The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-02-19
Nancy Lee Discusses Fm-de-Siecle
Mock Modesb and Expansion.

IT HAVE received several letters a.
dressed 20 Na1cy Lee. asking ssr
/ waAt stas meant By su-6e-s.ecie II re-
gard 10 this present year lsss. and
ASKING wh@r. the twentieth century begun
FIn-1e-ssecl--en3 OF TIE ceatury-ts used
not only for month o. a year. cEs ne
closing cs the century. We can surely
say an-de-ssecle now. n 80. when tbs
century IN 50 nearir ove<. NJ Ldttre al
firms tsss century actually began on the
frzs day OF the year lsg ard will end
or the last 3ay % the year ls"e- IN Bos1li-
bets Historical and Geographical Alas
THIS accepted authority places the treaty
OF r Arisch csncsssded BY kleoe~ en- jan
iaary :, NJ. In the eighteenth century.
Thus according to Boullhet. the e-gf.-
seenth century ended on December 81
Isst Francois AEsgo. in his Popular As
truuoyuy saws. The question is often
raised 1hether the STA OF March 1s,e. for
example, VAS in the eighteenth or nine
;eenta century. TIE question resolves 81
self into this. Is IL the current year or
tl1e year previous that figures in 8 date
" en S-e write March Is. is-e are we 10
understand that we have arrived al the
@ta 81 March. iss. not yet entirely nD-
rolled. or snce tbs beginning Of our era
$50 fg4 years have FSA4ed ny, MI tSe
months OF January and February and
tgenty-eisnt days of the moata OF March
Of another year added therefor To solve
the question ne must fnd Gu, how the
count was made al the beginning OF cur
era-that Is IN TIA year OF Ehrist's birth.
Now IL Is accepted ina; that year was
counted one from its beginning III such
manner that in writing March = OF the
year t1sst opened ans. not = year I'D rolled
by. p.as the months OF January and Feb
ruary and the twenty-elghI days OF the
month OF March Of the year =
y Results from tn<s. on competent
evidence that December 81, isa. belongs
IN toto to the eighteenth century; that
me nineteenth century only began on
January !. 1851 This date must be in
teTpgatea TO mean the first day OF the
year isol just opeuing and not ls1l years,
PITS GIG DAY OF the year iso@.
- -
THE Bureau des Longitudes has for di-
rector NJ Loewy. NJ. Loewy SAYS: at
was In the year 20 that the Cc0ncii OF
Nice In view Of the many calendars then
IN existence decided that il was neces-
aaTy 10 draw UP one. which. based upon
important fact or event. could be com
mon To tho whole world. A Scythian
monk. Denis lie Petit, proposed that Is
begin with the date which was believed
20 De that Of the birth OF Cnrisi. He un-
dartook TO establish the date. His work
Was approved by the council and was the
foundation OF the agreement Denis le
Peti. makes his calendar begin with an
event ante-dating his own time lie reck-
oned the current year as ]. The year
extended from January 10 December. The
year was entered upon when Christ was
one year old. Years rolled by. The
monks studied history. armed themselves
with new documents.
In Iss2 another council was held at
which IL was proposed to alter the ca~en-
dAr Some xnonks brought forward proof
that a mistake had been made to the
birth Of Christ: that he was born three
years before the time originally nxei
upon. So that it the arst year OF Christ
was TO be the year l they were then in
the year l5s5. The council properly de-
eided that they were not called upon 10
throw history into inextricahle confusion,
ana since the whole thing was simply n
matter OF agreement. II was better TO
suppress the recently found documents
and bod 10 tho same dates. The figure l.
belonging 90 the current year. was so
fixed by custom that when In l792 the rev
osuni!onary government adopted a repub-
loan calendar. II called the I'd OF Sep
TENDER the 1st Vendelnaire Of the year !
IAN nations. except some Indian tribes
that begin with the year o reckon accord
ing IN The law OF 500 A u. In astrononi-
cal calculations the years begin with O.
Hence IL is that the astronomers and CON-
pt;tists are in an everlasting row, but only
concerning the years before Christ IN
that period we frequently meet with e.
Yors of one year
From this il results that FOR the French
Italian. German. English, etc, the TWEEN
tietA century wi! begin on the LIST OF jar
uary. 1901. and that we woulI be right In
treating as Indians all those who would
make the twentieth century begin with
1890
/ hope that this viii meet the eye OF
the several gentlemen who have addressed
Nancy Lee on the subject Of fn-fe-~fect.
aEht Beginning OF the ceutur-s. ana should
the extracts not prove ineligible. 7 s.au
be Pleased 70 ransack the encyclopedia
fo- data on this subject. which appears
to be vital TO 30 many Just at present
Tn lie women ~ thu Fourteenth con-
gre=sssonal district. who wish TO get
she face and figure bali" introduced into
The general assembly. seem to be quita
alert They are mighty energetic. These
ladies' want 10 make il punishable by a
fine % 500 To produce the picture or Ike
ness OF any face, form or figure az an
advertising medium. EzspAcialIy are .ha
dealers In malt. beer. hquor and tobacco
to he punished II the Aforesaid dealers
dare 20 placarf their wares with the Ike
ness Or Photographic ssTno3ance Of the
human form divine" All tradeSuen
Manufacturers theatrical managers. cir
cUS ageg -, etc. are % be- punished Tor
using any drawing. ithograph engraving
dagurrrotype Photograph az likeness ~
the face form or figure OF woman a. an
advert sing ue<ihIsa in either a ~vlggeS,-
I've immoral or fsTs.TsJ9est manner" Thls