Holidays.—Section 5444 of the General Statutes of 1909 reads as follows: "The following days of each year shall be made and the same are hereby declared to be legal holidays for the purposes of this act: (1) The 1st day of January, known as New Year's day; (2) the 22nd day of February, known as Washington's birthday; (3) the 30th day of May, known as Decoration or Memorial day; (4) the 4th day of July, known as Independence day; (5) the first Monday in September, known as Labor day; (6) the 25th day of December, known as Christmas day; (7) any day appointed and recommended by the governor of this state, or the president of the United States, as a day of fast or thanksgiving; (8) any other day which may hereafter be made a legal holiday shall, for the purposes of this act, be a holiday. If any of said days be the first day of the week, known as Sunday, the next succeeding secular or business day shall be a holiday."

This section was enacted as part of the "negotiable instruments act," which was approved by the governor on March 7, 1905, and took effect upon the 7th day of the following June. Prior to the passage of this act the State of Kansas recognized but three days in the year as legal holidays, viz.: May 30, which was made a legal holiday by the act of Feb. 19, 1865; the first Monday in September, which was declared a legal holiday by the act of May 20, 1891; and the 22nd of February, which was made a legal holiday by the act of Feb. 6, 1895.

Under the provisions of Section 5444, above quoted, that "any other day which may hereafter be made a legal holiday shall, for the purposes of this act, be a holiday," must be added the 12th day of February, known as Lincoln's birthday, which was declared to be a legal holiday in Kansas by the act of March 9, 1907, two years after the "negotiable instrument act" became a law. The legislature of 1911 made Oct. 12, "Columbus day," a legal holiday, that being the date on which Christopher Columbus first sighted land on the Western Hemisphere in 1492.