The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-12-28
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
Whes Does II Hegin, 1890 or isoi1---A
QHestlon That EreI;es AnimaIed
Discussion.
TIM THEORIES az BOTu sipEs CLEAR
Nv SIT FORTH.

L
Of every new century. There
ID q wide difference between men even
who are regarded as experts In COM
putting periods, and people grow heated
aud excited over discussion of the
question, each coniending for his the.
CRY and refusing TO be convinced. We
give below two well expressed theories,
the enc contending tot 1900 and tho
other for 1901.
The first is letter written In 1879 |
by Gen. Philip Schuyler Of historic
fame to bis daughter, Mrs. Church,
and is now, says the Detroit Free Press,
Ia possession Of Bis grand daughter,
Katherine Schuyler Baxter, Of Oswego, |
n. Y. Il Is a unique disquisi,ion Of
this much nooted question, aud is rs
follows:
ALBANY. Feb. II, 1899.
Ny beloved Angelica: Since my
letter TO you on the controversy relative
TO the termination OF the present cen
Jury. il has occurred to mo that an In.
yes,igaliou Of tho subject from mere
abstract deductions would not be com.
pretended With so much facility as
when calculated by diagram, In which
the sense Of sight might be brought to
aid the mental reasoning. haze pro-
jrctcd the inclosd which, with such
observations thereon aud such conclu.
sions as shall adduce ihcrcirum. !
have the presumption to believe will
determine the question and bring the
conlending parties 10 coincide IN opin-
ion.
Whether Christ was born ut the be.
ginning Of the first moment of the first
day Of month now by US called Jan
uary, or at the beginning of the hrst
moment Of the first day or any other
day or any other month, is perfectly
immalcrial In the solution Of the qucs-
ton under consideration. Ii l. agreed
on all hands that the Christian era COM
menced with the birth Of him.
shall, therefore, premise the fol-
lowing posiulata:
First--Thai the birth OF Christ was
In tho beginning Of the FIRST moment Of
the iirst day Of the month of January.
SccOnd--That the Christian era l.
made up Of continued series Of time
called years.
Third--1hat a year commences with
the iirst particle Of time Of the fret day
of January, aud terminates with the
end Of the last day Of the then follow
ing December, and that year consists
Of twelve months rs they are named In
our Companion Almanac.
Fourih--rhat 100 such years con-
slilu,c century.
Ffih--1hat between the last particle
OF time of the last day Of any Dccem.
Der and the beginning Of the first part.
iclo Of time OF the FIRST day Of the then
succeeding January no time inlcrycnes,
but that both are In contact, the one
beginning where The other ends, aud
that this holds with respect to coz.
tinuCd series Of space ~ we'll IS time.
The truth Of these live poslulala |
suppose, viii not be contested, and,
having promised this, proceed to oh.
serve:
That with respect TO Christ (ii We
may gu this occasion be permitted IL
consider him rs one Of the human racc),
time a. to him was not before, bu,
commenced with his birth; that the
moment Of his birth was therefore the
hrsl moment OF the Christian era, from
whence the computation uf years and
centuries is 10 commence, and hence II
follows the Christian era In n scrirs OF
years in arithmeiical progression, the
first term whereof Ia, beginning with
the beginning Of the first particle oil
time, to- wit, with the birth OF Christ },
Is cipher. OF o, and each interval oI
the series or common difference Is ont
year, and " carried on 10 any number 81
years, as to the end of the last moment
Of the year 80, which by pOstulatc tbs
fifth is the beginning Of the hrst mo
ment Of the year 100, the number q
intervals or years interviewed will b,
100, or a century completed, aad, crg,
|. il the series had been continued 10 th,
end Of the last moment OF 1893, which
by posluiate the 9th Is the beginning
Of the first moment ci the year 1900
complete !, SOC years will have inlet
vened, or eighteen complete ceututicr
ended, and that every particle Of Iim'
subsequent to the eBd OF the last mo
mcnt of 1893 marks the beginning o
January /, 1900, must necessarily b'
In century next following the Eigh
tenth, consequently the Ni1eteentl
Century.
Hut pen OF sound sense, and of suel
eandor rs to be incapable of the sub
terfuge which cayiiug about words at
iords, have held, and some do stil
hold, that the present century does no
terminate until the last moment vi Ih'
last day of December OF the next yea
that Is, II the year 1900 Is past
ard that the Nineteenth Century doe
, MT commence until the frat moDen
OF the year 1901.
They have probably reasoned thus
From the year of the Christian CIR
to the end Of the year 1900, or begin
ming Of 1901, only /, 500 years or eigh
! teen centuries, have interviewed, aud
therefore, the Nineteenth Century doe
, not commence until the ifsi day o
January, 1901. SO far they are right
But here they evidently commence ihei
I computation not from the birth o
! Chiist---as tho beginning Of iime---bu
, from . period when he was already
year old. Thus in computation Of tim
VIC say from tbs fist day Of January Il
the last day Of December, Inclusive, !
one year, or sos days, but the fact
that there ara In that ueriuti only nc.