Extensive Opposition to Blank Day Calendar Reform Revealed in Reports from Various Countries Submitt

Extensive hostility in some countries to the projected reform of the calendar by the insertion of blank days and complete indifference to it in others is revealed in the replies from the National Committees set up in various countries to “ascertain whether and in what form public opinion holds Calendar Reform to be desirable or possible”, which have been received by the League of Nations Preparatory Committee on Calendar Reform now in session Here for the purpose of considering these reports and drawing up on the basis of them a comprehensive report for submission to the Fourth General Conference of the League of Nations on Communications and Transit which will meet here in October to deal with the question of Calendar Reform. A number of countries have not yet sent in their replies. The reports in no case represent the views of the Governments of the countries concerned, but only of the National Committees set up to study the question of Calendar Reform, and they in no way bind the Governments by the views expressed in them.

ABANDONMENT OF AGE-LONG TRADITIONS WOULD INVOLVE SERIOUS DRAWBACKS AND ADVANTAGES APPEAR PROBLEMATICAL SAYS ITALIAN COMMITTEE

In view of the fact that Italy is bound to be affected by this movement if it assumes an international character, the Italian Committee has replied, this Committee feels it its duty, firstly, to declare itself opposed to the reform of the calendar, on the grounds that the moment has not yet come for that reform and that it would involve serious drawbacks in consequence of the abandonment of age-long traditions, while its advantages still appear problematical; secondly, to reject reform proposals which involve an interruption of the cycle of weeks and the introduction of blank days, the division of the year into thirteen months, the adoption of a leap year of fifty-three weeks, and to recommend that the reform should be confined to providing for an even number of days in every month so as to have three equal quarters, each consisting of ninety-one days, and a supplementary quarter of ninety-two days; and lastly, if the question of the perpetual calendar and blank days arises, the Committee, while expressing itself as opposed to this reform, declares its readiness to defer to the decisions of the Church in the choice of the date most appropriate for these blank days, taking into account their possible relationship with the liturgical year. Similarly, as regards the stabilisation – necessary in a perpetual calendar – of the Feast of Easter and the movable Feasts depending on it, the Committee considers it expedient to defer to the decisions of the Church which would be prepared to refer the question to an ecclesiastical Council.

The Hungarian Committee declares itself “against the radical proposals which use blank days and disturb the ancient cycle of the sequence of weeks”. The Committee, it says, can only recommend a calendar which would not offend the religious feelings of any of the churches in Hungary and which would ensure a smooth co-operation between the different churches and different strata of the population. Proposals containing the use of blank days are against our traditions and offend our religious feelings, it proceeds, and for these reasons, the Hungarian National Committee can only vote for a simple reform, aiming at the best possible equalisation of the yearly quarters.

The Committee further makes the observation, it continues, that at the present time, when the world is passing through a severe economic crisis, only such problems as are really urgent and which might alleviate the unbearable depressing handicaps which exist can be seriously considered. The radical proposals for calendar reform which would disturb public and private life the world over and which would cause unnecessary complications, do not belong to this category. The only questions for which a solution should be found are those of the stabilisation of Easter and of the movable festivals.

SCHEME TO DIVIDE YEAR INTO 13 MONTHS OF 28 DAYS REPRESENTS TOO SERIOUS DISTURBANCE OF ESTABLISHED CUSTOM BELGIAN COMMITTEE FINDS AND WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GET PUBLIC OPINION TO ACCEPT IT

The Netherlands Committee, of which Dr. A. A. Mijland, Professor of Astronomy at Utrecht University is Chairman, states that it “is definitely against the blank day and the thirteen-month year. It is against dividing the year into thirteen months, even should the blank day be accepted internally”.

It is thought desirable, the report adds, to maintain the Gregorian calendar, while not objecting to slight changes, such as equalising the quarters of the year. These would have 91 days (i.e., two months of 30 days and one month of 31 days). The month of February would have 30 days. The last quarter would consist of one month of 30 days and two months of 31 days, in order to include the 365th. day of the normal year.

The Belgian Committee, of which Professor Stroobant, Director of the Royal Belgian Observatory, is Chairman, says “the scheme to divide the year into 13 months of 28 days represents too serious a disturbance of established custom, and it would be difficult to get public opinion to accept it”.

Should a reform of the Gregorian calendar be carried out, it proceeds, the Belgian Committee would prefer the scheme of four equal quarters of 91 days (30, 30, 31) with one blank day for normal years and two blank days for leap years. Nevertheless, the Report draws attention to the fact that certain members of the Committee are of opinion that the interruption of the cycle of weeks would be regrettable, and that it would be difficult to get public opinion in Belgium to accept it. would be difficult to get public opinion in Belgium to accept it. The Belgian Committee has decided unanimously, however, in favour of fixing Easter on the Sunday following the second Saturday in April.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia, South America, has written to the League of Nations Committee that “the Ministry hopes to receive further documents on these subjects in order that it may be enabled to form a clear idea as to the convenience, utility and expediency of this reform, of which it is not as yet convinced either from the economic or from the social standpoint. It is of opinion that any simplification in these matters, if inadequately considered, might produce results entirely contrary from every point of view to those desired”.

LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SAYS NO GENERAL DEMAND EXISTS FOR CHANGE EXCEPT FIXING OF EASTER

The British Committee, of which Lord Burnham is Chairman, reports that it sent questionnaires to 601 representative organisations in Great Britain and only 193 replied, a large number (63) declaring themselves opposed to any change, while 48 were indifferent (having no opinion to express), and of the rest who replied 19 were in favour of a perpetual 12 month calendar. The London Chamber of Commerce replied that there was no general demand for a change except for the fixing of Easter.

Present circumstances in Great Britain are very unfavourable to those who desire to interest public opinion in such a question as Calendar reform, the report points out. It is very difficult to obtain careful consideration of proposals which do not directly or immediately relate to the solution of the problems of the present economic crisis. The result of this is that public opinion has been less active and energetic than it would have been under normal circumstances.

The report includes a paragraph on the attitude of British Jewry, in which regard it says that “the Chief Rabbi stated that the Jews were not in principle opposed to a reform of the Calendar or the stabilisation of Easter but that it was of vital importance to Judaism that the length of the week be in no circumstances interefered with or the regular sequence of the seven-day week interrupted by a blank day. On that question there was no division of opinion in Jewry”.

In view of the small number of opinions expressed in favour of one or the other scheme, the British report concludes, very little significance can be attached to them. The fact that so many bodies failed to reply is much more significant. In Great Britain the education of public opinion to overcome the natural forces of conservatism is a slow process. The Committee regrets that it can only present a report which is so inconclusive and indeed, negative, in character. The view expressed by the Association of Chambers of Commerce, and the failure of the Institute of Chartered Accountants to express any opinion at all, is significant of the pre-occupation of the business world with other and more urgent problems, or the absence of any widespread discontent with the existing system.

The French Committee reports that the trend of public opinion in France on the question is that religious circles are not taking up any very definite attitude. The archiepiscopal authorities of Paris will be guided by the opinion of the Sovereign Pontiff. The Chairman of the Protestant Federation of France has only expressed an opinion on the question of the fixing of Easter this opinion is favourable. The Union of Jewish Associations of France and Algeria raises no objection of principle to the reform of the calendar, provided that the immemorial institution of the week and its uninterrupted continuity are safeguarded; that is to say, it is opposed to those proposals for the reform of the calendar based on the establishment of blank days, which would entail a movable Sabbath, and suggested, in order to meet this objection, the intercalation of an entire week every five or six years.

Scientific circles have not given a definite opinion, the report adds, but merely indicate the general lines which should be followed in carrying out the reform. Opinions in economic circles are divided. The replies received go to show that public opinion is still inadequately informed as to the consequences of a reform, which it regards not so much with hostility as with a certain mistrust, in view of the sweeping changes which it would make in the traditional habits of the people. National opinion, however, the report concludes, is partioularly favourable to the stabilisation of Easter. Indeed, there is unanimous agreement on the point.

The replies received in Germany, the German Committee reports, show that strong interest in the reform exists in Germany, in spite of the fact that urgent problems arising from the present economic crisis primarily engage public opinion. Among the replies received from organisations consulted, nine-tenths were in favour of calendar reform. In general, organisations have shown a strong interest in the question. Unanimous preference has not been shown for either of the two principal reform schemes. The majority of the replies are in favour of a perpetual calendar of twelve months with two months of thirty days and one month of thirty-one days in each quarter. More than one-third of the replies are in favour of a perpetual calendar of thirteen months each of twenty-eight days. The necessity for stabilising Easter is unanimously recognised, even by those who are not in favour of a general reform. It is considered that this question is of utmost importance and that it should be solved even if general reform cannot be realised.

POLISH COMMITTEE SAYS ADVANTAGES OF REFORM PLAN JUSTIFY OVERRULING OF OPINIONS OF LARGE MASSES OF POPULATION WHO ARE OPPOSED TO REFORM

The Czecho-Slovakian National Committee on Calendar Reform has reported in favour of a calendar of thirteen months.

The Polish Committee reports that the representatives of the Catholic Church in Poland have not expressed themselves either for or against the reform, as their opinion is based on that of the Vatican. The views of the other Christian Churches in Poland coincide with those of the economic circles. The Jewish organisations are definitely opposed to the proposed reform.

Scientific circles are opposed to plan B on account of the blank days, the report says, since it is essential for astronomical and chronological reasons that continuity should be maintained in the calculation of the days.

The Polish Committee concludes that it is of opinion itself that as far as possible the reform should be carried out in accordance with Plan C. (perpetual calendar of 13 months), as the clearness and simplicity of this plan will facilitate international relations. The advantages of this plan justify the reform of the calendar and the over-ruling of the opinions of large masses of the population who are opposed to the reform. The Committee considers it preferable, it adds, in view of the climatic conditions in Poland, that Easter should be fixed for the Sunday following the third Saturday in April.

In Portugal, the report from that country says, 299 bodies were consulted, but only 65 replied, 14 being against the reform of the calendar. Although a certain apathy seems to be indicated by the above figures, the Committee says, we are definitely of opinion that the replies received, which are from important bodies in economic circles, indicate that the Portuguese public is in general in favour of calendar reform and a 13 month year.

The greatest circumspection must be exercised in approaching this subject, the Swedish Committee reports. Changos should be made in the present system only if they would bring undoubted and genuinely important advantages. The Swedish Committee cousiders, however, that the studies undertaken in this sphere should be continued, in order to elucidate the problem in all its aspects. It regards it in particular as highly desirable that the question should, as far as possible, receive a uniform solution, in order that the different countries may be able to adopt concordant provisions in this respect.

The thirteen-month calendar finds practically no support in Switzerland, the Swiss Committee reports. It was rejected by the great majority of the authorities and associations consulted. Simplification of the Gregorian calendar would be useful and desirable, it adds, so long as unnecessary changes in established custom are avoided.

AMERICAN COMMITTEE REPORTS ON OBJECTIONS RAISED BY RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF JEWS AND TWO SATURDAY-KEEPING CHRISTIAN SECTS TO INTERRUPTING CONTINUITY OF WEEK

The American Committee reports that it conducted three special enquiries and made two reports, the main report in 1929 and a supplementary report in 1931 and found the prevalence of a demand for calendar improvement on the part of a large and representative body of American opinion especially in economic, scientific and educational circles. Replies were received from 1,433 national State and city organisations of all classes, 80.5 per cent. of the replies being in favour of a reform. The plan preponderantly favoured was the calendar of thirteen equal months, fixed and perpetual.

Owing to the objections raised by religious leaders of the Jews and of two Saturday Sabbath-keeping Christian sects to interrupting the continuity of the week, the report adds, the Committee made an enquiry in religious circles. It sent a questionnaire to a representative list of Protestant ministers and found that, exclusive of the Saturday-keeping sects, 82 per cent. had no religious objection to breaking the continuity of the week.

A large number of petitions have been received by the League of Nations Committee on Calendar Reform from various bodies urging the safeguarding of the fixity of the Sabbath. Among these bodies are the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of America and Canada, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Order B’nai B’rith, the Agudath Israel, the Jewish Sabbath Alliance of New York, the Rabbinical Council of New York, the Administration of the Zionist Organisation of America, the Executive Committee of the American Jewish Congress, the Executive Committee of the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organisation of America, the Jewish Theological. Seminary of America, the Free Synagogue of New York and the Council of Jewish Women in America.