The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-12
TWENTIETH CENTURY.
A Warm Controversy Over the Date of
Its Beginning.
Written for the Sunday Standard.

LIS BeS1nnlns.
Written for the Sunday Standard.
Washington, Jan. 31-When does the
twentieth century begin? 1t is all very
we'll to answer confidently at the be-
ginning of the year 1900," and consider
the matter settled. 1t isn't settled by
a long way, and the new century
doesn't begin at the beginning, but at
the end of the coming year, according
to learned men who are st1cklers for
accuracy. AS the end Of the century
approaches, the question is likely to
assume greater proportions and the
controversy to wax hotter.
The best thing to do, therefore, is to
quote the opinion of one of those wise
philosophers whose lives are occupied
in keeping tab on the time and tide
that proverbially wait for no man. Here
is the opinion of a prominent astronom-
err verbatim:
The next century will begin on Jan.
l. 19O1-the last year of the present CEN
fury being 1900. The present era begins
with the year A. D. /, and the year be-
fore being B. c. i, there being no year
o. This is inconyenient for chronology,
but it is the accepted mode of reckon
ing.
If historians had been content to start
the era with the year "naught, as as
tronomers start the hour of the day
well, and we should have to face the
inevitable paradox of talking about the
closing year of the nineteenth century,
when we shall be already dating our
letters 1900 Scientists and those who
have to mark the lapse of seconds, say
in regulating the prolonged exposure Of
a Photographic plate or the printing Of
a bromide paper, accustom themselves
to count "naught, one, two" and SO on;
but the popular method of counting is to
begin straightaway, "One, two, three,
by which the first second Is apt to bs
much curtailed.
A similar error took place in begin
ming the Christian era, the year haV-
ing been dropped for the convenience
of chronologists. The present year has,
morally, no more right to be called 1893
before Dec. 81 next than an infant of
one month has to be called a year old
| before it has completed its twelfth
month. Accurately speaking, the Chris
tan era is in its 1S99th year, which oh
viously is not the same thing as the
completed 1899 years of the era, and
cannot be eonfoundad with the 1900th.
Another way of demonstrating the
truth of the statement that the new
century begins at the end Of the year
1900 is to take the face of "a hour
clock. A clock of this kind records the
flight of seconds in one circle, and that
third. 1t is, therefore, a "a hour
clock, but you may look in vain for the
| numeral "a or XIV. All three con-
centric circles begin With 0. Thus the
outer one, allotted to the minutes, is
| marked 0, 5. 10. 49, 20. 25, 80. s5, 40, As,
| so, So. The inner one begins with 0,
and proceeds l., H., III, and so on, to
XXIII.: and the innermost circle,
marking the seconds, journeys from 0
| to TO- 20 and so on to SO. It is little
bewildering to find ltaat 0 stands for
XII. and XII. is where VI. is usually
placed, upside down, While the second
hand points to when that of the or
binary timepiece records 60.
| There will probably be great deal Of
argument about this, although the
question was settled a hundred years
ago beyond dispute, but it must be
| agreed that the foregoing plainly and
clearly shows that the twentieth CEN
fury will not begin next New Years
day. but when the year 1900 is ended.