The Astronomical minutes and 21 seconds. Chronological Eras.- The year 1899 corresponds to the year 7407-8 of the Byzantine era; to 5659-60 of the Jewish era, the year 5650 beginning at sunset on September 4; to 2652 since the foundation of Rome according to Varro; to 2675 of the Olympiads (the third year of the 669th Olympiad beginThe interval during which the earth makes ning July 1, 1899); to 2559 of the Japanese one absolute revolution round the Sun is called era, and to the 32d year of the Meiji; to 1316-a Sidereal Year, and consists of 365 days, 6 17 of the Mohammedan era or the era of the hours, 9 minutes, and 9.6 seconds, which is Hegira, the year 1317 beginning on May 12, invariable. 1899. The 125th year of the Independence of the United States of America begins on July 4, 1900. The Tropical Year is the interval between two consecutive returns of the Sun to the Vernal Equinox. If this were a fixed point, the Sidereal and Tropical Years would be identical; Date of Beginning of Epochs, Eras, but in consequence of the disturbing influence Era of Ascension... Era of the Armenians.. Persian Era of Yezdegird.. BEGAN. .B. C. 5598, Sept. 5508, Sept. 66 5492, Sept. 1 4713, Jan. of the moon and planets on the spheroidal figure of the earth, the Equinox has a slow, ret1rograde mean motion of 50.26 seconds annually, 5502, Aug. 29 and the Sun returns to the Equinox sooner every year than he otherwise would by 20 minutes, 23.6 seconds; the Tropical Year, therefore, consists of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. The Tropical Year is not of uniform length; it is now slowly decreasing at the rate of .595 second per century, but this variation will not always continue. 4008, Oct. 3761, Oct. 1 2015, Oct. 1 747, Feb. 26 432, July 15 19 125, Oct. 48, Sept. 1 45, Jan. 1 38, Jan. 1 30, Jan. 1, Jan. 1 69, Sept. 1 166, Nov. 24 66 552, July 7 46 66 Julius Cæsar, in B. C. 45, was the first to reform the calendar by ordering that every year whose date number is exactly divisible by 4 contain 366 days, and all other years 365 days. The intercalary day was introduced by counting the sixth day before the Kalends of March 284, Sept. 17 twice; hence the name bissextile, from bis, 295, Nov. 12 twice, and sex, six. He also changed the beginning of the year from first of March, to the first of January, and also changed the name of the fifth month (Quintilis) to July, after himself. The average length of the Julian year is therefore 365 days, which, however, is too long by 11 minutes and 14 seconds, and this would accumulate in 400 years to about three days. The Julian Calendar continued in use until A. D. 1582, when the date of the beginning of the seasons occurred 10 days later than in B. C. 45, when this mode of reckoning time was introduced. 622, July 16 652, June 16 Divisions of Time. The interval between two consecutive transits of a fixed star over any meridian or the interval during which the earth makes one absolute revolution on its axis is called a Sidereal Day, and is invariable, while the interval between two consecutive transits of the Sun over any meridian is called an Apparent Solar Day, and its length varies from day to day by reason of the variable motion of the earth in its orbit, and the inclination of this orbit to the equator, on which time is measured. A Mean Solar Day is the average or mean of all the apparent solar days in a year. Mean Solar Time is that shown by a well-regulated clock or watch, while Apparent Solar Time is that shown by a well-constructed sundial; the difference between the two at any time is the Equation of Time, and may amount to 16 The Gregorian Year was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. with the view of keeping the Equinox to the same day of the month. It consists of 365 days, but every year exactly divisible by 4 and the centurial years which are exactly divisible by 400 contain 366 days; and if in addition to this arbitrary arrangement the centurial years exactly divisible by 4,000 contain 366 days, the error in the Gregorian system will amount to only one day in about 20 centuries. If, however, 31 leap years were intercalated in 128 years, instead of 32 as at present, the calendar would be practically exact, and the error would not amount to more than a day in 100,000 years. The length of the mean Gregorian Year may therefore be set down at 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 12 seconds. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced into England and her colonies in 1752, at which time the Equinox had retrograded 11 days since the Council of Nice in A. D. 325, when the festival of Easter was established and the Equinox occurred on March 21; hence September 3, 1752, was called September 14, and at the same time the commencement of the legal year was changed from March 25 to January 1, so that the year 1751 lost the months of January and February and the first 24 days of March. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendars is now 12 days. Russia and the Greek Church still employ the Julian Calendar for civil and ecclesiastical purposes. Standard Time.- Primarily, for the convenience of the railroads, a standard of time was established by mutual agreement in 1883, by which trains are run and local time regulated. According to this system, the United States, extending from 65° to 125° west longitude, is divided into four time sections, each of 15° of longitude, exactly equivalent to one hour, commencing with the 75th meridian. The first (eastern) section includes all territory between the Atlantic coast and an irregular line drawn from Detroit to Charleston, S. C., the latter being its most southern point. The second (central) section includes all the territory between the last named line and an irregular line from Bismarck, N. D., to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The third (mountain) section includes all territory between the last-named line and nearly the western borders of Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. The fourth (Pacific) section covers the rest of the country to the Pacific coast. Standard time is uniform inside each of these sections, and the time of each section differs from that next to it by exactly one hour. Thus at 12 noon in New York city (eastern time), the time at Chicago (central time) is 11 o'clock A. M.; at Denver (mountain time), 10 o'clock A. M., and at San Francisco (Pacific time), 9 o'clock A. M. Standard time is 16 minutes slower at Boston than true local time, 4 minutes slower at New York, 8 minutes faster at Washington, 19 minutes faster at Charleston, 28 minutes slower at Detroit, 18 minutes faster at Kansas City, 10 minutes slower at Chicago, one minute faster at St. Louis, 28 minutes faster at Salt Lake City, and 10 minutes faster at San Francisco. Old English Holidays.-These holidays, with their names, had their origin in mediæval England when the State religion was that of the Church of Rome, and they are still observed generally or in some parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. JANUARY 6. TWELFTH DAY, or Twelfthtide, sometimes called Old Christmas Day, the same as Epiphany. The previous evening is Twelfth Night, with which many social rites have long been connected. FEBRUARY 2. CANDLEMAS: Festival of the Purification of the Virgin. Consecration of the lighted candles to be used in the church during the year. FEBRUARY 14. OLD CANDLEMAS: St. Valentine's Day. MARCH 25. the Virgin. JUNE 24. LADY DAY: Annunciation of April 6 is old Lady Day. MIDSUMMER DAY: Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. July 7 is old Midsummer Day. JULY 15. ST. SWITHIN'S DAY. There was an old superstition that if rain fell on this day it would continue forty days. AUGUST 1. LAMMAS DAY: Originally in England the festival of the wheat harvest. In the Church the festival of St. Peter's miraculous deliverance from prison. Old Lammas Day is August 13. SEPTEMBER 29. MICHAELMAS: Feast of St. Michael, the Archangel. Old Michaelmas is October 11. NOVEMBER 1. ALLHALLOWMAS: Allhallows or All Saints' Day. The previous evening is Allhalloween, observed by home gatherings and old-time festive rites. NOVEMBER 2. ALL SOULS' DAY: Day of prayer for the souls of the dead. NOVEMBER 11: MARTINMAS: Feast of St. Martin. Old Martinmas is November 23. DECEMBER 28. CHILDERMAS: Holy Innocents Day. Lady Day, Midsummer Day, Michaelmas, and Christmas are quarter (rent) days in England, and Whitsunday, Martinmas, Candlemas, and Lammas Day in Scotland. Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, are observed by the Church. Mothering Sunday is Mid-Lent Sunday, in which the old rural custom obtains of visiting one's parents and making them presents. Legal Holidays in the Various States.-JANUARY 1. NEW YEAR'S DAY: In all the States (including the District of Columbia) except Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. JANUARY 8. ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS: In Louisiana. JANUARY 19. LEE'S BIRTHDAY:. In Flor- Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and ida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wyoming. and Virginia. FEBRUARY 12. LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY: In Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Washington (State). FEBRUARY 14, 1899. SPRING ELECTION DAY: In Pennsylvania (from 12 o'clock noon). FEBRUARY 14, 1899. MARDI-GRAS: In Alabama and the parish of Orleans, Louisiana. FEBRUARY 22. WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY: In all the States (including the District of Columbia) except Mississippi. fornia. NOVEMBER 1. ALL SAINTS' DAY: In Louisiana. NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION DAY: In Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode. Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Washington, WisMARCH 2. ANNIVERSARY OF TEXAN INDE- consin, and Wyoming, in the years when elecPENDENCE: In Texas. tions are held in these States. In 1900 the date is November 6. NOVEMBER 25. MARCH 31, 1899. GOOD FRIDAY: In Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee. APRIL 5, 1899. STATE ELECTION DAY: In Louisiana. APRIL 19. setts. APRIL 21. iana. NOVEMBER-1900. LABOR DAY: In Louis THANKSGIVING DAY is either the fourth or last Thursday in NovemCONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY: ber in 1900, as the President may determine. It is observed in all the States, and in the Dis PATRIOTS' DAY: In Massachu-trict of Columbia, though in some States it is not a statutory holiday. ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO: In Texas. APRIL 26. CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY: In Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. MAY 10. CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY: In North Carolina and South Carolina. MAY 20. ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE MECKLENBURG DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: In North Carolina. MAY 30. DECORATION DAY: In Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington, and Wyoming. JUNE 3. JEFFERSON DAVIS'S BIRTHDAY: In Florida and Georgia. JULY 4. INDEPENDENCE DAY: In all the States and the District of Columbia. JULY 24. PIONEERS' DAY: In Utah. AUGUST 16. BENNINGTON BATTLE DAY: In Vermont. DECEMBER 25. CHRISTMAS DAY: In all the States, and in the District of Columbia. Sundays and Fast Days are legal holidays in all the States which designate them as such. There are no statutory holidays in Mississippi and Nevada, but by common consent the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are observed as holidays in Mississippi. In Kansas, Decoration Day, Labor Day, and Washington's Birthday are the only legal holidays by legislative enactment; other legal holidays are so only by common consent. In New Mexico, Decoration Day, Labor Day, and Arbor Day are holidays when so designated by the Governor. ARBOR DAY is a legal holiday in Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, the day being set by the Governor; in Texas, February 22; in Nebraska, April 22; Montana, third Tuesday in April; Utah, April 15; Rhode Island, first Friday in May; Idaho, on Friday after May 1; Florida, February 7; Georgia, first Friday in December. Every Saturday after 12 o'clock noon is a legal holiday in New York, New Jersey, PennSEPTEMRER 4, 1899. LABOR DAY: In Ala- sylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District bama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Del- of Columbia, the city of New Orleans, and in aware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Newcastle County, Del., except in St. George's Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Hundred; in Louisiana and Missouri in cities Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minne- of 100,000 or more inhabitants; in Ohio in sota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New cities of 50,000 or more inhabitants; and June Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, 1 to August 31 in Denver, Col. In ConnectiOregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South cut and Maine, banks close at 12 noon on SatCarolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, urdays. A. D. 14), who commanded that his name should be given to the month. August was the sixth month of the Roman year and was previously called Sextilis. There is no national holiday, not even the Fourth of July. Congress has at various times appointed special holidays. In the second session of the fifty-third Congress it passed an act making Labor Day a public holiday in September (Lat. Septem, seven) was the the District of Columbia, and it has recognized seventh month of the Roman calendar, but is the existence of certain days as holidays, for the ninth according to our reckoning. The commercial purposes, but, with the exception Anglo-Saxons called it gerst-monath, named, there is no general statute on the sub-month.” ject. The proclamation of the President designating a day of Thanksgiving only makes it a legal holiday in those States which provide by law for it. The Months and their Names.-January, the first month of the year, was among the Romans held sacred to Janus, from whom it derived its name, and was added to the calendar along with February by Numa in 713 B. C. It was not till the eighteenth century that Jan uary was universally adopted by European nations as the first month of the year, although the Roman's considered it as such as far back as 251 B. C. February is the name given to the second month, in which were celebrated the Februa, or feasts to the manes of deceased persons. March, the first month of the Roman year, and the third according to our present calendar, consists of 31 days. It was considered as the first month of the year in England until the change of style in 1752, and the legal year was reckoned from the 25th of March. Its last three days (old style) were once popularly supposed to have been borrowed by March from April, and are proverbially stormy. To the fourth month of our year the Romans gave the name of Aprilis, derived from aperire, "to open," probably because it is the season when the buds begin to open. By the AngloSaxons it was called Eastermonth. The name of the fifth month, May, is said to be derived from Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom the Romans on the first day offered sacrifices. It was the third month of the Roman year. June, the sixth month of the year in our calendar, but the fourth among the Romans, consisted originally of 26 days, to which four were added by Romulus, one taken away by Numa, and the month again lengthened to 30 days by Julius Cæsar. The seventh month of the year in our calendar, and the fifth in the Roman calendar, was originally called Quintilis (the fifth). At first it contained 36 days, was reduced to 31, then to 30, but was restored to 31 days by Julius Cæsar, in honor of whom it was named July. August, the eighth month of the year, was so named by the Emperor Augustus (B. C. 63 66 barley October (Lat. octo, eight) was the eighth month of the so-called "year of Romulus,' but became the tenth when (according to tradition) Numa changed the commencement of the year to January 1st, though it retained its original name. November (Lat. novem nine) was among the Romans the ninth month of the year (the Ger. Wind month) at the time when the year consisted of ten months, and then contained 30 days. It subsequently was made to contain only 29, but Julius Cæsar gave it 31; and in the reign of Augustus the number was restored to 30, which number it has since retained. December means the tenth month, and received that name from the Romans when the year began in March, and has retained its name since January and February were put at the beginning of the year. The Origin of the Days of the Week.- The names of these are derived from Saxon idolatry. The Saxons had seven deities more particularly adored than the rest, namely: The Sun, the Moon, Tuisco, Woden, Thor, Friga, and Saeter. Sunday being dedicated to the sun, was called by them Sunandaeg; his idol represented the bust of a man, with the face darting bright rays, holding a wheel before his breast, indicative of the circuit of the golden orb around our sphere. Monday was dedicated to the moon, and was represented by a female on a pedestal, with a very singular dress and two long ears. Tuesday was dedicated to Tuisco a German hero, sire of the Germans, Scythians, and Saxons. He was represented as a venerable old man, with a long, white beard, a scepter in his hand and the skin of a white bear thrown over his shoulders. Wednesday was consecrated to Woden, or Odin, a supreme god of the northern nations, father of the gods and god of war. He was represented as a warrior in a bold martial attitude, clad in armor, holding in his right hand a broad, crooked sword and in his left a shield. Thursday was consecrated to Thor, eldest son of Woden, who was the Roman Jupiter. He was believed to govern the air, preside over lightning and thunder, direct the wind, July Aug. rain, and seasons. He was represented as sitJuly ting on a splendid throne, with a crown of gold adorned with twelve glittering stars, and a Aug. scepter in his right hand. Friday was sacred to Friga-Hertha or Edith the mother of the gods and wife of Woden. She was the goddess of love and pleasure and was portrayed as a female with a naked sword in her right hand and a bow in her left hand, implying that in extreme cases women should fight as well as men. Saturday was named in honor of Saeter, who is the Roman Saturnus. He was represented on a pedestal, standing on the back of a prickly fish called a perch, his head bare, with a thin, meager face. In his left hand he held a wheel and in his right a pail of water with fruits and flowers. The sharp fins of the fish implied that the worshipers of Saeter should pass safely through every difficulty. wheel was emblematic of their unity and freedom, and the pail of water implied that he could water the earth and make it more beautiful. Anniversaries. The Sep. 1 Sep. Sep. Sep. Sep. Sep. sep. 13. Battle of Chapultepec, 1847. 14. City of Mexico taken by the U. S. troops, 1847. Sep. 19-20. Battle of Chickamauga, 183. Sep. Oct. Oct. Oct. Nov. 7. Battle of King's Mountain, N. C., 1780. 8-11. Great fire of Chicago, 1871. 12. Columbus discovered America, 1492. 17. Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, 1777. 9. Great fire of Boston, 1872. Nov. 10. Martin Luther born, 1483. 25. British evacuated New York, 1783. Dec. Dec. Dec. 14. Washington died, 1799. 16. Boston Tea Party," 1773. 16. The great fire in New York, 1835. 1620. 22. Mayflower pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Dec.25-26. Battle of Trenton, N. J., 1776. Dec. 29. William Ewart Gladstone born, 1809. The First Day of the Year. Readers of Parish Registers and other ancient documents are sometimes puzzled by the dates, and especially by the apparent discrepancies in the time when the year commenced. It began: 7th to 14th Centuries, at Christmas. 12th Century, by the Church, on March 25. 14th Century, by Civilians, same time. In 1752 the New Style was introduced, and 1753 commenced on the 1st of January. Previous to this two dates were used, one for the civil year, and the other for the historical; the former commenced March 25, and the latter January 1; thus we find the same event with two dates, e. g., Feb. 20, 1681-2. Another change was made in the calendar by the same Act, 24 Geo. II. c. 23; the day after September 2d was accounted the fourteenth, hence the difference between Old and New Michaelmas and other days. *Nice.. Rome General Councils. *Constantinople.. Second (Ecumenical. *Ephesus.. *Constantinople.. Fifth do Against the Donatists. 314 First Ecumenical Council 325 Athanasian. 342 Sardis.. .Against Arius.. 347 381 Third do.... 431 553 681 787 870 1123 1139 Seventh do.. Constantinople..Eighth do.. First Lateran. Nice... May May 13. First English settlement in America at James- Rome Rome Rome Rome. May 24. Queen Victoria born, 1819. June June 6. General Nathaniel Greene born, 1742. 15. King John granted Magna Charta at Runny mede, 1215. Lyons.. Vienne..... Constance. Basle Rome Trent Rome 28. Battle of Fort Moultrie, Charleston, S. C., 1776. July 1-2. General assault on Santiago de Cuba, 1898. July 3. Cervera's fleet was destroyed off Santiago, 1898. July 4. Declaration of Independence, 1776. *Only the six thus marked were indisputably General or Ecumenical. Some other councils, such as those summoned to Pavia and Siena, were designed to be Ecumenical, but led to no such result. The Greek Church recognizes seven. |