The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-10-13
DECLARES CAESAR
JUGGLED CALENDAR
CAUSED AN UNNECESSARY
MIXUP FOR CENTURIES
CLAIMS OF THE LEAGUE
Romans Superstitious About
Odd Numbers So Change
l. Was Undertaken
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l

julius Caesar, by his unscientltic
Juggling of the calendar has caused
unnecessary confusion for centuries,
say members of the international
Fixed Calendar League, who adVo-
cate the adoption OF a thirteenth
month year with each month con-
tanning twenty eight days and an
international holiday added each
year to make up the sos days OF the
solar calendar,
There is really no reason why the
calendar should be so broken up,
league members say, In the days
of the ancient Egyptians, who orr
ginated the calendar, working with
the shadows OF pyramids and ODE
disks, the calendar was arranged
with thirteen months Of equal
the end OF the year to square things
up with the sun. The reason for
the pyramids and obelisks was their
use in astronomy and calendar max.
ing, It is said.
In 46 B. c., Julius Caesar, dissat-
isfied with the moon chasing calen-
dar of his day, adopted the Egyp-
tian system - with notifications.
The Romans were superstitious
about odd numbers, so julius start
ed to do with the calendar as he had
uOuC Win bLIS with anu WHICH NC
was through the equal length
months were all broken up, the i've
day festival was eliminated, and
the months we're arranged alter
nately with thirty and thirty one
days.
Pleased With Caesars Work
So pleased was the Roman Senate
with Caesars work, it Immediately
named the seventh month in his
calendar in his honor, and the sys-
tenn is known as the Julian calendar
That worked for a while until one
of Caesars successors, Augustus by
name, changed his forebear's work,
in B. C. %, and when his heavy
hand was through, the calendar re-
suited in its present state; the odd
and even numbered months were
changed around and arbitrarily fix
ed, February was given little more
liberty than the other months, and
the half years were set on unequal
bases-the first half getting only Isl
days and the second 1S4. Roman
Senate retaliated by changing the
name Of the eighth month to honor
month as July was Julius.
Constantine the Great says a
league publication, conferred the
ever welcome Sabbath rest each
seventh day on Europeans; but the
unequal lengths OF twenty eight and
thirty one day months imposed by
Julius and Augustus have since
forced the Constantine weeks yearly
to slice months into different weeks,
and at month ends almost split
weeks into parts. necessarily but
neeclessly confusing weeks and
Another Change in 1882
In 1852 another change was made,
when Pope Gregory XIII found Ju-
Illus had been wrong in his arith-
metic and made an error in COM
putting leap years, and that as a re-
suit ten extra days had piled up from
somewhere in the meanwhile. The
sun and the earth, according to that
time table, were not travelling on
the same schedule. So Gregory did
what many other people have often
wished they could do, he dug out
ten days from one month-October
Of that year-and threw them into
the discard, in order to readjust the
21st of March to the Equinox and
the rest OF the calendar to the sea-
sons.
Since then we have been travel
ling under the Gregorian calendar.
In consequence, the league COM
plains, Gregory moved the Chris
tian years end (Which ever since
the establishment of the Christian
era had been celebrated at Christ
mas) from Christmas to January LIST
-one week farther away from ma
lures years end, December 22nd.'
Russia and Greece alone did not
comply with that edict, and continue
is of old.
Planned World Conference
After several national and inter
national conferences during 1922, of
those interested in the new move
ment, a final internatioal conference
was planned to be held sometime
during the coming year. 1t will be
Many representatives of world ma
lions will attend, to discuss a pro-
gram which includes:
Location OF the Year Day" re-
moval of leap day" to be a mid
summers holiday, the best arrange
ment to. fit the present ffty-two
yearly weeks into permanent
months, a name for the proposed
Month SOL" the best permanent
date for Easter, the best date on
which to begin the ''yearal" or equal
and TO draft recommendations con-
eerning the above into legislative
form Of adoption by all nations and
remit that standard bill to their, re-
speciive governments to insert their
national holidays therein and to-
gether make it law for their respec-
tive nations"
Interested In Movement
Interested in the movement, ac-
cording to the league, are: interna-
s tional chambers of commerce, inter
national conferences of European
calendar advocates, the Information
al Astronomic Union, International
Roman Catholic churches Through
the Vatican.) The government OF
Canada, the Royal Society Of Cana
da, and the international conference
Of United States and Canadian Cal
endar Associations have all unani-
moIsly endorsed the international
Fixed Calendar Plan" as the best
thus far devised to remedy the de-
fects in existing calendars.
Practically, it is said, the revised
calendar would aid in agriculture in
preventing crop failures by planting
at incorrect times because the cal
+ eudar calls for 1t. 1t would be OF
value to labor and capital alike, II
is claimed, and would aid industry
4 generally. 1t would eQualiZe dating
Z systems throughout the world, and
finally, the twenty eight day month
4 would free about 9 percent OF
monthly money now held Tor thirty