The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-16


much of problem in itself, comes very
| close to his heart.
Hence, hundreds of persons contend
| that the Goth century will begin with
Jan. l. 1900 while other hundreds con-
| tend with equal positiveness that the
| correct date is Jan. /. 1901. The 200
contingent argue that. of course, the
| new century begins with it's numeral
| date, and so on to figure out very
| deity that with the last day of the
year 1899 the hundred will have run
its course. They argue that if the
| first year ended with Dec. 81 of the
year one the 1sOoth year must, of
course, end with Dec. 81. 1899, and that
| the first day of January, 1900. is. there
| fore, the first day of the new century.
| And, curiously enough, this latter flg-
ure is correct, but only in numeri-
cal sense. These statisticians overlook
| one very important fact, however: that
| it requires 100 years to make a century,
| and it calls for no expert mathemati-
| clan to figure it out that the full 100
years of the 10th century will not have
| run their course until II o'clock mid
night of the S1st of December. 1900.
Numerically. we enter the Goth cen
fury with Jan. /, 1900. But. neverthe-
less. we must complete that entire year
Of 1900, and go through it's 365 days,
before the actual 1900 years shall have
run their course. The problem is some
thing like the spending of dollar
we must spend 100 cents before we
spend an actual dollar. yet if we spend
it cent by cent we shall reach the Tooth
penny after having spent the 99th cent.
But we must actually spend the Tooth
penny before we have spent the whole
dollar. So must the entire Tooth year
Of a century have passed before the
century is complete.
If the current discussion holds out
until the end of the present year it is
likely that there will be many who will
choose to celebrate the going out Of
the century at that time, While others
Will prefer to keep their ardor bottled
up until midnight of Dec. 81, 1900. So
we shall have two celebra tons: one
numeral and the other actual. And
have. the oftener we will enjoy our
selves, the lighter Of heart we will be-
come as people. And there's a great
deal of American nervous tension
which might just as we'll go up into
the air in shout and hurrah. But if we
choose to celebrate the coming of the
new century intelligently and in accord
with actual figures, there is no ques-
ton that we must wait until there shall
have been an actual 100 years to the
18th century. And that will not be
until the midnight hour Of Dec 81, 1900.
For more than year the Times
Herald has been in receipt of letters
discussing and settling when the goth
century begins. Some theorists say
Jan. 1, 1901, while all practical people
and bicyclists know that it begins at
midnight Dec. 81, 1899, where Jan. |,
1900, begins. As soon as we cease
will be through with the 10th" cen
fury and in the GOTH. How this Is
arrived at may be best illustrated in
the following dialogue:
Q. How is time reckonad?
A. From the meridian--by the fig
ures on the dial beginning at IL a. m.
Q. When is the day complete?
A At II go p. m.
q. How is it reckoned in years?
A. From the meridian that sepa-
rates b. c." (Befcre Christi and "a,
D." (Anno Domini--in the year of our
Lord), that is to say from the birth
Of Christ The date of this birth is
purely, conjectural. 1t is retained for
the idea.
Q. How old was Christ at his birth?
A. Actually and theoretically the
same age as other normal infants. He
opened his eyes on the first year of the
first century at the early age repre-
sented by a cipher.
Q. Then the years in and of a CEN
fury are reckoned in ordinal numbers.
as First Second" Nineteenth"
etc?
A. You have hit the nail on the
head. Whoever heard of addressing a
century in cardinal numbers?
@. Then when a century is two years
old it is in it's third year?
A. Precisely.
Q. And when it is 80 years old it is
in it's Tooth year?
A. Certainly.
Q. And when it has passed it's Tooth
mark it is in it's second century?
A. Beyond peradventure.
Q. Therefore we are now in the
Tooth year of the 10Th century?
A. You are correct.
Q. And at midnight of Dec. 81. 1899,
we will pass into the Goth century?
A. Unless we reckon the Christian
era from one year after the birth of
Christ.
at each '100'' mark?
A. If you doubt it ask any cen
fury rider" if he or she has to pass the
1O1st mile post before he completes
century.
@. Then there will not be two more
Christmases before the Goth century
dawns?
A. Not on your Ammo Domini
The New York Sun has received so
many evidences of confused minds re-
garding the beginning of the Goth cen-
tury that it will present a proof that
the goth century begins after the year
1900 is ended, in the shape of little
conversation:
Question. What is a year?
Answer. Three hundred and sixty
five days.
What is a century?
One hundred years.
When did the year / end?
Dec. 81 of the year ].
When did the year 2 begin?
Jan. / of the year ?.
When did the year 80 end?
Dec. 81. A. D. 80.
Did that complete a century?
No.
When was the century completed?
At the close of the year following 80,
or at the close of the year 100.
When did the second century begin?
Jan. l Of the year l of the second