Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-12-28
End of the 6enturll.

Nj Camille Flammarion, the distin.
guished astronomer and author. Al
authoritative answer his statement
may well be styled. since this is i
subject on which he is peculiarly fit.
ted to speak with authority Chro.
nology and astronomy are closely al
lied, and being an adept astronomer
M. Flammarion is necessarily also
specially well qualified to grapple
with any problem the solution q
which depends on a right understands
ing Of chronology.
From his statement which covers
tie ground thoroughly tic following
passages are taken:
IF we look back at the past we
will find documents in the wears 1899.
| 1899, and 1899 in which this subject
was discussed, and century hence,
in 1899, our descendants will be dis
cussing the same old subject A GEN.
tury ago discussions were unusually
lively, and extended even to the
theater In 1900 a play appeared
with the title Dear God, in what
Century are we Living?' This very
lquestion we of today are again asking
.Francisque Sarcey, the listin-
guished critic, says the year 1900
will be the dawn of the twentieth cen
fury. He is mistaken. The dawn of
the twentieth century will not come
in 1900, even though we constantly
hear that the exposition of 1900 will
commemorate the birth of the new
century. On the contrary 1t will
commemorate the end of century
The year 1900 will be the evening be-
fore the new century, and the dawn
will not begin until after midnight.
This seemingly difficult problem
IS really very easy of solution. A
dozen consists OF twelve units. The
number twelve is part of the dozen.
One hundred consists of one hundred
units and the number 100 is a part
thereof. Now, it is clear that there
never was year in Christian chro-
nology The first year was No. /, the
tenth year was No. 10 and the hun
dredth year of the first century was
the year 100.
what has led many persons astray
has probably been the change in the
iirst two figures of the year, as we
see in the case of 1799-1S00 or 1899
l9Oo. A similar change, however, is
made when 8 becomes 10, or when 80
becomes 100. If anyone gives me
one bundrad oa,ate I 49,. II ~. -.
the hundredth cent is just as neees-
sary to my first dollar as the ninetieth.
My hundred and first cent is the be-
ginning of my second dollar. The
hundredth is, in fact, necessary
portion of the dollar.
s'ln like manner the hundredth wear
belongs to the century which is dy-
ing. Exactly, therefore, at midnight
OF Dec. 81, 1900, win be the hour
glass of the nineteenth century run
out and at the next moment the TWEEN
tleth century will start on its career
Mr.. flammarion then touches on
another most interesting question.
1--WE know now when, but we do
not know where the new century will
Begin" he asks. ''Will it begin ex-
actly at midnight in Paris, London.
New York or Jerusalem? Exactly at
midnight in every country is the an
swer. Yes, but when it is midnight
IN Paris 1T is | A. NJ. in Vienna. Will
the Austrians then begin the century
before the French? Certainly they
will. And this brings up the timely |
question, What country will be the
first to greet the new century?
"When the clocks in New York in
dictate that it is midnight of Dec. 81,
1900, it is already O'Clock in the
morning of Jan. l, 1901 in Paris; |
o'clock at the Suez canal; s o'clock in |
Tananarivo and II o'clock (noon) of
Jan. l, 1901, on the Island OF st. Paul,
in the Indian ocean.
''lf, instead of going east, we 90
with lightning speed westward from
New York we shall find it II o'clock
IN the evening in Chicago, 8 O'Clock
in San Francisco, o'clock in Homo
lulu, $3.50 in the Philippines and noon
OF Dec. 81, 1900, on the Island of st.
Paul. This island, as anyone can see
by looking at a map, is exactly oppc-
site New York or in other words. its |
difference from the south pole is pre-
cisely the same as that Of New York
from the north pole.
when it is midnight with US it is
noon there, but the question is, Is
this the noon of the next day or OF |
the preceding one2 10 sailors this is
matter OF some Importance as their
captains have to decide whether they
gam or lose days wages when they
arrive at this point.
CHOSE who will have the honor Of
according the first greeting to the
new century for the reason that il
will actually begin there before it be-
gins elsewhere are the Russians in
kamchatka, the japanese ii Tokyo
and on the island of Yeso, the inhab-
itants Of the PHILIPPINES, Of New Gui-
nea island. Of the Solomon islands aud
of the New Hebrides. the French in
New Caledonia and the inhabitants OF
New Zealand and OF the little island
of Chatham in the Pacific ocean.
Let every one, however, remember
distinctly that the twentieth century
will begin in every country at mid
night of Dec. 81. 1900. The Asiatics
will begin to enjoy it before Europeans
ard Europeans before Americans. No /
one, not even the richest man in New
York, can obtain the privilege Of be
ing the first to greet it-that is. I'M
less he is willing to travelto the distant /
island ofChatham and join the hand I
full of inhabitants in singing a p;ean
OF welcome to the new cycle. Chi.
cago Record.
Brave Men Fail
Victims to stomach, liver and kid
ney troubles as well as women, and 7
all feel the results in loss of appetite,