The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-19
The Twentieth Century.


the beginning e-twentieth-cen-
fury controversy wakes fast and
furious. There is excellent authority
for saying that the twentieth century
begins January l, 1900; there Is also
excellent authority for asserting that
it doesn't begin until January l. 1901.
Take your choice. If you will take
pencil and paper and figure 1t out for
yourself without reference to any out
side dicta or data. you must inevitably
come to the conclusion that January |,
1900 Is the day. You would assume, Of
course, that the first century began
January /, wear 0, and such an as
sumption would be natural and logical.
But modern chronologists are agreed
that, as a matter of history, the first
century began January /, year l. The
astronomers are also agreed on that
point. They figure back and find thd;
peculiarly bright star, which thew
identify with the star Of Bethlehem.
was the sensation Of the heavens in the
year A. D. s instead of the year A.
D. 4. This view Is accepted by most
modern scholars. The faculty Of Yaiv
has agreed that the twentieth century
will begin on January 1. 1901: practic-
ally all the college presidents whose
opinions have been asked, say the
same. On the other hand Pope Leo
XIII, evidently accepting Archbishop
Ussher's New Testament chronology as
final, says the new century will begin
January /, 1900. and certain dignitariss
in the Methodist Episcopal church cor
daily agree with him.
Chronology is not an exact science.
The calendar, as every historian knows,
has been tinkered with repeatedly in
the past, and although it Is not likely
that ever can be again. wouldbe tink-
erers are still around. There is an In
diana man named Bundy who wants
the world to start in one week from
next Monday with new and improved
calendar. Although he has copyrighted
It, he intends that the world shall use
it, of course. His calendar has thirteen
months in it. This Is an uneven and
unlucky number, but the new calendar
has the good feature OF providing an
even number Of days for each month.
The thirteen months will each have
twenty-eight days. Mr.. Bundy would
put the new calendar in operation in
1900, and really expects wide >adcp-
ton of It before the first year is ended.
He exr1atns his calendar quite clearly:
AS 1900 comes in on Monday, and Mon
4 7av is ha n
week. I make it also the first day of the
first month. The new 18th month Is call
ed Century, because of tho time of its
, proposed adoption-the end of one and
the beginning of new century. Every
month of every year and every century
begins with Monday. That is the greatest
of all advantages over all calendars of the
past and present II a person wants to
know what day July would come on he
would start with Monday and find 1t
would come on Tuesday, while at pres
ent calendar has to be hunted for the
information. Christmas would come on
Thursday every year, Valentine day on
Sunday, April Fool day on Monday. Mon
day Is thus made the first and Sunday
the last day of the week The perma-
uency of holidays Is thus established.
and, as luck will have 1t, none of the
great days come on Sunday. Memorial
day is the only one that Is thrown out.
ana II would PROBABLY be placed on the
18th of May-the last day-which would
be Sunday. and just as we would arrange
1t, no doubt, If it was left to popular
vote. This plan gives US year of 1854
days, 1t is true, and day and quarter
are left over. The present calendar takes
an extra day every four years to keep us
up with the solar procession. For the
sake of this splendid division of the week
and month system why not let those one
rtar1 oy ,alFa md axytr
which we can tack onto any of the
months? This done and my calendar Is
very simple. complete and on par with
standard time. 1t Is practical in every
way and abreast with this progressive
age
Mr.. Bundy has attracted the atten-
ton Of prominent men in America and
Europe to his calendar and he says
they approve 1t and advocate unIver-
sal shift to it from the present system
Put who can shift ~