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OCTOBER, 1024] A FIXED EASTER AND THE REFORM OF THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR 213
The Mechitarist Calendar would base itself on the week, giving thus 52 weeks for the normal solar year with one day over. Thus 7x52 + 1 -365 days. By creating 13 months of 4 woolos each and adding one day to one of the months the same result is produced :13 x 28 +1 -365 days. This leaves Leap Year as it is now by adding one day to a second month or 2 days to one month. So far, exoept as to 13 months in the year, there does not prima facie appear to be much change from existing customs.
This proposal has some immense advantages :(1) Every month, but ono, has 28 days, the odd month having 29. In Leap Years two
months have 29 days, or one month 30 days. (2) Every week day falls on the same day of the months, if the odd days are given special names and made intercalary, i.e., are not counted as being in any week, thus :
Sunday .. .. .. .. .. 1 8 15 22 Monday .. .. .. .. .. 2 9 16 23 Tuesday
. 3 10 17 24 Wednesday
.. 4 11 18 25 Thursday ..
.. 5 12 19 26 Friday .. .. .. .. .. 6 13 20 27 Saturday .. ..
. .. 7 14 21 28 (3) Easter Sunday falls automatically on the 15th April every year. Christmas Day
falls automatioally on Wednesday, 25th December, every your. Other authorised
festivals and holidays also fall automatically on fixed days in the year. (4) An upset, however, ooours of existing almost instinctive habits of reckoning the time
of year by the 13 nonths of 28 days ench. Thus:() A new month, with of course & new name, must be created. () A new name for the annual intercalary day (making annually one week of actually
eight days though counted a seven) must be found, together with a choioe made
of the month to which it is to be added: (i) The same process is necessary for the second interoalary day for Leap Years,
making either a second week of eight days, or one week of nine days, both counted
&S geven. (5) The days of the year with regard to those of the existing normal solar calendar will be muoh altered. Thw
1 Old Feby. would fall on existing 29 Jany. I, March
26 Feby. 1 April
28 March , May
23 April. June
21 May. July
18 June. August
16 July. ,, New month
13 Aug. September
10 Sept. 1 , October
19 Oot. 1 . November
8 Nov. , December
4 December. 1 The Machitarist Calendar puts the first day of the month on Sunday. The German imitation put it on Monday, but made no other change. There is a good deal to be said for beginning the year on Monday * matter of convenience and something also to the contrary. The point is, however, beside the print argument.
