The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-02-11
THE WHY'S OF LEAP YEAR

IHE w HIS UT AEhE UAn
There is lot of joking and gaiety
over leap year and there ought to
be. If it doesn't cost any more to
have fun than to have a crouch, then
by all means let US have the fun, and
bring it in on double-decker. There
are lots of excuses for leap year, and
it is no idle thing to inquire Just
why we have it anyhow.
How 1t Came About
1t took the human race a good
while to discover why the sun rises
in the morning, and why the weather
warns up in February and March;
why there are likely to be hard
storms about the twenty-first of
March and on the other equinoxial
dates. It took the astronomers a
good while to find out whether there
is any real connection between the
storms on those dates, and the ar
rival of the sun at the line from
which it exactly reaches both poles.
Then again, Cook and Peary have
stirred up big fuss about what and
where the poles are.
Earth Behind Time
One thing that seems certain is
that if we allow 365 days for year,
the earth will not get around in it's
orbit to exactly the same point at
the same time in the season. 1t will
lack five hours and forty-eight
minutes of getting to the same spot
on the line in years swing, and
if we did not allow for it, the
equinox, the time when the sun
would ride all one day directly over
the equator, would change from the
twenty-first to the twenty-second Of
March. and then to the twenty-third
and the twenty-fourth, till our rec
koning of time would run spring into
winter so that May would come in
| cold weather. In order to remedy
this an extra day is counted in every
four years excepting that once in a
century that is omitted. That has
kept the seasons in the right place,
and the jokers have assigned this
extra day to the girls for the pri-
vilege of proposing, that being suf-
ficient to satisfy their willingness to
lead in such matters, and then for
1850 days they leave it all to the
males of the species.
Prove 1t BY The Almanac
If you will look at your calendar
for February you will see that this
extra day is listed for closing the
month and setting everything right
At the same time that the world
is being set right, the girls are pri-
veleged to set domestic matters right
by proposing to men of their choice.
And a man, so selected, is bound to
feel fiattered because he is that girls
choice among all the men in the
world. 1t Is written Of Eve that
Eve was glad and did rejoice
To know that she was Adams
choice;
and this being true of Eve under the
conditions of population at that time,
how much more complimented
mere man should feel at the present
stage of density Of population, to
have a girl single him out and offer
to take a contract to do his cooking
and washing for the rest Of their
natural life, for her board and room,
with the possibility of having to pro-
vide it herself. OF course, that is
putting it rather biuntly, but as we
say, it is one of the possibilities. We
know several men who provide the
board and room and in addition to
that, they hire the washing done, SO
you can't tell which of the two ex-
tremes a man will arrive at IL you
give him rope enough. Certain it
is that the girls will have chance to
make the matrimonial venture this
year, and all they have to do is
to, Speak up Sam; 'spress yo'se'f."
Against Preparedness"
Now girls there are lots Of prom
Using bachelors n this county. and
for cent we would point out some
Of them. The abound right here in
Blackfont, and there are others down
at Aberdeen and up at Shelley town.
II we name some fellows an enum-
Ferate their good qualities, we are
willing for you to feel kindly toward
us for doing that much, but IL you
propose and are accepted and live in
doubt ever afterwards about the wis
dom of the move, we are unwilling
- -x~,, 81 txfr ~ n s.c fays Aha 4ofn 1ra