Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-10
WHEN DOES THE CENTURY BEGINs
An Ancient Problem Which Comes to
Life Every Hundred Years.

Life Every Hundred Years.
London Letter to the New York Sum-
A problem worse than tho fifteen puzzle.
worse than the Afteen-to-one silver ratio.
Is about to distract Christendom. 1t Is a
problem which 5ust ninety-six years ago
set all society by the ears. In the year
100 the same problem destroyed friend
ships, and was even the cause of blood
shed. Probably 1.-The controversy is still
more ancient, and revival now. three or
four years in advance of Its proper date of
recurrence, porteEds contest more griev-
Gus than ever in its intensity.
1t Is very staple little question which
threatens TO divide the Christian universe,
namely Does the twentieth century begin
on January l: l9oo or on January 1, 1901?
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
ment:
LEI us suppose person to be 1riting a
letter some eighteen months after the birth
OF Or, Christ. How will he date his letter?
III, year 2? II he writes the former. he will
consistently hold that the next century he
gins January ], 1900; If he writes the lat
' ,er, ne VIII hoid that 1T begins January 1.
Ianl. Inc first view Is based on the theory
that the time specified is one year six
months and nine days (and some hours. to
De exaco after the birth of our Lord The
second view is based on the theory that tho
time specified is the second vear sixth
month and tenth day after the same event
According to the first view. FEBRUARY 10
lo.h means l'o96 years, one month, nine
days (and some hours) after the birth Of
Christ, and we are consequently In tho
| l,s9th year. According to the second view
February 10, 1895, means the 1.S96th wear
ooroaa amohth ana tenth day. and we are
| consequently in the 1,&N6th year. Accord
ing to the first view. the number of the
year Is cardinal number; according to
inc second view, 1t is an ordinal number.
I botn or these methods can conceiyabIy be
| maintained, and, as stated above both arc
In use. If we write letter in the after
| noon and wish to specify the exact time we
aa.e-e. e. 100 pm, which means four
| hours and thirty minutes after II O'clock
mere we use a cardinal number We
might equally well write in the fifth hour
put as fact we do not SO write Again
III waking as soon as you reach the tenth
| milestone from a given starting place YOU
| nave completed ten miles. So when a how
| is twelve years old we say he is In his
| thirteenth year. and he does not have to
| wait another year before getting into his
| teens. All these calculations are based on
| the reasonable ground that in concrete
| reckonings of time and space we do not
besin with l, but with 0, and that there is
| the same space between o and as there Is
| between l and 2. The question then is
| When we write 1896. are we using a car
dnal or an ordinal number? 1t is clear
that II we are using a cardinal number,
| the iast DAY or the century is December
81, 1872 while II We using an ordinal
number the last day Of the century is De-
| cember 81, 1900"
l have quoted from the London Times
| disnified contribution to the silly season"
| DEBATES The common impression l pre-
| sumo, among persons who have not given
the subject thought. is that the new CEN
| fury Will dawn on January /, 1900 but the
| weight Of argument, in the op:nion of the
| correspondent who breaches the topic in
the Times is in favor of 1901. These arc
| his reasons:
| l. In English we use the ordinal number
for the day of the month, we say 1st ID
Sd, 4th, and not l. 2 3, etc. The name OF
| the month also is equivalent to an ordinal
number, because by February--e. g., We
| mean the second month. 1t would thus be
Illogical to suppose that the year is a car
dinal number when the month and day are
ordinals. =. If we turn the year into Latin
it is an ordinal number-viz: ammo miles
lmo nonageSlmo seKtO. If 1t is objected
that the Latin number may be ordnal and
yet the English cardinal, the obvious re-
ply is that by this number the Latin means
the same year as We mean by 1896 and no,
what We mean by 1885. 3. The parallel ia
bles Of years made by chronologists II
| comparing one system Of dating with an
other make B. G. followed Immediately
| by l A. d. Thus in 'Zumpts Annales' t(
take a well-known book the year of Rom,
CA. U. c.. 1913 corresponds with B. c. /
and the next year. 1o4, with A. d. l. Ant
this Is, OF course, Dot an arbitrary calcula
ton of Zumpt, but he is merely carrying
; on the accepted mode of reckoning. Strict
ly speaking. A. d. Anno DominD Is appli
cable only to this mode OF dating, for If
cardinal number is used it should be P. C
post Chrstum) On the whole. we ma!
consider We are tolerably safe in holdin,
that the next century begins on January 1
1901, though great names may be quotet
on the other side
1t is distinct disappointment to be toll
that must wait a year longer than w
anticipated before witnessing the rising SUI
Of the twentieth century. Many person
E will refuse to accept the unwelcome dictum
There are weapons at their command LIE
) them make vigorous and skillful use O
them. and perhaps they will be able t
bring in the new era full year in advanc
of the time fixed by this conservative En-
glishman. Now let the fight go on!