Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-28
END OF THE CENTURY
A Great Dispute Aroused by the
Pope's Decree.
MAJORITY HOLDS PONTIFF is WRONG
University Mathematician In Chicago
Declare His Holiness is Short
Year : Much Argument
Over the Matter.

Declare His Holiness Is Short
Year = Much Argument
Over the Matter.
Chicago, Dec. 19.-The decree by the
pope, declaring the twentieth century
begins January 1, 1900, has set this
town by the ears.
Pope Not Scientific.
Pope Leo XIII, evidently disagrees
with the astronomers and mathemati-
clans OF Great Britain in regard to the
beginning of the twentieth century. Ac-
cording to the paRal decree, we begin
counting with nothing and reach 100
when we have counted ninety-nine,
which is exactly the opposite of the
views of the astronomers and methe-
maticians. At meeting of the latter
held in London they adopted formal
resolution declaring the twentieth CEN
fury begins with January l, 1901,
which is not at all in accordance with
the pope's ideas.
1t is to be hoped that no war will be
declared over this and that there will
be no personal conflicts between indi-
yiduals, but it must be admitted that
the outlook is serious. Newspapers de-
eide one way today and another to-
morrow, members of families argue it
out until they are no longer on speak
ing terms, and university professors
deny one another's assertions in the
premises. DR.. Rogers, of Northwestern
university, for instance, stands by the
pope, while Professor White, of the
same institution, sticks up for the as
tronomers. On every corner the dis
cussion is waxing warm. One man
holds he was year old the day he
was born, and the next contends he
was not year old until he had COM
pleted a year of his life, and the worst
of 1t is that there is no end to the argu-
ment.
Several Opinions Given.
Professor Young, of the department
of mathematics in the University of
Chicago, says: ut seems to me that
the whole question depends on whether
We start with the year zero or one. 1t
takes one hundred years to make one
| century, SO that the country is not
completed until one hundred years are
past. We write in the first year one,
in the second year two, in the * year
X, and so long as we write the year
1899, 1t is not finished. In mathema-
tics we call the year before Christ
negative, and If we were to introduce
the year zero and call the years back
ward, 3, 2, /, o, minus 1, etc, the
century would end with December 81,
$780,"
DR.. Kurt Layes assistant professor
of astronomy, said: "The first year
ended December 81 of the first year,
the present century ends December 81,
1900, and the new century begins at the
neutral line between the two moments.
We begin calculations when Christ was
born January ! of the year /, meridian
1870 degrees, east of Greenwich, begin
ming with our Christian year. There
fore the twentieth century begins
January 1, 1901. on the same meridian.
Christ, by the way, was years old on
his birth. Therefore, we are now in the
ninety-ninth year and at midnight
December 81, 1899, we will pass into
the one hundredth year of the nine
tenth century.
Henry S. White, head professor OF
mathematics at Northwestern univer-
| sity, said: "The twentieth century be.
| gins January /, 1901. This has been
settled by the royal astronomer OF
Scotland, and though there is wide
diversity Of opinion on the question, ii
is my belief that the majority of scien.
tific men compute time on this basis
Even for the sake of argument you
cannot call the first year 'O,' for 1t is
the year IL and you cannot have a cen.
fury until the full span of one hundred
years is rounded out. At the end of the
hundredth year the new century mus,
begin its work at another year ~
Agrees with the Pope.
Dr. Henry Wade Rogers, president oil
Northwestern university, said: 81 think
| the pope and the T1mes-Herald are
right. l understand the argument
made by those who take a contrary
view, but | believe the twentieth cen,
fury opens with the year 190O."
Prof. Thomas IF. Holgate, professor
of mathematics at Northwestern, said:
mo amount of demonstration car
prove that the twentieth century be.
gins at the first unit of time in 1900
! can reason it in no other way thar
that it begins in the first unit of time
of Jan. i, 1901. A child is not ten wears
of age until he has lived the full limi,
of the tenth year. Tie then begins hi.
eleventh year, At his birth he ell
tiers upon his first year and at the enc
Of this year he is year old. If he
should live 1900 years he would no,
| be 1900 years old at the end of 1896
| years, but when he had lived the full
1900 and when he had grown to such al
age he would enter upon the twentieth
century OF his existence in the yea,
1901"
G. B. Atwell, registrar of northwest
ern university, said: "The twentieth
century begins January /, 1901. Web
ster's dictionary defines century as
full 100 years, then illustrates this will
the first century, including the year!
| from / to 100, inclusive, making til,
second century begin at 1O1. Ths
seventh century is given as including
the years from COL to 700. Such reason
ing can bring us no other result thar
that the twentieth century begins
| tn