I 6 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



in 1918 when he should have said 1919 according to my cal- 

 culations). 



It has been proposed on several occasions that a "calendar 

 betterment association" be formed. This is unnecessary since 

 agencies already existing can be used for this purpose. I am 

 sending out to one or two hundred of the leading scientific 

 societies of the world, a letter asking if they have taken up 

 the subject, if so with what conclusions and if not what they 

 would think of the calendar enclosed in the letter. The mem- 

 bership of these societies runs from 100 to nearly 10,000 and 

 thus there will be opportunity of ascertaining the thought of 

 something more than 100,000 persons on this question. They 

 are largely people who may be said to be employed to do 

 original thinking and to lead in wise measures. The great 

 mass of mankind are occupied in raising crops, in mining, in 

 manufacturing, in transportation, in buying and selling, and 

 in doing those things necessary for the material welfare of the 

 race. But men of science and letters, educators and savants, 

 are set aside by society to deal with all the various problems 

 of less material or passing interest and I think such men 

 should be in a position to give wise counsel today in this mat- 

 ter as the}' have in the past when they have proposed accurate 

 and simple weights and measures. 



If response can be obtained as I believe it can from the 

 learned men of all continents, this Academy will be in a posi- 

 tion to take up an active advocacy of a certain calendar. The 

 learned organizations of the world can unite in giving recom- 

 mendations to the legislators of various countries and there 

 will be no need of waiting till 1956 as one writer proposes. 

 I see no reason why the new calendar may not be begun in 

 1919. 



On the following page is the calendar which to my mind 

 is the best that has thus far been proposed. 



