A SUBVERSIVE SYSTEM

The time has come when something must be done about Leap Year. The American people of the peoples of Europe, in fact, all the peoples of the world who use the Gregorian calendar have contented themselves to sit idly By year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, and yes, century after century, and do nothing about a situation that cries for reform. At the present moment the only thing which is in order is vigorous, concerted, intelligent, and immediate action.

Every four years the wheels of industry, the fleets that sail the seas, the post office department, and the society columns of the newspapers, indeed, the whole world is upset by an insidious confusion that arises from the fact that we have an extra day thrown into an otherwise smoothly running stream of time. The system is so inaccurate that every four hundred years, as regularly as the sun rises and sets, we must skip a Leap Year. Could anything be more ridiculous than skipping a Leap Year?

It is perfectly obvious to farseeing persons that this business of skipping a day, adding a day, dropping what is added and adding what is dropped, and then chucking the whole works every four hundred years leads inevitably to confusion and discontent. It is not only subversive, it is stupid. It is high time that those organizations which concern themselves with the welfare of humanity devote some time and effort, money and thought to a problem that is as vital as it is neglected.

It is all very well and high-minded to point out that it has lasted for a long time already. Venerability is always a desirable thing in an institution. But mere age must not be allowed to over shadow the fundamental error that lies embedded in this pernicious custom. Today is Leap Year day. Today is the day when action should be taken.