The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-01-29
Leap Years Romance Is Woven
Of Threads From Many Sources
Both Myth and History Have Something Say Upon the Origin of
Special Heart Interest Methods Of Measuring lime.

While little can be prophesied con-
corning the happenings in 1924 at least
one thing is certain, the Infant 1924
will give the world an extra day, Feb
ruary %. Another leap year is at
hand, time of hope for maidens and
wary season for bachelors,
Ever since the world began human
beings have been devising methods of
measuring time. At present most peo-
pie are contentedly following the
Georgian calendar, although a move
ment has gotten under way in recent
years to improve this by having year
with Is months each % days long.
Bissextile Year.
Leap year is more correctly known
as the bissextile year and the origin of
the English name is hard to trace.
Many theories have been framed, and
it is generally thought that none is
quite as satisfactory. Some say it is a
reference to the fact that Father Time,
instead of passing over his accustomed
ground during that period, takes an
extraordinary leap to the extent OF a
day.
Another hypothesis makes the name
misnomer If the fourth year had
consisted OF 364 days day would
really have been leaped over. AS it is,
the three ordinary years would be
named leap years.
One Opinion.
Probably the most worthy suppose
ton as to the origin of the terms, says
the Providence Journal, is that at trst
the extra day in the fourth year and
the one before it were one in the eye OF
the law, writes an authority. Accord
ing1y. he continues, the regular day
was considered lawfully day, and the
additional one, though civilly held as
dav. was legally not so. 1t was missed
or leaped over. Thus the legal year as
opposed to the civil was i'll reality
leap year.
From the earliest times men used the
alienation of day and night and the
change of the seasons for reckoning
time. The primeval system was based
on the moons changes Finally, the
wear became thoroughly out of joint,
however. and in 40 B. c. Julius Caesar,
dissatisfied with the moon-chas1ng cal
endar, undertook permanent reform.
Julius Efforts
The Romans were superstitlous
about odd numbers, so julius started
to do with the calendar as he had done
with the world. When he was through
the equal-ength months were all
broken up and arranged alternately
with 80 and 81 days.
Basing his calculations upon the as
sumption that the year was Just 500
DAYS and six hours long he provided
three years of 365 days followed by
one of 500, which was leap year. The
arrangement would have been unim-
Deachable if the earth had any respect
for round numbers. However. the So
lar revolution is performed about
minutes less than Caesar had imagined
Caesars error amounted to day IN
12S years.
AS centuries passed the equinox
gradually receded toward the begin
ming of the year Value OF old tradl-
tions decreased. Calculations tailed. /
Farmers believed the seasons to De
changing, and by 1880 the year was
all wrong again. AS result oi
Caesars error in computing the leap
wears 10 extra days had piled up by
1852 The sun and the earth were not
travelling on the same schedule.
II fell TO the lot of Pope Gregory I
Mi to effect new reformation Ill the
calendar. He did what other peop.lee /
had wished they could do-dug out ~
DAYS from one month-October-and |
threw them into the discard, IN order
TO readiust the 21st of the month to the
equinox and the rest OF the calendar 10
the seasons.
The Pope's Order.
To prevent the intrusion Of the same
errors in the measurement of time IN
future ages he further decreed that
every wear whose number is not divlsi-
bic by four shall consist OF 500 Gays;
every wear which is so divisible, but
not divisible by 100, of 500 days; every
wear divisible by 100, but not by 40 00'
Of sos; and every year divisible by 4oO'
of 500 days.
Pope Gregory's correction gives, an
average wear 20 seconds longer than
the true year. These odd seconds Will
amount to a whole year in 3,3I3 years
and it has been proposed to allow Tor
this wear by providing that the year
4 600 and ali its multiples shall be COM
mon wears. Whether the year 4,O0O
ought or ought NOT to be leap year is