The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-10-03

WHEN DOES THE CENTURY BEGINs
An Ancient Problem which Comes 10
Life Every Hundred Years.

worse than the l6 to silver ratio is
about to distract Christendom, says "A
London letter i'm the New York Sun. II
IL problem which just 96 years ago SET
all society by the ears. In the year 1900
the same problem destroyed friendships
and was even the cause of bloodshed
Probably the controversy is still more an
ciont. and its revival now three or four
years in advance of it's proper date OF
recurrence. portends a contest more grieV-
Gus than ever in it's intensity.
1t is a very simple little question which
threatens to divide the Christian uni
verse. namely Does the twentieth cen
fury begin on January 1. 1900, or on Jan
uary /. 1902 Everybody will have the
answer ready the moment this question is
put. But wait a moment. Read carefully
the following paragraph and then say
candidly If it may not be necessary to
revise your snap jugment:
Let us suppose a person to be writing
a letter some Is months after the birth of
Christ How will he date his letter? win
he write. say July 10. year 4. or July TO-
year 2? If he writes the former. he Will
consistently hold that the next century
begins January ]. 1900; if he writes the
latter he will hold that it begins January
J. 1901 The first view is based on the
theory that the time specified is one year.
six months and nine days land some
hours. to be exact after the birth OF
our Lord The second view is based on
the theory that the time specified is the
second year. sixth month and tenth day
after the same event. According TO the
first view February TO- 1896. means lSg6
years one month. nine days (and some
hours) after the birth of Christ. and we
are consequently i'm the 1.S91th year. Ac-
cCrding to the second view. February DO,
1880, means the 1S96th year, second
month and tenth day, and we are conse-
quently in the 1,S96th year. According TO
the first view. the number of the year is
a cardinal number; according to the sec
ond view. it is an Ordinal number. Both
of these methods can cOnceiVably be
maintained and. as stated above. both
are i'm use. If We write a letter in the
afternoon and wish to specify the exact
time we date-e g.. 1880 p M, whicl
means four hours and so minutes after L
o'clock. There we use a cardinal number
We might equally well write in the hftl
hour but, as fact we do not so write
Again. i'm walking, as soon as you react
the tenth milestone from a given startini
place you have completed 10 miles 81
when a boy is u years old we say he is II
his thirteenth year, and he does not have
to wait another year before getting int
his teens. All these calculations ar
based on the reasonable ground that II
concrete reckoning of time and space W.
do not begin with l, but with O. and tina
there is the same space between and
as there is between 1 and p The question
then is, when we write 1896, are we usinj
a cardinal or an ordinal number? 1t i
clear that if we are using a cardina
number, the last day of the century l
December 81, 1899. while If we are usin
ar ordinal number. the last day of tn
; century is December 81. 1900
have quoted from the London Times
dieniied contribution to the SILLY season
81 | q fry1f. sci nrf
3 sumo. among persons who have not give
the subject a thought. is that the nel
century will dawn on January 1, 1900, bu
, the weight of argument. in the opinion q
tho correspondent who breaches the topi
in the Times. is in favor of 1901 Thes
are his reasons:
/. In English we use the ordinal mum
. Der for the day Of the month, we say Isl
I'd. 3D. 4th. and not 1. 2, 3, etc. The nam
| of the month also is equivalent to an OF
) dial number. because by February-e. &
5 W, mean the second month. 1t woul
thus be Illogical to suppose that tn
e year is a cardinal number when tn
1 month and day are ordinals 2. II W
? turn the year into Latin, 1t is an ordins
number-viz: ammo millesimo nonagesim
seXto. If it is objected that the Lati
number may be ordnal and yet the Er
. glish be cardinal. the obvious reply is tina
e by this number the Latin means the sam
y year as we mean by 1896 and not what "
( | mean by 1895 3. The parallel tables {
1 years made by chronologists in compai
ing one system of dating with anothe
I ! make l b. c. followed Immediately by
q A d. Thus in "Zumpt's Annales' G
! | take a well known book the year
b Rome CA. c. W, 1853 corresponds with 1
o | G. 1 and the next year, 754, with A. ID.
70 And this is, of course, not an arbitrar
d calculation of Zumpt, but he is merel
=, | carrying on the accepted mode of reckon
| ing. Strictly speaking, A. ID. (Anr
r DOMINO is applicable only to this moe
+ of dating. for if a cardinal number
l. used it should be p. c. post Christum
T | Or the whole we may consider we IL
- tolerably safe in holding that the ne'
l. century begins on January l. 1901. thong
y great names may be quoted on the oth'
= side
It II is a distinct disappointment to be to
e that we must wait year longer than v
e anticipated before witnessing the risiI
n sun of the Twentieth century. Many pc
If sens will refuse to accept the unwelcon
dictum. There are weapons at their cor
IT mand. Let them make vigorous and ski
re full use of them, and perhaps they W
d be able to bring in the new era a fl
l. year in advance of the time fixed by tn
Is conservative Englishman. Now let Il
IL fight go on!
ID TantaIizinE.