Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-06
WHEN THE CENTURY ENDS.
controversies ms 10 the Date of the
twentieth Century's Beginning.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald
Does the twentieth century begin on JAM
uary /, 1900, or on January ], 1901? This
question agitated a great many people some
time ago, and it seems to De agitating some
now.
And, as is the case with every question
it had advocates on each side. Those who
hold that the twentieth century will dawn
on JanuLry i, 1900 reason that this is SO
because the first year Of our era began on
January j, 100. Another argument is that
the first century began on January / of the
year o. and the second on January 1 of the
year 100, just as a child Is said to be in its
hrst year before it, has reached the ami
versary OF its birth, when it enters its sec
end year. This logic is applied TO the TWEEN
tieth century question. and those who use
II hold that that era opens on January 1,
1900.
They argue further that December 81. "a
was the last day ia our first era, and COM
pleted the first century, and that there
fore, January ], 100. marked the opening
OF the second century. Any child will tell
you, they say, that a PERSONS twentieth
year begins when his nineteenth birthday is
attained. So. they conclude the twentieth
century begins in the year 1900
This reasoning is worked out on various
lines, but the conclusion is hardly correct.
Much better arguments, quite conclusive in
their nature, are advanced by those who
hold that the twentieth century will begin
on January I, 1901. The weight Of logic
seems to be in their favor. and here are
some of the points they make:
A fayorite argument advanced by those
who hold that the twentieth century Will
begin on January /, 1901, is that a certain
year will not begin until its predecessor is
entirely completed; therefore, that the
twentieth century will not be ushered I'm
until the nineteenth has rounded of a full
one hundred years, and thai that will not
be until midnight of December 81 1900. In
this connection, these advocates point 10
the definition of the word century," as
given in most dictionaries, where IL is de-
fined as a period of 100 years, reckoned
from any given point or date. So. they ar
que that, as the first century began with
the year !, il ended with the year 100, and
the second century began with the year
101. Suppose, it has been urged, a man
starts to put 100 potatoes in barrel; if
he adds another hundred to them the first
potato of that hundred viii be the 1olst
pota to. Following out this reasoning il IS
held the twentieth century will not begin
till the year 1900 is fully completed
When you write December 81. 1896 says
one on the 1901 side, you mean the year 1890
Will be completed or December 81. 1896. and
that on the following day the year 1897 will
begin. When you say December n, lSpi,
you do not mean 1S.H years plus the DAYS
up TO December 81 of the next year hut
December 81 of the year 1896. Hence. they
say, in rounding off their argument, De
cember 81, 1900, will be the gO0th wear of
the Christian era, and the last day of the
nineteenth century, so the twentieth cen
fury will begin January l. 1901.
AS way out of the difficulty, conserva-
tive people suggest Ii would be well to as
certain how the ancients regarded the
question, and to do as they did If at the
beginning. they say, the ancients wrote
January l, year ], then we, when we write
January ], 1900 mean that the 1900th year
has just begun, and we must wait twelve
months before we can write 1901. But II Is
not easy TO ascertain what the ancients did
in the chronological line in the year !: so
far as known they left no data as to their
method of computing time.