Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-01-05
tBy Il. @, =, " Philadelphia publ,
Ledger.)

anr and George Washington, but tina
hardly seems appalling enough, afte
all, 70 Justify so many preachments o
the subject OF lost time, does ~ tn
: way things are arranged now II vii
Z be $500 years or more before we los
T another day
The scientist however. Is never sat
isfied with anything less than accur
acy, and he wants a perfect calendar
lie has taken his ideas Of reform int,
the legislatures Of several nations, bu
nothing has happened yet. Reform 4
sure to get into trouble, anyway
when 1t gets into politics. But truth
crushed to earth. shall rise again, ant
maybe the dream Of the scientist vii
come true. The first day OF every
month will fall on the first day Of tn,
week, and 80 forth. The printed cal.
endar which comes from the inslIr.
anee company or the grocery store
win be Just MS good one year as an.
other, and the months will be all alike
| Probably more durable form will be
Invented. so that 1t will last a life
time, be moved from house TO house
with the rest Of the furniture and be
handed down to future generations as
nm heirloom. Time, with such cal
endar, wouldn't seem SO flyhty.
The Jilting of the Moon.
The calendar-as an institution
has passed through so many vlclssi-
tudes that II really deserves o rest
from meddllng, after one last attempt
has been made 10 set II right forever
II originated away hack in the ear
Hest ages. At first II was merely n
record Of events In the life OF an in
diyidual or the history of tribe, and
consisted Of curious inscriptions on
trees or pieces OF bark, or OF sue
cession OF notehes and symbols on
wands or canes. But after while II
became a method Of reckoning future
as well as past time,
The changes Of the moon furnish
cd the obvious method and the one
which was most universally adopted
among primitive peoples. The reason
Is said to have been that the old agri-
oulturalists had a 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 20 and 80
DAYS we're instituted. Then II was
discovered that the seasons furnished
q more serviceable mode of division,
and years came into existence. civill
years. OF course. not truly solar.
The moon. the first love of the call
endar makers, Jared badly. 1t was
by the sun. The months |
were retained as subdivisions Of years,
but when IL was observed how the /
solar year and the IL lunar months /
failed 10 coincide. and how the first I
day of the year kept sliding along in
to the wrong season, the ancient sei-
entlsts decided to regulate the calen-
dar by the sun. and 1t was so. Thus
The moon was left out OF eonsdera-
ion and the month became only an
arbitrary affair. The jilting--so far
~ concerns the history of our own
'alendar. which traces it's ancestry
back through that OF the Romans
vas completed in the first century y.
:. by Caius Julius Caesar and a Greek
astronomer whom he imported from
Alexandria, Sosigenes, by name. And
he ancients did have hard time try
ng to get the calendar fixed up. Sup
days at the end Of the
ear and the occasional Introduction
# intercalary months were the fav- ,
rite means OF accommodating the
alendar 90 the sun. which wouldn't
ccommodate itself to the calendar
Romulus. the builder OF Rome, d.
-lded the year into ten months. That I
+, II history can place any reliance I
n tradition. There were 304 days ,
nder his arrangement. and what be- /
anne Of the rest of them neither his 7
ory nor tradition sayeth A little lat !
r the Romans had twelve months, +
With an occasional intercalary month. T
his was a lunar year of 355 days. 1t !
las Numa Pompllius-mythic his- y
ory again--whe added the two ex-
IA months. January and February. +
iaroh had previously started the cal Il
ndar. and was now displaced by Jan e
ary February taking last place. Feb h
uary was rescued from this ignominy S
hen, 300 years later, the decemvirs I
loved II up to second position. But =
oor February Some worse troubles
ere yet to come The months were
{ es ana 80 days alternately, maxi
lg 35l days in the year. a day being !,
aden presently Go make the number !
"a for good luck. This civil year =
iffered from the solar year by ten \
avs and a fraction. and an intercai- =
~ month was therefore inserted ev- -
~ second year between the Esd and i,
ith OF February Even that surgical I,
peration left the calendar out OF =,
lint. -
The Calendar In Politics. Ia
The pontiffs. at some time or other. a,
ere intrusted with the care of the ca
,lendar, and they mixed Il up with e,
DlltiOs. woefully Il was their priv ~
exc 20 interoalate fewer or more IN
avs as The celestial motions might X,
arfani They abused their poweri ni
q them belonged also the opportunity ps
Funniag political machines. When h
lef Nantea 10 nrolnng ihe term of IA
MHeislfaeN ~ hAsten the annual as
eell0ns - reward iAknfiies o. pun. n
D political lues ihey simply dooier
: he aalendaf Yhlnk what lhai at
nHld mean N AmIksn p0lliifs 90 th
ifi Yaa lhlak ~ q } can't
- When tafsaf inak Rp ihf lm m
.tial ie'as hf faAHl lAs 0ahadag ln b,
mess 300 NlAtf HQniNs vase u
HAa lH aHl4HH aAa splanp N ai
'nHf eWsitWE hag g & aces fa