It has already been shown that the error in the Julian calendar is three days in 400 years; so that in 400 years from the Council of Nice the vernal equinox had fallen back to the 18th of March; in 800 years it had fallen back to the 15th; in 1257 years, that is in 1582, it fell on the 11th. Still the 21st of March, by the only calendar in use at that time, was accounted the date of the vernal equinox, by which date Easter was determined, so that, in 1582, when it was the 21st by the calendar, the correct date was the 31st. Hence, the error had been increasing at the rate of three days every 400 years until in 1582 it amounted to ten days.
Again it should be borne in mind that the Pope was a churchman and wished to abide by the decision of that council in celebrating the festival of Easter, so he drops the ten days and restores the vernal equinox to the 21st of March, its date at the meeting of the Council of Nice in 325, the date by which Easter day was determined. He not only made the correction, but he so reformed the calendar that the solar and the civil year are now made to coincide very nearly. Had he dropped the thirteen days, the vernal equinox would have been restored to the 24th of March, its date in the time of Cæsar, and the 24th would still be its date. But the Council of Nice decided that the 21st should be the date by which Easter day should be determined. Hence the reason for dropping the ten days instead of the thirteen is evident; and it is also evident that the Pope acted understandingly when he made the correction in 1582.
ERRATA.
On 51st page, ninth line from the bottom of the page, instead of 1453 ÷ 43 = 63+, should be 1453 ÷ 4 = 363+.
On 76th page, twelfth line from the top of the page, 356 should be 365.
THE COLUMBUS CELEBRATION.
THE WELLSBORO MAN WHO BROUGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE IN THE DATE.
State Superintendent D. J. Waller, in the School Journal.
Who brought about the change in the date? It was down in the books as October 12th. The Committee of the National Educational Association issued circulars to the country to observe that day. Congress solemnly resolved that that day should be celebrated throughout the land. The Commissioners of the World’s Fair fixed upon October 12, as dedication-day, and sent out invitations to the exercises. Suddenly there was a change. Heralded by no newspaper discussion, preceded by no exhaustive treatise, without any authoritative decree, a change was made to October 21.