The idea of revolutionizing the calendar and renaming the months and days, and thus acting on the minds of the poorer and rustic classes, was familiar to the French people long before the convention took the matter in hand and directed the Committee of Public Instruction to draw up a scheme of a Republican calendar. The committee appointed a commission, consisting partly of its own members and partly of eminent men of science, including Lagrange, Lalande, and Monge. Romme was elected reporter, and on Sept. 20, 1793, he laid his report before the convention. He first insisted on the illogicality of the various months containing different numbers of days, and proposed that for the future the Republican year should contain twelve months of thirty days each.
It was proposed that the twelve months of the Republican year should begin from September 22, and that from September 17 to 21 should be the complementary days. Next he discussed the question of the division of the months. A week of seven days would not fit, so each month was divided into three decades of ten days each. Romme suggested the following names for the months to replace the former Latin designations: The months of the Republic, Unity, Fraternity, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Regeneration, Reunion, Oath of the Tennis Court, Bastile, People, and Mountain. The five ordinary complementary days were to be called Adoption, Industry, Gratitude, Paternity, and Old Age; while in every leap year was to be a sixth complementary day, the Revolution. For names of the ten days of the decades, Romme proposed that the first day should be Level day, from the symbol of equality; the second Leap day, from the symbol of liberty; the third Cockade day, in honor of the national colors; the fourth Pike day, from the weapon of a free man; the fifth Plow day, from the implement of agricultural wealth; the sixth Compass day, from the instrument of industrial wealth; the seventh Sheaf day, indicating the force which is created by union; the eighth Cannon day, from the instrument of victories; the ninth Oak day, the oak being the emblem of generation and the symbol of social virtues; while the tenth was to be Repose day.
SCENE IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.
Romme’s report came up for discussion on Oct. 5, 1793. His arrangement of the years, months, and decades was accepted; but his names for the months and days were severely criticized. It was resolved that the days of the week should be called Primidi, or first day; Duodi, or second day; Tridi, or third day, up to Décadi, or tenth day; while the months were to be called simply, first month, second month, etc. Thus, on October 7, the Moniteur bore upon its title-page the date: “16th day of the First month of the Year II of the French Republic.” This manner of dating was not popular. It was then determined to give new names to the months. No attempt was made to name the days of the decades; but the Committee of Public Instruction was directed to propose names for the months corresponding to natural seasons, not to historical events. Fabre d’Eglantine took this matter in hand, and on the third day of the second month of the Year II, Oct. 24, 1793, he presented his report. It was discussed and adopted on the following day by the convention. The first month, which ran from September 22 to October 21, was called Vendémiaire, the month of the Vintage; the second month, October 22 to November 20, Brumaire, the month of fogs; the third, November 21 to December 20, Frimaire, the month of frosts; the fourth, December 21 to January 19, Nivôse, the month of snow; the fifth, January 20 to February 18, Pluviôse, the month of rain; the sixth, February 19 to March 20, Ventôse, the month of wind; the seventh, March 21 to April 19, Germinal, the month of buds; the eighth, April 20 to May 19, Floréal, the month of flowers; the ninth, May 20 to June 18, Prairial, the month of pasture; the tenth, June 19 to July 18, Messidor, the month of harvest; the eleventh, July 19 to August 17, Thermidor, the month of heat; and the twelfth, August 18 to September 16, Fructidor, or the month of fruit. The five complementary days were given the alternative names of Sans-Culottides, and were dedicated to Virtue, Genius, Industry, Opinion, and Gratitude. The sixth, in leap year, was to be celebrated as a special feast every fourth year in honor of the Revolution. After the report was adopted, the Moniteur appeared with the following lengthy date on its title-page: “Octidi, première décade de brumaire l’An II. de la République une et indivisible (27 Octobre 1793, vieux style).” This was far too elaborate for ordinary use. The days of the decades soon dropped out of memory, and days of the month only were used. For some time it was the regular custom to insert the Gregorian date in brackets after the Republican date, but this was forbidden during the Reign of Terror, and it is necessary to translate the dates of that period into the common, ordinary dates of the Christian calendar.—Yale Review.
