Decembeb 23, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



917 



Munich. One professor Las retired from the 

 church. 



Dr. George Edgar Vincent, professor of 

 sociology and dean of the faculties of arts, 

 literature and science in the University of 

 Chicago, has been appointed president of the 

 University of Minnesota. 



Bartholomew J. Spence, Ph.D. (Prince- 

 ton, 1909), has been made assistant professor 

 of physics in the University of North Da- 

 kota, and Edward B. Stephenson, Ph.D. (Illi- 

 nois, 1910), instructor in physics in the same 

 institution. Dr. Spence was assistant in 

 physics at Wisconsin 1905-06; instructor at 

 Illinois 1906-07, and instructor at Princeton 

 1909-10. He has had several years of teach- 

 ing experience in the high schools of Illinois 

 and in Knox Academy. Other appointments 

 at North Dakota are E. C. Griess, E.E. 

 (Purdue), as instructor in mechanical draw- 

 ing, and William E. Henwood (Armour Insti- 

 tute, 1910), instructor in mechanical engi- 

 neering. William T. Wells, M.D. (Ann 

 Arbor), has accepted a position in the Public 

 Health Laboratory, and Eobert P. Stark, M.D. 

 (Ann Arbor), and Carl F. Eaver, M.D. 

 (Ann Arbor), in the branch laboratories, lo- 

 cated, respectively, at Minot and Bismarck. 



Dr. Albert Einstein, professor of physics 

 at Zurich, has been called to the chair of 

 mathematics and physics in the University of 

 Prague. 



DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE 



^ calendar reform 

 To THE Editor of Science: In Professor 

 Chamberlin's discussion on " The Reform of 

 the Calendar," in Science of November 25, 

 1910, after reference to discussions on the 

 subject by Eeininghaus, Slocum, Cotsworth, 

 Patterson and Dabney, the suggestion is made 

 that 364 days be divided into four quarters, 

 each to consist of three months of four 

 ■weeks each and a " close week," to be called : 



(1) Easter Week between March and April, 



(2) Julian Week between June and July, 



(3) Gregorian Week between September and 

 October and (4) Christmas Week between De- 



cember and January, these close weeks to be 

 named and known in addition to the twelve 

 months; and the odd days (365th every year, 

 and 366th in every fourth year), which are to 

 be placed between Christmas Week and Jan- 

 uary, are to belong to no month or week, are 

 not to be named as days of the week, but only 

 as New Tear's Day and Leap Day, respect- 

 ively, but they are to be counted with the days 

 of the old year. Thus every year, every 

 month, and every week is to begin with the 

 same day of the week, this day to be Monday. 



Professor Chamberlin advises that sufficient 

 study should be given to this subject from all 

 points of view, so that the new calendar may 

 be " so well matured before its adoption is 

 seriously urged that it will not itself need to 

 be laid aside for something better by the time 

 it has fairly come into use." 



In accordance with this advice I beg to 

 point out some objections to the calendar pro- 

 posed and to suggest a calendar which in- 

 cludes the advantages and eliminates the 

 objections. 



To omit certain weeks from the designated 

 months and to omit certain days from both 

 the recognized weeks and the named months 

 are serious objections, as would be similar 

 omissions in the division of any whole into its 

 parts. To change the first day of the week 

 from Sunday to Monday adds confusion with- 

 out any apparent benefit. To introduce four 

 names (for the close weelcs) in addition to the 

 twelve names of months is less objectionable, 

 but to eliminate a day, or two days, from the 

 weekly measure of days is the point of para- 

 mount objection; and I predict that no cal- 

 endar which requires such elimination will 

 ever be accepted, primarily because of the law 

 recognized for four thousand years, which 

 reads : 



Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. 



Six days [not seven or eight] shalt thou labor, 

 and do all thy work: 



But the seventh day [not the eighth, nor even 

 the seventh and eighth] is the sabbath of the 

 Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work. 



Will Jews and Christians set aside this law 

 for one week each year? 



