The Irish standard., 1899-12-30

current months and days belong to the
Tooth year as the minutes and seconds
plus to S belong to 6 o'clock. But
custom has no regard for analogues.
On another page OF the Frceman's
Journal Dr. Lambert publishes a letter
OF Gen. Philip Schuyler, OF Albany, N.
Y, dated Feb. II, 17oo, in which the
Revolutionary patriot held that the
nineteenth century began on Jan. 1,
1901, and pointed out the error made by
the advocates OF the other side. The
letter was addressed by Gen. Schuyler
to his eldest daughter, and is now in
the possession OF Katherine Schuyler
Baxter, OF Oswego, NJ Y. In the course
OF the letter he says:
Whether Christ was born at the be-
ginning OF the first moment OF the first
day OF month now by us called Janu-
ary, or at the beginning OF the first mo-
ment OF the first day or any other day
OF any other month is perfectly imma-
terial in the solution OF the question un-
der consideration. 1t is agreed on all
hands that the Christian era commenced
with the birth OF Him.
l shall therefore premise the following
postulata:
1. That the birth OF Christ was i'll the
beginning OF the first moment OF the
first day OF the month OF January
2. That the Christian era is made up
OF a continued series OF time called
years.
3. That year commences with the
first particle OF time OF the first day OF
January, and terminates with the end Of
the last day OF the then following De-
cember, and that year consists OF
twelve calendar months as they are
named in our Companion Almanac
4. That 100 such years constitute a
century.
S. That bctwccn the last particle OF
time OF the last day OF any December
and the beginning .ol the first particle
OF time OF the first day OF the then suc-
cceding January no time intcrvcncs, but
that both are in contact, the one begin
ming where the other ends, and that this
holds with respect to continued series
OF space as we'll as time
The truth OF these five postulata,
suppose, will not be contested, and, llav-
ing promised this, l proceed to OBJ
serve:
That with respect to Christ (if we
may on this occasion be permitted ia
consider Him as one OF the human
racc), time as to him was not before
but commenced with His birth; that
the moment OF His birth was therefore
the first moment OF the Christian era,
from whence the computation OF years
and centuries is to commence, and that
hence it follows the Christian era is a
series OF years in aritllmctical progress
sion, the first term whereof, as, begin
ming with the beginning OF the first par
ticle Of time, to wit, with the birth oil
Christ, is a cipher or o, and each inter
val OF the series or common difference
is one year, and ii carried on to any
number OF years, as to the end OF the
last moment of the year 90, which by
postulatc the fifth is the beginning oi
the first moment OF the year 100, the
number OF intervals or years intcrvened
will be 100, or a century completed
and, ergo, il the series had been con-
tinucd to the end OF the last moment
OF 1899, which by postulatc the fifth is
the beginning OF the first moment oil
the year 1900, complete 1900 years will
have intervcned, or 18 complete cen
turies ended, and that every particle o
| time subsequent to the end OF the last
moment OF 17oo marks the beginning
OF January I, 1900, must necessarily be
i'll a century next following the eigh-
tccnth, consequently the nineteenth cen.
fury.
But men OF sound sense and OF sucl
candor as to be incapable OF the subtcr
fuge which cavilling about words af
fords have held, and some do still hold
that the present century does not ter
inmate until the last moment OF the las
day Of December OF the next year-that
is, il the year 1900 is past, and that the
nineteenth century does not commence
until the first moment OF the year 1901
They have probably reasoned thus:
From the year Of the Christian era
to the end OF the year 1900, or beginning
of 1901, only 1900 years, or eighteen
centuries, have intcrvcncd, and there.
fore the nineteenth, century does moi
commence until the first day OF January
1901. So far they are right. But here
they evidently commence their compu
tation not from the birth OF Christ
as the beginning OF timc-but from a
period when he was already one year
old. Thus in computation OF time VIC
say from the first day OF January to the
last day OF December, inclusive, is ono
year, or 305 days, but the fact is that
there are in that period only 364 days
But il we say from the first day o
January to the last day of December
both inclusive, is one year, or 365 days
then we are correct Or, in other words