St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-01-13
When the Goth Century
Begins.

W1en the SUCl century
Begins.
It has been . subject Of discus
sion In many quarters as to when
the twentieth century begins, many
people coDtend,ng that it begins
with the year 1900. We find the
following question and answer in
the Scientific American, which con-
eide with our vciws, that the goth
century begins with 1901:
]. S. r. Asks: When does the
18th century end? Answer: The
10th century closes with December
81, 1900. Tie goth century begins
with January l, 1901. Reasons /:
l. There never was year numbered
DIN chronology, though astronomers
have called the year before christian
era the year zero. The reckoning
in chronology is b. c. 3, 2, l, A.
y. l. 2, 8, etc. The year ! b. G.
was followed directly by l A. D. in
historical reckoning. See Ency.
Brit, under Chronology. In As
Economical reckoning tue year pre-
ceeded the Christian era. The frs,
year A. D. was the 'year L. The
year l was completed on December
81, twelve months afterIthe beginning
of our present reckoning. There is
much confusion on this point; but
It is just as simple as reckoning the
years of baby's life. When is the
year of baby's life finished. Who
ever heard Of q baby's 0 year:
2. The year 100 belonged to the
first Christian century. Tie reason
for this is the same as for putting
the Tooth article into package
which is to contain 100 articles.
The second hundred articles begin
with No. lO1. In counting articles
by hundreds we proceed as follows :
LIST hundred Nos. to 100 inclusive
I'd I" lOl to 200
18th - 1901 to 1900
goth - +" 1901 to 1000
Dollars, years or centuries follow
tue same law. A man is 100 years,
a centuary, old when he has com
pleted full 100 years. Not when
his Tooth year begins, but when il
ends. Its full twelve months be-
long to him. The writer remem'
hers very well though only . year,
old, the discussion Of this question
in 1850 and the con cluslon that 1856
belonged to thel9th century, It i;
certa inly premature 70 write centen
NAL sermons or lectures or article!
1899. II this is done, it will bt
o und necessary to- repeat them il
1900 as not q few did in 1849 anl
1850 for the halt century. Thi.
view accords with the statement
Of both century and Webster's Die.
tionaries. We quote from :he for.
mer: The first century of the
Christian era began with the year
A. ID. l aud extended to the yea
100; and the 18th century begar
with the year l70l and ended will
1900. the year completing the hun
dred year period IN each Instance
giving name of century. The cen
turtles before Christ are reckoneG
backward in their order from thu
Christian era, as the 4th century
b. C. from 3Ol b. c. backward t.
400.
In the question aud answer col.
umL Of the Times Democrat, We
iind the following:
A Subsc!ber: Kindly decide the
following: A says the TWEEN
ticth century bgins in January 1901,
u says it begins in 1900. Who il
correct!
A is rlght. Questions and An
swers has several times answered
this, sud the following clipping vii
make it clear:
The st. Louis Globe .Democra,
has had W. II. NJ. Christie, astrono
,ner of the Royal Observatory a
at Greenwich, interviewed Oh til,
much disputed twentieth centur,
opening question. Astronomer
Christie replies rs follows, BY cable
under date of Saturday last:
In reply to your inquiry, we neg
to inform you that lue twentieth
century begins on january /, 1901.
1t has been genel ally agreed thai
we call the first year Of the Christian
era ammo domini l, not ammo domln
o; and, consequently, the second
century begins With ammo domiu
lOl, Or 100 years after the beginning
Of the first yesr, and SO on, tor the
succeeding centuries. The ques.