The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-02-21
WAS A FRUITFUL TOPIC
In the World Hundred Years Ago.
When the Century Begins-General
SchuyIcr's ElucIdntion,,

Katharine Schuyler Baxter. OF Oswe-
80, y. y. is the possessor OF the follow
Ing interesting letter written by her
grea,-srandfather. General Philip
schuyler, OF historic fame, to his eldest
daughter. Mrs. Church, and Is a mos.
unique disquisitIon OF that much moot
ed question:: when, does the century
begIn?"
ALBANY, Feb. II, 1893.
MY BELOVED .ANGELICA:-Since
ny letter to you on the controversy rel
alive to the termination OF the present
century 1t has occurred TO me that an
!nycstIgatlon OF the subject from mere
abstrac. deductions would not be COM
arehended with so much facility as
when elucldated by diagram, In which
the sense OF sight might be brought to
aid the mental reasoning. / have pro-
,ccted the inclosed which. with such OBJ
ssryatIons thereon and such conclus-
IONS as l shall adduce thefefrom, have
the presumption to believe. will deter
mine the question and bring the con-
tending parties to coincide In opinion.
Whether. Christ was born at the be-
ginning of the first moment OF the first
day Of month now by us called Janu-
ary, or at the beginning OF the first
moment OF the first day or any other
day OF any other month. is perfectly
imma:erial in the solution of the ques-
ton under consideration. 1t Is agreed
on all hands that the Christian era
commenced with the birth of Him.
shall therefore premise the following
pOstulata:
/. Tha, the birth of Christ was in the
beginning of the first moment OF the
first day OF the month Of January.
.. That the Christian era Is made up
O. continued series OF time called
years.
s. That year commences with the
frs, particle Of time of the first day OF
January and terminates with the end
OF the last day of the then following
December and that a year consists OF
twelve calendar months az they are
named in our Companion Almanac.
1, That 100 such years constitute
Century.
). Thu. between the last particle OF
time OF the last day Of any December,
and the beginning OF the frs; particle OF
time OF the first day of then succeeding
January no lime intervenes. but that
both are In contact, the one beginning
where the other ends. and that this
holds with respect 10 continued series
OF space as well as time.
The truth of these five postulata I
: suppose will not be contested. and. hav-
i I'm promised this, l proceed u observe:
i Tina. with respect to Christ Gf we
mag on this occasion be permitted to
j consider Him as one OF the human race)
time as 20 Him was not before. but
coTElsncei with Els birth: that the
moment Of His birth was therefore the
frs: moment of the Christian era, from
whence the computation OF years and
Centuries Is to commence, and that
hence it follows the Christian era is a
ss:ies Of years In arithmetical progress
sion. the first term whereof las, begin
ming with the beginning OF the fist
particle o! t!me-tO wit: with the birth
o. Christi. is cipher, or 0. and each
interval OF tic series or common differ
eGce Is one year. as 10 the end Of the
last Cl5alsr: Of the year 90. which by
fns:u!ate the fifth is the beginning of
the fist lnamcnt Of the year 100. the
number Of Intervals or years interviewed
viii be 100, y" century completed. and.
c-SD. L the series had been continued TO
III" end OF the last moment OF 1899,
which by postulate the fifth is the be-
ginning .: the first moment of the
year $500. complete 1900 years will have
Interviewed. or eighteen complete cen
iur!es ended, and that every particle o.
time subsequent TO the end of the last
moment OF 1859 marks the beginning OF
January !, 1900. must necessarily be in
century next following the cigh-
teenth, consequently the nineteenth
century.
But men OF sound sense. and OF such
candar as to be Incapable o: the sub.
tertuge which .cav!llinG atout words af-
lords, nave held. and some do still
loId. that tie present century does not
terminate until the last moment OF the
last day OF December of the next year
that Is, II the year 1900 IS past. and that
the nineteenth century does not COM
TeHce until the first momen; OF the
year 1901.
They have probably reasoned thus:
From the year OF the Christian era
70 the end OF the year 1900. Or begin.
n!ns OF 1901. only $500 years. OF eigh-
ten centuries, have interviewed, and
Z therefore the nineteenth century. does
y not commence until the first day OF
- A-'4s soy tdl they are TlpUk.
II ~, mere thes' evidently commence
N thetr computation not from the birth OF
N ch''Si-as the beginning OF time-but
y rom peFio! when He was already one
n !enF oIt Thus in computation OF time
= We say from the first day Of January 10
q lhh last day Of December. inclusive, Is
n oar year, or 365 days. but the fact is
: days.
3 out Il We say from the first day OF
4 January to the last day o: December,
4 w" inclusive. is one year. or sos days,
tAeA We are correct. Or, in other words,
lFHn the beginning Of the first parti-
Gle OF time OF the first day OF January
70 tas end Of the last particle OF time
W ihe last dag OF December is one
ytsT. or 355 days.
suppose surveyor was directed TO
"tFHH az the northwest corner OF the
city nall at New York and TO measure
w uue north course 1900 miles, and
III Tue END OF eighty chains. or n mile.
I" set UP stone 10 indicate how far
l"Ai stone was from the northwest cor
ger OF the city hail, what mark would
ne pace upon Il? Surely he would
IndEh II with the number |. II he should
E'Seeh eighty chains. or one mile far
H'el; ana set u1 another stone, this he
nuu'u marx with the number 9 and
Proceeding thus to set up stone at the
M 81 every eighty chains. or one mile,
"He4 no had run $500 times eighty
mains ne would Sc: Up stone and
L.fH!HS MS face TO the south he would
ray. am now 1850 miles from the
TTSLnAw"st corner Of the city hall of
nIt L he had put the stone numbered
/ 10