The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-12-31
why IS A Year !?
MUCH WORK AND STUDY GET,
TING YEARS ARRANGED
YEARS AND DAYS
DON'T JIBE.

White it 1918. This is the last of
the old year. Tomorrow we enter
upon another year, with all its uncer-
tainties. Many things we undertake
as new projects. Many things under
way and unfinished we hope to see
drawn to a conclusion, and in which
we hope the decision of fate will be
in our favor. 1t has always seemed
that 1t is with a n Of regret that
we relinquish an old year, as passing
another irretrievable milestone on
the journey through life. The rich,
the poor, the just and the unjust,
the idler and industrious-all look
upon the passing of the old year with
a vague wish that the time had been
better spent and more of worth ac-
complished. But now we must write
1t 1918"
The good fathers of our calendar
system had quite some time in ar
ranging it. Neither its beginning
nor seasons have conformed to the
astronomical seasons of the year.
The year begins at no time of season
al change, and no month nor impor-
tant arbitrary division of time has
measured by the sun. We would
think that things were strangely out
of gear If the new year occurred on
any other date or in any other season
than it does. But the Jewish new
year occurs in September-and it is
as logical a time by both sun and
season as is the one we observe.
Previous to the time of Julius
Caesar, and certain corrections by
Augustus, the month and year ar
rangements were left to the whims
of the kings and emperors. These
monarchs succeeded in giving the
world an approximately correct
method of making the calendar year
conform to the astronomical cycle.
This was further corrected by Pope
Gregory in 1882. The Julian year
was about IL minutes longer than
the astronomical year. and Gregory
arranged not only for the leap year
of 366 days, but also for the corrac-
ton of centennial years divisible by
400-our present system, correct to
one day in 1000 years, and adopted
by England and the colonies in 1852.
Many countries did not adopt the
Gregorian calendar, among which
was Russia. Their year at this time
is Is days behind our year, as, jan
uary / with us is January Is with
them.
1t seems impossible to get the
measurement OF the year to a more
correct system than hat in use now
One day in 1000 years is lot much,
But of course the time will come
when that one day must be allowed
for. even as Pope Gregory set the
calendar forward 10 days 1882.
We sometimes fail to think just
why 365 days do not make a year a.
one time as well as at another
There are "a hours in a day, and 365
days in a year. Why wouldn't i
come out right after the lapse of an!
considerable number of years?
) We have divided the day into 2
equal parts. Even this varies, tn
: star sharps tell us, but they know
! how much to allow for this, and ouI
l Ingersolls would not show ii anyway
: This day is the lapse between sunrisf
and sunrise, and is caused by the 70
tation of the earth. The seasons o
the year are caused by the position
of the earth with respect to the sun
and is measured by the interval o
time 1t takes for the earth to max,
the trip. But after the lapse of &c.
days the earth lacks S hours and 4!
minutes travel of being where i
started out from the year before
The Julian arrangement corrected
for 6 hours "a quarter of a day
which was approximately IL minutes
error, being too much. Gregory cor
: rected for the IL minutes by his di
visibility of the centesmal years b!
400 for leap years, making our year
! come out at about the same astro
| nomical time after each four-year
period.
| Along with the other irregularitiei
of nature, it will thus be seen tina
even though one had a perfect time
, piece, and kept it wound, he would
l have to set it from time to time any
way. II he didn't he would in tim.
, come out in the same position tina
the present Julian calendar is il
Russia. Moral. improve the year
: and buy a dollar watch.