The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-19
Leap Year GiUes| Women Special Right
 Under Old LdW

It is leap year.
 It is the year that is one day longer than the ordinary run of years, and it doubtless seems longer still to the aforementioned eligible bachelors. It is an open season for them, when, ac- cording' to ancient law, "like maiden ladie, of bothe highe and lowe degree and estate, shall hae iberte to be- speake ye man she likes. Gif he re- fuses to talk her to be his wyf, he shall be mulct in the sum of ane pund, more or less and his estate may bee, except and alwais gif he can make it appeare that he is bethrothit to ane ither fwom- an, then he shall be free.
 The eligible bachelors, those sophisti- cated men of the world who have out grown short trousers, who long ago punctured the Santa Claus myth and who have subjected nursery rhymes and other childish illusions to the light of higher criticism, may smile 1ndul- gently and complacently as they regard this ancient leap year custom.
 "It is just an old legend, just a joke" the worldly wise bachelor, wink ing an eye knowingly, and keeping the other eye alert, to be on the safe side. And quaint old custom is to be ad- mitted. It is just joke. But the joke is just as likely to be on the eligible bachelor. M <. E With both eyes thoroughly. opened. the eligible bachelor is invited to scan the following reference to common law which prevailed in the seventeenth cen- tury, as evidenced by a reference to it in an old book on f'Courtship and Mat rimony," published in 1606:
 "Albeit it is now become part of the common law in regards to social re- lations of life that as often as every bissextile year doth return the ladyes have the sole privilege of making love to the men, which they do either by wordes or by lookes, as to them 1t man will be entitled to the benefit of clergy who dothe in any way treate her proposal with slight or contumely."
 As United States courts frequently accept the old English common law as operative here when it has not been supplanted by a direct statute, it be- hooyes the eligible bachelor to keep more than one eye open. That is if he would prevent the ball and chain from being fastened ito his ankle.
 Caesar may be blamed for the inyen- tion of leap year, but just who is re- sponsible for fastening this phase of womens rights on the otherwise unof- lending year is obscure. If we are to put faith in Irish legends, the blame | for the privilege the fair, sex has had for hundreds of years is laid to St. l Patrick.
 Of course it will have to be admitted that the story is not found chronicled in any of the various Lives of the Saints," but nevertheless the story goes:
 St. Bridget was walking one day when she met St. Patrick.
 "Ah," St. Bridget began, "my sisters reproach me for not having given them a chance to find husbands for them selves What shall do?"
 Give them a chance every seven years," St. Patrick cried, "and we'll see what comes of it."
 "Thank you," St. Bridget cried, "but what about myself?"
 You shall take this very year to pro1 ose to whenever you please" he repled. Ut is leap year, the longest year of all"
 And straightaway St. Bridget pro- posed to St. Patrick himself, for nuns were not sworn to celibacy at that 1 time, and he, because he was sworn to celibacy, like other monks, had to- de- cline the offer, but he comforted her with the gift of silk gown. And from that time on leap year was said to be the propitious year for women to do their own proposing, and if they met with refusals they must receive kisses and silk gowns as well. In the course of time it became written law that the women have that privilege.
 Sad indeed was the case of that Peter, who, to escape the attentions of one Joan, bribed Betsy to pose as his betrothed and later was held by Betsy to the fake agreement!
 In France, in Genoa and in Florence leap year wo0ing was legalized and there were severe penalties for men who tried to- shun their obligations. | Notwithstanding the open season that is presented them in leap year, the women do not generally avail them selves of the privilege, in modern times, so far as can be ascertained by statistics available. Daniel Mulcahy, chief clerk of the marriage license bu- l that there are amazingly fewer licenses granted in leap year than normally. In 1904, for example, there were 1,5OO less than usual and in 1908 the slump was three thousand below normal.
 Men who have been vainly propos- ing year in and year out usually pick up their knees and go home for rest over leap year, according to MT. Null cahys explanation of the quadrennial business deficit in his department.
 As to the astronomical aspect of leap year, it was determined long be- fore the Christian era that about 365 days constituted a year. The shadow cast by a tree at noon, as everyone knows, grows longer in the summer and autumn, until it attains it's maxi mum length December 21. Then it shortens until June 21 when it reaches it's minimum. The ancient astronomers kept track of the time that elasped between two maximum noon shadows and so ascertaiped the approximate length of the year. Later it was dis covered the estimates were too short by about a quarter of day and as a consequence the calendar was falling