The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-31
SOME CALENDAR FACTS.
,,,vrs TO BE CONSIDERED IN DIS
.rsstyS THE CEN7URT'S END.

,, ,,. system of Counting In Years OF
mar Lord Came to he Used-The MIS-
W., 4, the Date of Christ's Birth
~,,,us Times for New Years Day
,,,r,u,rion Disposcs Of the Mathemat-
., N,ldIe About tho New Century.
,,,. ,,oso o, the century and the discussion
w rben the new century begins has at
10 u,usual attention to the calendar. and
,,- NJ curious facts about II which are
"n,',,,crally known. though they are common
,,,, ;, tho learned and which have more or
',ss, hearing on the question. VIII prove inter-
nh, ingenious persons who are rack
,,, ,b,r trains to prove that the twentieth
w., .,rv haytus on Jan. |, 1900. are threshing
.,,,, nrctty old straw. Much printers
w, ,r,. shci in supporting or attacking the
,.', mat S.fore 1900. and the same arguments
,,,.c ,.el that are now employed. 30 1t was
ns,orc 100 when enthusiasts had medals
.,,u,s I'm honor OF either view and so 1t was
bstor, 1900 In earlcr centuries the fact that
rrn,ine was new invention or had not been
i,yon,cd. limited the discussion to oral debate.
,rh,, ia more likely. men in general were
CONTAIN, 70 n ,r,pt the ono Church's view OF the
,,,ot,,r without troubling their own heads
about IT,
49,, 4, whether n century means hundred
,o,r,o-po, The rest Ia merely question OF
,-,ortc,i fact. The problem is not whether
,,crs might, could or shou d hav" been year
M, the computatton Of wears. but whether the
,e,s,rs who introduced the present universal
.r..ar, NJ counting years from tho birth OF
,,,,ist uss,l such a year or its equivalent. The
mathematical side Of The dispute has already
hoe, pl, clearly In Tus SUS. To that exposi-
,iop NAV to added the one given by Camille
vl,mmsrion. IN, French astronomer. In the
iyunlss hgerhIresG pplt'qu's: "Th" problem
IL rre,ty simrle 4 Ten Is composed OF 10
r.i,s: the number ten forms rart OF tho
Tan. Hundred S composed ~ 100 units: the
number on, hundred forms rart OF the Hun
died Now there vas no ycarO In the Chris
tisn era the first year OF The era IL the year l.
Whatever date or particular moment OF
,i,ro no nccoptod IA the beginning OF
the Christian era. there has been no year q.
Therefore. tho frat year is tNc year ] the tenth
wear the year 10 and II" hunhre''h year NJ the
a-s, century is the year loo. That was the
method followed whom the French Revolution
seated new calendar; II did not imagine n
v,irO. but called its fret year the year l. What
seems TO deceive some minds. probably super
1cial, at least IN so far n chronology is con-
,crped. il the change Of the frat two figures.
tho !gurcs l"notnc hundreds. in the numbers
lTu ant $50. II ~ aud 1900. &c. We PASS
with these go" years from II to IL aud from
rs,nIo Th,, "a trrs I'm, ,here ia no differ.
enro In that from what we do when we pass
tom the number TO The number TO- from the
number o. 10 the numtrr 100. Tint is, to the
COMPLEXION Of the Ten and OF the Hundred In
the decimal system. 4 Ten goes from to 10.
Hundred from 20 100"
t.t-.,,novb,, si,cp,a- ,b,, ,ha mama oiv.p
,o,hsc,r,rr.cs -i,cs no troubi. save for the
,D.r,,, ,b,, ,us,in,. tho name We tall of
IN. ers, ,ha a,,een,h ,hc eighteenth centuries.
,',h1r,h in any ono ve,r /, each tho com.
rr.,,,g vo,r ,r.. IN. numbers 1 I5orls used
,,bsbr,l,sa,sn pa,n,e have accantad
mi. o,,,,ry,s o., pr,.t..r,n 4, ave,v var
,inca ian har,, ant prvc s,rc h.Ik M tb,
o,iy 10 ,h, y.,r,h,, b,s snre.a H.. n,m. ov..r
,bcr ali IgOl Tn. Italians IN n,ase tbe mama
.uv,.s, t,, ur,i.r v.,th which nos, n, ,ba
va,rs bo,rr sr,,r ~ ia, "Tracsnton or ,bs
,,i,,r..c,r,, :, tu, win NJ, tao, ~ 1sscr,l,in,
.ba centuries os other tina, ths fourte.,th a,
sfx..sn,h
Tho Cbpr,h which ,lcn,.d and e.,,h,
n.b,J III. ,bri.,i,r era c,'I,d i,s nrst Won,
the yaar / - vii he shown FoIiox;n,
that communal. IN !, has r.g,r,,.d IN, conn nil.
,onos,h4 bur,Ir,l,h var "a tho ond ~ IN,
rartp,v /, r.,s o., ut ,h. 81 =, a.,
thirteenth ,hnt n,pn
fixed tho Y.,r NJ fnhiloc fo- ,gu, liz ,r,h
ably hal in mind m. o,, To.,,mont y..ar a
Jphils. ,hs, ,Io..d rho ..,r,,, wo.r', ., so,.,
inns say.p wear. and was rho nf,ia,h y.,r
and. perhsrs TOO nod soro ,borch, =, ,h,
Lomap secular game. .oieb-,,,n. IN. oIos.. .
pcon,urv. Tho pcnss th,, toIIowad pon,,.oo
Nbjle thew reducad fn- y,,iors rs,sors Oh,
.r,.-,,r, .,,,nao., ~ - -"
n, n,,v innocence - -. "a a.. - Nv.
To, yin In Is.or;,i, 49,, ~ -
lupss tho cIos, -. .,, oa,,,,,-, .I,.,,, ,a,,,,,
The nraceJo,t.,,; ,,a,,i,,1, -, o.. 60.
Onr NV, ,rar,,ar ,ra ,,, 80. TO-,
4 l77s Tho CO.. -, nar,o, J.,.n
J,n,o ba,,,, ,h.,n ,nI - 80 ~ = :.
bnniversa,y y, i,s Lir,h -. 81 I,,.
III This "a IN. roor ,ot ~ ,os,t
inJ,narLo,oa ,rhtoh -, III, ,y.n
will and a, r,i,,,',h, -, Ir 1000 ~
rep,sr,i,l =, a., T,,I.,.,,a, =, ,,.,
cam. ami w,, ,ai,h,,,aI, :, ,,,a,,,
on. hr,tr,, ,.a.,s I,Ir 900 -,
though, ~ ,.,r,.n I,, ,u-s a.. 80,
ninth or,ivors,,, -, t,,I,,,tn na" -,
frs, aav NJ mo h,,,I,,,,,n 80 =, a.. 80.