Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-24

| whose reputation as
| mathematician and calculator is not con-
| nned to this country alone. Probably M
| o"e "e''er apie to answer such a Questi
| couid be found in the United States. or even
| !" Hermany' where they manufacture
| minus OF great calculating power If You
| want to know the exact hour and minnie
| nat 'ae next lunar eclipse will take place
| In the Fiji Islands, it's ten chances to a
zero tnat Prof. Newcomb can tell you, even
| though such an event may be distant about
twenty-five years and three months. In
Iact when 1t comes to questions astronom-
zeal or atmospherical or geogra nbica, prof
| Newcomb seems to have an almost inex
nanstible fund of learning to draw from
There Is a popular Instrumentation as 70
| the beginning of the twentieth century
| ana IL was to settle that popular IL wrong
ldea mat The Star man sought out Prof.
| Newcomb. If the reader will stop a mo-
| nent and ask himself just when the TWEEN
.ieth century does commence. it's dollars to
ooughnuts that his answer will disagree
with that of Prof. Newcomb Sion any one
on the street and ask him when the TWEEN
uetn century commences. and eleven out
| oi every Twelve will answer promptly,
without hesitation. January 1st l9OO''
Even the twelfth man will hesitate a long
tlme before he says. half In doubt "Janu-
| airy 1st. 1901" And on January list 1901
| is wnen Prof Newcomb says We will come
INTO the era Of new women, boomers air
ships and other wonders which II is COM
monty predicted. will be in vogue when We
commence to write our letter heads with
| the figures 1901.
"A Very Simple Natter"
Prof Newcomb is not especially loqua-
cious when explaining scientific or disput-
| ed questions. His reasoning on this point,
however, is very simple. In fact as he
himself said. there is no necessity for much
reasoning. 1T is perfectly simple when
| the twentieth century commences" he said,
even though II Is true that majority of
the people to whom it Is too much of an
exertion to reason, believe that it COM
| mences on January LIST, 1900. They are
| fooled by the figures 10. that is all. Go
back to the first century. A century is a
hundred years Very good. The first CEN
| fury then did not end until midnight of De-
cember 31st. in the year 100. The second
| century commenced on January 1st, in the
year 1O1. Simple enough, isn't it? The
second century ended at midnight on De-
| cember 31st in the year 200. and the third
century commenced January LIST, in the
| year Dol.
Jump over to the nineteenth century
| now. The nineteenth century will end on
| the completion of the 19O0th year, that is.
on midnight Of December 31st. in the year
| 1900. The twentieth century then COM
mences on the day following. that is. on
the morning of January LIST, 1901. What
| can be simpler than that?
Hundred Years Ago.
| Besides, II you want further proof, you
will find that the records of the early part
| of this century show that mathematician
| agreed that the nineteenth century COM
| menced January LIST, 1901. OF course they
| agreed on this. They had to. It's perfectly
clear. Even then. however. there were lots
Of people who could not be convinced that
| the nineteenth century did not commence
| on January 1st, 1890. And I've no doubt
| there are still lots of people who will re-
Quire proofs that the twentieth century
| will commenced three years from next Janu-
airy. instead of two. Let them study arith-
metic and count up for themselves, how
ever. and they will find out"
How do you suppose such an error orig
! mated, for it is a fact that most people be-
lieve the century commences in 1902? was
asked.
| Undoubtedly due to confusion at the
sight of the figures 49, This is the nine
| teenth century, and the years all COM
mencc with the figures 10. Hence, they
| que that the twentieth century must begin
| soon as they commence to use the fig
| tires 49,
| us it true, professor, as some scientists
| say, that the twentieth century will COM
| mence on one part Of the earth nearly
day before it commences on the other
| side?"
| Where the Day Changes.
| a point where the designation of the days
changes. The day passes around the globe
from east to west, or rather, the globe, in
| revolving, from west to east. passes
| through the sunlight. The division into
days might be compared to a certain point
| in the rim of wheel, which, at each revo-
| luton, passes some stationary point in
space. Scientists, in reckoning. have found
that they would have to designate a spot
| where the DAYS could change. If would
cause too much confusion if each scientist
| used the point where he resided Hence,
| they nave commonly agreed upon the 1SOth
degree from Greenwich, just half way
round the globe, as the place where they
| change a day. This line is about two
| thirds of the way across the Pacific ocean.
1t runs through the Fiji islands. All YES
\ sells sailing from San Francisco to Japan
| and China and Australia, lose a day In
passing that point. If they reach il on
| the evening Of the Sd of July, the next morn
| ing is the 9Th, and they have no chance to
celebrate the 4th. In the same way, YES
sells going the opposite direction, reaching
| the line at that time, would gain day.
and would have two days, each known as
| the 4th of July. So that while a vessel
might be at anchor 100 miles east of the
1SOth degree of longitude the the night
of December 81. 1900, vessel 100 miles to
| the west of the line would celebrate the
dawn of the new century almost twenty
four hours before the ship to the east
Consequently. the Fiji Islands will see the
| tWeHtlttu Century NTSt, ana the Infte0
States the last of all the world, excepting
the Sandwich Islands,"
Result of an Agreement.
1t is easy to understand the situation If
one compares a cross section of the globe
to a wheel. The sun. off at a distance.
shines upon not quite half of the circle
The remaining part is in darkness Inn
agine the wheel turning constantly, and the
sections which pass through the steady
| flood of light are constantly changing. Ac-
cording to the Biblical version, the Lord
| said Let there be light, and there was
light, and has been ever since. There Is
no reason to suppose that the first light
differed in quality. since It was sunlight.
1t is perfectly obvious that the sunlight
did not strike all portions of the earth
at the same instant, since IL is impossible
to hold a candle up to a ball and illuminate
all sides at once. Consequently, it must
have been day on one part of the globe
before 1t was day the other sides.
The earth was revolving rapidly at
the time. scientists say. At the pre-
else moment when the button was push