The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-13
Lent begins this year three weeks

Lent begins TINS year three weeks
later than last year, being, of course
based upon the date of Easter. which
/ is April Il this year, as agains
March %, in 1913. Very few peopl,
can tell why Lent varies so from
year to year, ana why Easter ma.
come as early as March p or as latt
as April 25.
1t is something of an anomaly from
the religious point Of veiw that the
university of Christ's death may fal
on any one of IS dates, while the an
niversary of His birth is always OF
the same. 1t is no less of an anomaly
from the astronomical standpoint, f0l
there seems no reason why we, hav
ing adopted the solar year as the has
is of our calender, should cling to the
lunar year merely for the establish.
ment of one date
1t is mystery why, when the date
of Christ's birth was fixed as Deem
Der 25, some date in April were nor
at the same time settled upon as
those of His death and resurrection.
That would have been logical and
would have banished from the calend.
ar lunar cycle that has long been
abandoned by all civilized peoples.
1t should not be difficult to fix the
rational date for Easter II Christ was
cruciied on the 14th day of March
moon astronomers ought to be able
to calculate on what date this fell.
They say in all probability it fell on
April Z of the year 80 of the Chris
tain era. Why, then, not fix Easter
once for all as the first Sunday after
April Z?
1t is to the Council of Nicea that
we owe the perpetuation of our an-
achronistic method of reckoning East.
er. This council decreed that it should
be the first Sunday after the first
full moon that occurs after the vernal
equinox, March q. Pope Gregory XIII
at that time to reform the
Julian calender, which has been in
use ever since julius Caesar, in IS 3.
c., had prescribed that a year should
sonsist of 365 days, every fourth year
having 366. This Julian calender was
a reform of still more ancient sys-
tenn based upon the motions of the
moon, which system varied widely in
different lands. In Rome it had orig
mated with Romulus, who established
a year of 10 months, having alternate
ly 81 and 80 days, making 304 days
in all. Numa Pompilius added the
months of February and January, and
In the year ASP B. C. the Decemvirs
placed them where they now stand.
When Pope Gregory undertook to
reform the Julian calender, that had
by that time become incorrect by
about 10 days, the revolution of the
earth around the sun was not yet
fully understood, SO instead of max
ing change that would be thorough
y scientific, the present form OF year
was adopted, the Julian calender be-
ing modified by calling October 5
1882, October Is and by making all
years of centuries, 1900, 1900
1900, &c, common years of 365 days,
except when the year was a multiple
Of 400 as 1900, 1000, &c, which should
be leap years.
In those days they were so accus-
toned to movable feasts that it never
occurred to the reformers of the cal
ender that a day might come when
their movabiliay should be inconyen
lent. They know SO little about the
relations between the sun and the
earth that they did not want to re-
nounce the lunar year entirely and SO
upset the order of feast days that had
from time immemorial been based up
on the movement of the moon.
Though the Gregorian calendar was
issued in 1882, prejudice against am
thing that came from Rome was SO
strong in England that it was not
adopted there until by an act of Par
lament, passed in 1851, September So
1852. was reckoned as September II
and New-Year's Day was set back
from March % TO January l, begin
ming with 1853.