
ed, with slight change, on what is
known as the Julian Calendar" be-
cause adopted by order of Julius Caeser.
Previous to this time the year was sup
posed to have 365 days, divided into
twelve months, seven of which had thir-
ty days and FIVE had thirty.one days.
Back in unrecorded time it had been
decreed that the calendar year should
begin on the vetnal equinox (now March
q, with u.s. the first of March at that
time. Hence, the names of the months
September, seventh October, eighth :;
November, ninth, and December, tenth /:
though they are now ninth, tenth, elev-
enth and twelfth. But the year really
contained nearly fourth of day more
than 365 days that is, the earth ignor.
ing the Limitations of puny man, took
it's own time in travelling from vernal
equinox to vernal equinox, as from wire
to wire on race track. For this rea-
son, the first Of March, coming every 365
days, kept getting ahead of the equinox,
until when Junius reigned the equinox
fell on March %.
Now Julius decided to change the first
of the year TO January manned after
Janus, the God of two faces, who look
ed both backward and forward as we do
st New Year. Then he decided TO name
the midsummer month after himself,
July, as it then had but thirty days he
took one from February, making the
latter only tweuty-nine days long. But
in recon peRse he gave February'the ex-
ira day in four years.
The great Augustus came after julius
and he must have month named after
him also. Hence, August, and to make
it equal July, another day was Topped
off February, leaving it.
"But twenty eight in fine
Till Leap Year gives it twenty-nine."
But still there was an error, and the
equinox began TO swing the other way.
The earth's time around the sun is actu.
ally 365 days, five hours, forty eight
minutes and forty-six seconds, leaving
the Julian year eleven minutes and
fourteen seconds too long. BY 1852 the
difference was ten days. Then Pope
Gregory ordered that the calendar should
be restored by subtracting ten days, so
that the day following October 4, 1882,
should be October 18th, and thereafter
the century year should not be Leap
Year unless divisibe by 400 Thus
100, 1900 and 1900 were not leap years
This change was adopted in all Catholic
countries, but was not adopted in Eng
land until 1852. when then difference
was eleven days. Parliament decreed |
that the day following Sept. 2, 1852,
should be September IA. Thus it is that
we refer to dates occurring before that
time as "Old Style Washington's !
birthday is one of them, he having been
born in 1882 -UmpQua Valley (Oregon)
News