Evening star., 1915-02-14
George Washimg&om's Real
Birthday ON February / leh

ana other bunting and that a brilliant
entertainment was given in the evening
on board a big East India merchant
ship anchored in the harbor
Ihe Tammany Society of New York
city early in the year 1890 adopted
the resolution which follows:
That the ED of February be from
this day and ever afterward commence
rated by this society as the birthday
of the illustrious George Washington
President of the United States of
Washington birthday celebrations by
that time were becoming popular in
many parts of the country and some
times they were celebrated on the
11th OF February and sometimes on
the 22d.
One of the earliest of these 22d observ-
ances was at Philadelphia in 1891 and
the Philadelphia Gazette of February
23 of that year contained the following
report:
Yesterday being the anniversary of
the birthday of the President of the
United States. when he attained the
hrty-ninth year of his age, the same
was celebrated here with every demon
stration of public joy. The artillery
and light infantry corps of this city
were paraded and at IL o'clock a fed
eral salute was fired. The congratula- :
tory compliments of the members of
the legislature of the Union, the heads
of the departments. foreign ministers,
officers. civil and military. of the state,
citizens of distinction were presented
10 the President on this auspicious oc-
casion-
The birthday celebrations at Phila-
deiphia while that city remained the
seat of the government were imposing
and impressive.
The change in Washington birthday
date was brought about by the change
in the calendar. England in 1852
adopted the Gregorian, or reformed
calendar, which corrected the error of
the Julian calendar. Though this cal
endar was not adopted BY England
Portugal and France since 1882, in
Switzerland, Germany and the Neither
lands since 1888. in Poland since 1886
and in Hungary since 1887. The new
event, which took place February IL,
old style, was deemed to have taken
place February %, the days 18th to
-lst' inclusive. being omitted.
The history Of the calendar presents
many changes. many errors sought to
be corrected. some of which corrections
proved to be errors. Difficulty was
found in making the calendar year
agree with the solar year The present
calendar, which bears the name Gre
gorian." was the work of Pope Gregory
XIII, assisted by learned astronomers
and mathematicians. The calendar of
record from which our measure of the
seasons has descended was the calendar
or the Romans. which divided the year
into ten months of 304 days. This was
corrected in 713 B. c., and the year was
given 355 days divided among twelve
months. The year under this calendar
was ten days too short. and the error
accumulated until the calendar seasons
" ha
sons Spring in the calendar was
autumn in the field. and midwinter in
the country was midsummer on the cal
endar.
Under julius Caesar this condition
was corrected. and he allowed 365K
days to the year, giving three years in
succession 365 days and allottinR to
every fourth year 366. He decreed that
January should be the first month, SO
that September. October. November and
December. which had been the seventh
eighth. ninth and tenth months from
March, which had been the first mont h
OF the year, lost the Significance of
their names Caesar gave to one of the
months his name. julius. or July His
nephew succeeded him after his assas-
sination, and taking the title Caesar
Augustus. decreed that one month
should be named also in his honor and
that month was called Augustus, or
August. Seeing that July had thirty
one days in ii and August only thirty,
he arbitrarily added another day to
August. making it also contain thirty
one days. and taking that day out of
February, which under Caesar had
twenty-nine days. thus reducing Feb
ruary to twenty-eight days. He made
certain other calendar changes, such,
for example. as taking one day each off
September and November and adding
them to October and December.
In the Julian calendar there was a
mistake of eleven minutes a year. The
error amounted to one day in each hun
. dred and thirty years. The cause of
the trouble was pointed out by Aloysius
Lilius, an Italian, and Pope Gregory
submitted the matter to council OF
} learned men, with the result that the
was instituted and adopted at various
times by the different countries. This
calendar has not yet been adopted by
Russia. which adheres to the Julian
calendar.