Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-01

4F1 endar. They propose to take 1t back and
change it, They would have to go back to
an act of the British Parliament in 175l-that
is, English-speaking folk would-and then
still farther into the recesses of time. 1t was
that statute which later led American school,
boys into doubt as to whether George Wash
ington was born on February 22 or February
II. Eleven days were lost between Julius
Caesar and George Washington, but that
hardly seems appalling enough, after ALL to
justify so many preachments on the subject
of lost time. does 1t? The way things are ar
ranged now it will be $500 years or moro
before we lose another day.
The scientist however, is never satisfied
with anything less than accuracy and he
wants perfect calendar He has taken his
ideas of reform into the legislatures of sew
eral nations, but nothing has happened yet,
Reform Is to get into trouble, anyway,
when it gets into politics But truth, crushed
to earth shall rise again, and maybe the
dream of the scientist will come true. The
first day of every month will fall on the first
day of the week, and so forth. The printed
calendar which comes from the insurance
company or the grocery store will be just as
good one year as another, and the months
will be all alike. Probably more durable
form will be invented. so that 1t will last
the rest of the furniture and be handed down
to future generations an heirloom. Time,
with such calendar, wouldn't seem so
highty.
The Jilting of the Moon
The calendar--as an institution-has passed
through so many vicissitudes that 1t really
deserves rest from meddlIng, after one last
attempt has been made to set 1t right forever.
fof tad INn,I To-
At first 1t was merely record of events in
the life of an individual or the history of
tribe. and consisted of curious inscriptions
on trees, or pieces of bark or of a succession
of notches and symbols on wands or canes,
But after awhile 1t became method of reclS-
oning future as well as past time.
The changes of the moon furnished the
obvious method and the one which was
most universally adopted among primitive
peoples. The reason is said to have been
that the old agricuturalists had special
interest in the moon. which presided over
the fate Of crops and furnished enough lunar
superstition to last even unto this present
Months Of 2s and 80 days were instituted.
Then 1t WAS discovered that the seasons
furnished a more serviceable mode of dIvi-
sion, and years came into existence Civil
years, OF course, not truly solar.
The moon, the first love of the calendar
makers, Jared badly. II was supplanted by
the sun. The months were retained as sub
divisions OF years. but when It was OBJ
served how the solar year and the l2 lunar
months failed to coincide. and how the Arst
day Of the year kept sliding along into the
wrong season. the ancient scientists decided
to regulate the calendar by the sun, and II
was so. Thus the moon was left out OF
consideration. and the month became only
an arbitrary affair. The jilting-so far as
concerns the history Of our own calendar
which traces its ancestry back through that
OF the Romans-was completed In the first
century B, c. by Caius Julius Caesar ana
Greek astronomer whom he imported from
Alexandria, SosigensS, by name. And the
aneients did have a hard time trying 10 get
the calendar nxed up. Supplementary DAYS
at the end OF the year and the occasional
Introduction OF intercalary months were the
fayorite meaps OF accommodating the cal
endaF 70 the sun, which wouldn't ae-
commodate itself to the calendar
Romulus. the builder OF Rome, divided tba
year into 10 months. That Il, II history can
place any reliance on tradition. There were
so4 days under his arrangement ana vyhat
became Of the rest OF them neither hissorv
nor tradition sayeth. A little later the
Romans had " months, with an occasional
inteFcalary month. This was a lunar year
Of aSS days, II was Numa Pompnius-
mythie history asaip-Who added the two
extra months, January and February March
had previously started the calendar. ana was
now displaced by January, February takiae
last place February was rescued fron, ma
isnominy when. 800 years later. the dscea-
tifa mese4 = W % aAeeaa position. Bat
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