The proposal to reform the calendar, once defeated before a committee of the League of Nations, has come to life again. It is now proposed to put another blank day calendar into effect. The President is being asked to promote it for world approval at the peace table.
The proposal has gained the support of numerous commercial, social, and civic organizations. It is being vigorously promoted by a well-financed World Calendar Association, Incorporated. The propaganda for it is skillful and effective. What the World Calendar proponents desire with regard to the time of adoption of the new calendar they thus explain:
"It is best to choose a day, date, month, and year when both the old retiring and the new incoming calendars glide smoothly together."—The Calendar for Everybody, by Elisabeth Achelis, p. 121.
The earliest, most propitious time, says Miss Achelis, who is chief sponsor of the World Calendar, "will be Saturday, December 30, 1944, when both the old and the new calendars meet. The following day, Sunday, December 31, in the old Gregorian, will become the new World Holiday, extra Saturday, December W, in the new. The World Calendar will then proceed on its course Sunday, January I, 1945."—Ibid. In an explanatory note Miss Achelis says, "I strongly urge its adoption at that time."
If the new calendar fails of adoption by the first of 1945, the reformers have other dates to suggest. Miss Achelis writes:
"Other dates on which the old and the new calendars meet . . . are Sunday, July 1, 1945, and Friday, March 1, and Wednesday, May 1, 1946. . . . The change should be made before 1947. The following years—1947, 1948, 1949—are the lean years in which no such coincidental date occurs. The next date would be Sunday, January 1950."—Ibid.
It will be observed that December 31, 1944, falls on Sunday. The name Sunday would be taken from it. Its name would be removed, and its ordinal number would be taken away. Its primal place in the week would be given to another day. Sun day, December 31, 1944, would be given another name. It would not be allowed any place in the week. It would be called December W, an extra Saturday, and used as a holiday, not a holy day.
It is really Sunday, but it would be called an extra Saturday. It is really the first day of the week, but it would be counted as no day. It is really December 31, but it would be called December W, in order that the new year might begin—and all following years might likewise begin, now and always—with Sunday, January 1.
So the day following Sunday, December 31, 1944, which is actually Monday, January 1, would also have its name and place in the week removed, and be given another name and place. And thus the year 1945 would start with a lie, a pretense, a sham. All the days would masquerade under false names and occupy places in the week belonging to other days. And so it would continue and grow increasingly worse.
In 1945 Monday would pretend to be Sunday. By 1946 the real Monday would become Saturday, while Tuesday would takes its place as Sunday. In 1947 Wednesday would become the first day of the week and take Sunday's name, while the real Sunday would become Thursday. In 1948, a leap year, both Thursday and Friday would be come Sunday—Thursday for the first six months, and Friday for the last six months. In 1949 Saturday, the seventh day, would become Sunday, the first day. By 1950 the days would resume their original names and places. But not for long. In 1951 the dizzy, confusing whirl of deception and lies would start all over again.
It sounds confusing, and it is. But the confusion on paper would be as nothing in comparison with the actual upheaval, if and when the sinister proposal became effective.
There is pending in Congress House Concurrent Resolution 39. Quite independent of the promotion of the World Calendar advocates, this requests the President, "at the conference for the conclusion of treaties of peace terminating the present war, to urge upon the nations of the world represented at such conference" the adoption of a blank day calendar.
Those who are faithful, consistent observers of Sunday on the ground that this day is to be religiously kept as a memorial of Christ's resurrection, would not abandon their conscientious conviction just because the reformed calendar enthusiasts had been successful in having their sacred day re named Saturday. They would insist on keeping the real Sunday, then called Saturday.
Faithful, consistent observers of the seventh day would not abandon their deep-rooted, conscientious practice just because their Sabbath is the calendar Friday. They would insist on keeping the real Sabbath, then called Friday.
Indifferent religionists will quite readily accept the calendar change, and go to church on the day designated Sunday, which is not Sunday at all. Consequently in 1945 orthodox Jews and Seventh-day Adventists would keep Friday; consistent Sunday observers would keep Saturday; indifferent Sunday observers would keep the new Sunday, and so on for succeeding years. Certainly not a pleas ant development to look forward to.
It should not be necessary to point out the economic, social, and educational disabilities that consistent religionists would be subjected to under such a contingency. Who would want to give employment to a man who would require Sabbaths off on different days each year, and two different days each leap year? What school would put up with pupils who would have to be given different days off each year on religious grounds?
The forces of religion, all religion, should be marshaled to combat this- wicked proposal. It is anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-protestant, anti-religious. It is a sacrilegious attempt to change God's times and God's laws. It should be exposed for what it really is.
We ask all our ministers and teachers and other workers to exert their influence, in the church, in the school, in the press, against the adoption of the proposed World Calendar. We solicit their active co-operation in all the proposals to be announced through our papers by the General Conference endeavor to defeat this dangerous and confusing change of calendar.
