REFORMING THE CALENDAR 



589 



birthday, follows so soon, coming on Wednesday, February 22. Decora- 

 tion Day occurs Thursday, May 30; Independence Day, Wednesday, 

 July 4; Labor Day, Monday, September 4; Columbus Day, Thursday, 

 October 12 ; Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23 or 30, as may 

 be determined; and Christmas, Monday, December 25; Election Day 

 need no longer be " the first Tuesday after the first Monday in Novem- 

 ber " but can be fixed simply on November 7. Such movable holidays 

 as Easter and other ecclesiastical dates which are partly dependent upon 

 the moon will, of course, not be fixed; but they will occur more uni- 

 formly than at present. 



In England May Day will occur on Wednesday, May 1; and 

 Michaelmas on Friday, September 29. In France, their glorious July 

 14 will always occur upon Saturday. 



In the table, the extra day is named " Silvester," as suggested by 

 the European reformers referred to. An alternative arrangement might 

 be made, however, by calling it something else, or by using Christmas 

 Day for this position in the calendar, instead of six days earlier. This 

 need not offend any christian sentiment as this day is often moved now 

 from Sunday to Monday ; and there was originally considerable dispute 

 as to where in the year it should be placed, no definite arrangement, I 

 believe, having been made previous to the fifth century. My own prefer- 

 ence, however, would be to leave Christmas where it is, and have the 

 extra day as another holiday, replacing our present "new years." 



Kalender for 1918, A.D., and ever after 



Each year, with its first season, first month, first week, first day and first 

 hour to commence at midnight following the winter solstice — in the morning of 

 what we now call December 22. Leap years to be the same as in the Gregorian 

 calendar. 



