394 INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Proc. N. A. S. 
things. It is advisable that scientific organizations of standing be con- 
servative in their advocacy of far-reaching reforms touching the every-day 
Hfe of the people, at the present moment, even though such reforms seem in 
themselves desirable. 
II 
The calendar can undoubtedly be revised or reformed to advantage. 
The following suggestions for such revision or reform, favored by your 
Committee, are presented for your consideration without recommendation 
as to whether action to accomplish them should be advocated for the pres- 
ent year : 
1. The year of twelve months to be divided into four quarters of three 
months each, and the arrangements for the first quarter to repeat them- 
selves precisely in each of the other quarters. The first month of each 
quarter to have thirty days; the second month thirty days; and the third 
month thirty-one days. This accounts for ninety-one days in each quarter, 
or 364 days in all. 
The remaining day in ordinary years to be "New Year's Day." It is 
to be given no other descriptive title. It is not to belong to any week nor 
to any month. It begins the year. January 1 to be the day following 
New Year's Day. 
The 366th day of a leap year to be likewise an extra day, bearing an 
appropriate name (perhaps "Leap Day"), but no week-day name, nor 
should it be a part of any month. It may be (a) the day following Decem- 
ber 31, hence the day preceding New Year's Day, or (6) the day follow- 
ing June 31, or (c) the day following Christmas Day (at the present time 
the day following Christmas Day is a holiday in some countries). It is 
assumed to be a holiday — it comes only one year in four. 
January 1 to fall on Monday. From this it results that the first 
month in each quarter (January, April, July, October) begins on Monday 
in every year; that the second month in each quarter (February, May, 
August, November) begins always on Wednesday; and that the third month 
in each quarter (March, June, September, December) begins always on 
Friday. Further results of this are that (a) the first day of the month 
never falls on Sunday, (6) the fifteenth day of the month never falls on 
Sunday, (c) the thirtieth day of the month never falls on Sunday, {d) the 
last day of each quarter (the 31st of March, June, September, December) 
always falls on Sunday, {e) the thirty-day months always have four Sun- 
days each, (/) the thirty-one-day months always have five Sundays each, 
(g) the number of week-days in the month is twenty-six for every month, 
{h) holidays always fall on the same day of the week. This proposed cal- 
endar is outlined in the following table, which will serve for all years alike. 
Leap day is assumed to follow December 31. 
