The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-02-20
LEAP YEAR
The Significance Of The
Additional Day
In February And How It Is
Determined

do not understand the philosophy of
leap year or how there comes to be
an extra day--the 29th of February
every leap year. Some even supposed
that leap year was instituted by the
Goddess Venus only to confer upon the
ladies the privilege of popping the
question" or that February has 20
days that it might have a chance at
the luck of odd numbers. The sub
ject really involves certain import
ant niceties which we are persuaded
not more than one in a hundred clear.
ly comprehend, and for that reason we
shall try to elucidate it.
Our civil year is founded upon the
period of the revolution of the earth
about the sun. If the natural year had
exactly 365 or 366 days there would
be no trouble. The civil year would
accord with it and represent precisely
the same period of time. But the nat
aral year cannot be divided into an
exact number of days. The natural day
year consists of 365 days, hours,
48 minutes, 40 7-10 seconds.
julius Ceaser in 46 b. c., made the
first reasonable and substantial re-
form. He saw that the natural year
was about 365 IA days long. If the
civil year be 365 days, it is quarter
Of a day short of the solar year; four
civil years would, therefore, lose just
one day. TIE therefore ordered that
every fourth civil year should have
366 days. This originated leap year
the 10Th of February.
This formed a very satisfactory So
luton for great many centuries. If
the solar year were exactly 365 IA
days there never would have arisen
endar. But the fact is that every Ju-
lian year got in advance of the solar
year 10 minutes in a century this
amounted to nearly day.
The difference was getting to be i'm
portant when Pope Gregory XIII came
Into power In 1877 Pope Gregory
XIII approved and ordered that ten
days be dropped from the calendar
in order TO bring the vernal equinox
for all time on the 21st of March. To
prevent discrepancy in the future
between the solar year and the civil
year it was found that If only those
centennial years of which the number
after suppressing the two ciphers, is
divisible by four, be regarded as leap
year, the purpose is accomplished
That Is centennial years such as 1900
1900, 1900, while divisible by four, are
nevertheless. not leap years, but 1000
2400, etc, are.
The origin Of the name leap years
is not clear. Many derivations are
quoted but n.s nc..as .s.ss- eofy
FTOoaoiy the most worthy suppositior
as to the origin of the term is that al
first the extra day in the fourth yeal
was not recognized legally as a day;
that is, it was missed or leaped over
altogether, so that the legal year az
opposed to the civil year was, in real
ity leap year
What is the origin of the gallan
and delicate privilege which is extend
ed on leap year to the fairest half o
creation? Myth and history botf
have something to say on the matter
Myth refers it to no less a personag,
than st. Patrick who was proposed Il
on leap year by Saint Bridget. Blu
Saint Patrick had taken a vow of cell
bacy; so he mad to patch up the diff
Guilty as best he could with a kiss an,
silk gown.
And ever since then, concludes tn
legend, which, it is needless to say, /
not found in Buffers Lives of tn
Saints" or in any other work of has
biological authority, If man refuse
leap year proposal he must pay tn
penalty OF silk gown and kiss.
So much for legend. And now TO
ing law is said to have been passe
in Scotland;
'Tt is statut and ordaint that durin
the reign OF hir maist blessit Megest
fse ilk yeare knowne as lepe yere, II
mayden ladye of bottle highe and low
estait shall hae nberte to bespeake y
man she likes, albiet he rufuses to tai
hir to be his lawful wyfe, he shall b
mulcted in ye sum ane pundis or les
as his estait may be; except and aw
gif he can make it appeare that he
betrothit ane ither woman he the
shall be free"
A few years later a similar law WI
passed in France and received the a
proval of the king. 1t is also said th