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40
CHRONOLOGIES AND CALENDARS.

clearly set out. I give the portion of the paragraph:—'September 20th, 1895. Edinburgh Jews and the New Year celebrations. The Jews are at present celebrating their New Year, 5656.'[1] But not only in Scotland. Over all the world the same chronological celebration was being observed with religious zeal. In fact, so careful are the Jews on this and other fasts, that they—though numerically small—practically stop all business in the exchanges and the bourses on their fast days. It is a thing for wonder how a few millions of Jews can control the commerce and the monetary interests of the Gentile world. The cardinal points of the Jewish way of counting time are as follows:—Era, anno mundi: years, lunar: correction, 384 days triennially, or ve-adar, comes in seven times every nineteen years. The civil year begins in our September-October; the sacred year in March-April. Thus:—

A.M. 5651 began on 15th Sept., 1890, A.D.
A.M. 5652 began on 3rd Oct., 1891, A.D. intercalculated month, ve-adar in previous spring.
A.M. 5653 began on 22nd Sept., 1892, A.D.
A.M. 5654 began on 11th Sept, 1893, A.D.
A.M. 5655 began on 1st Oct., 1894, A.D. intercalculation as above.[2]

The Jewish day, like their month, touches two days of the A.D. calender, so with this peculiarity, and the intercalculations, the two calenders are practically synchronous. In longer periods the New Years recur on the same days—1835, 1881, and 1927 for instance, the 24th September

  1. The juxta-position of the types was such that 5656 was on the next line immediately below 1895.
  2. See also section 41 supra.