Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-02-10
Based Upon Easter, Which
In in Turn is Based Upon
Motions of the Moon.
THE MOVABLE FEASTS.
Julian Calendar Is Still in Use in Rus.
sia and Greece-The
Difference.

later imam last year, Delng OF course
based on the date of Easter, which is
April II, as against March % in 1913.
Very few people can tell why Lent
varies so from year to year and why
Easter may come as early as March
% or as late as April 20.
1t is something of an anomaly from
the religious point of view that the
anniversary of Christ's death may fall
on any one of 35 dates, while the an
niversary of his birth is always on
the same. lit is no less of an anoma-
ly from the astronomical standpoint,
for there seems no reason why We,
having adopted the solar year as the
basis of our calender, should cling
to the unar year merely for the
establishment of one date.
Fixed by Absolute Lunar Cycle.
1t is mystery why, when the date
Of Christ's birth was fixed as De-
eember %, some dates in April were
not at the same time settled upon as
those of his death and resurrection.
That would have been logical and
would have banished from the calen-
OAR lunar cycle that has long been
abandoned by all civilized peoples.
1t should not be difficult to fix the
national date for Easter. If Christ
was crucified on the 14th day of
March the moon astronomers ough.
10 be able to calculate on what date
this fell. They say that in all proba
hility it fell On April or the year 80
of the Christian Era. Why, then, not
fix Easter once and for all as the
first Sunday after April Z?
Date Set by Council OF Nice.
1t is to the Council of Nice that we
owe the perpetuation of our anachro-
nistic method Of reckoning Easter.
This council decreed that it should
be the first Sunday after the first
full moon that occurs after the vernal
equinox, March II. Pope Gregory
XIII, undertook at that time to re-
form the Julian calendar, which had
been in use ever since Julius Caesar,
in 46 B. c., and prescribed that year
should consist of 365 days, every
fourth year having 366. This Julian
calender was reform of still more
ancient system based upon the
motions of the moon, which system
varied widely in different lands. In
Rome it had originated with
Romulus, who established year of
10 months, having alternately 81 and
80 days, making 304 days in ALL
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 calendar, 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
ly scientific the present form of year
was adopted, the Julian calendar
being modified by calling October 5,
1882, October Is, and by making all
/ terminal years of centuries 100
| 1900, 1900, ETC., common years OF
$50 days except when the year was
a multiple of 400, as 1900, 200, etc.
which should be leap years.
Accustomed to Movable Feats.
In those days they were so accust-
| omed to movable feats that it never
| occurred to the reformers of the
calendar that day might come wher
their movability should be inconven-
lent. They knew so little about tht
relations between the sun and the
earth that they did not want to re-
nounce the lunar year entirely ant
so upset the order of feast days tina
had from time immemoral been baset