The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-02-14

just to show That the Caien dar
Doesn't Mean What IL Says.


To the Editor: For the last time. LET
us try TO straightsn cut the kinks about
the comfnencem of the twentieth GEN.
tury, ard make il little palmer. The
wise sd wing Of Davy Crockett. Be sure
you're right: then go ahead" IS adopted
with much confidence. believing that when
sitted to the bottom this que stion VIII re
found 20 have but one side that Will he
our side Tha. viii be a sad perplexity
for las. on January ]. 1880 not TO know
where We are 'at''-whether in the nine
teenth or twentieth century. The nine
teenth century has been the grandest and
most glorious IN human achievements of
any century in all time. 1t is unseeuly
and mischievous 10 deprive il OF its
crowning unit II will be too bad TO let
1t die and be buried before its time
comes There is no difficulty. al init
mated about the matter with the writer.
The difficulty is with the Post-lnteln-
gencer IL starting. il seems. from false
premise, which can never lead 10 correct
conclusion. There Is getting around
or over the fact that the nineteenth cen
fury contains 100 units or years. and We
are now only starting out on the ninety
ninth year.
TO say that 1--WE have arrived and know
we are there"-that Is at the beginning
of the twentieth century-when time shall
have marked January /. 1900 IS an er-
ror that viii shut out the truth IL fol-
lowed up We shall have only arrived
then at the beginning OF the last year OF
this century, and viii he In the same
attitude as the man who starts on the top
climb up the mountain. unit Of time
a year-differs from a unit used in or
binary calculations, In that IL is a unit
nd measures twelve months besides. and
this must be considered in counting years.
II was we'll understood when the present
~ 9 he'd
that January ], year !. was the beginning
OF the first year. and that IL would run
twelve months before being out: yet all
the while il was spoken OF as a year, and
IL Is !mmatsriaI about beginning at u
zero (0l mark. The same rule of count
ing applies 20 ether divisions ~ time.
Take the first day OF the week. Sunday
II Is So called from the beginning. yet IL
runs for twenty-four hours. The first
week Of the month is 60 recognized from
the arst: YET II runs seven days The
first month Of the year, January. carries
its name from the start. yet II measures
out thlrty-ons days. In the same manner
IL comes about that the last year Of "A
century Is named AT its beginning instead
OF the ending. II one century can be dis
counted, so can another, and all OF them.
thus bringing the whole business into dis
repute. This investigation is more a Ques-
ton Of reason than OF juggling with fig
ures.
II is hoped the foregoing thoughts Will
further elucidate the question so that tho
Post Intelligencer. and others, may DC
saved from being led astray m false
lights.
The papers are great educators OF the
people, and II hehooves them to be right
on all questions. They are much respect
ed by the writer.
As a clincher In this matter the follow
ing Is offered; Nebster's unabridged die
tionsry says: a century is a hundred
years. ending with the hundredt5 year
from which IL is named; as for example
the first century "a. p l-ilsl inciusivel:
seventh century "a. y. e0l-7lso, eighteenth
century "a ID. I701~lsse'' TIE Standard
stationary o. the English Language says:
The nineteenth century is represented
thus: 4. d Isf-l... A century begins
with the beginning % the first day in the
FIRST year, and does not end till the close
81 the last day in It's huudre~1th year
This Is very explicit, and shows this ap-
parent difficulty was foreseen and consid-
cred. II is the business of these leucoE-
rapners TO define and explain language
and Il they cannot settle this question.
who cam The thoughts offered in the
two articles 81 the writer cB this question
may not snow much plain horse sense"
but IL is hoped they smack some 81 COM
mon sense, and that Is pretty good.
a. r II.