The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-08
The END of the Century.

To tho Editor OF The Post
Bcllville Texas. January THE writer
noticed in The Post few days ago
communication from citizen OF Hous-
ton. attempting to explain why the Nine
teenth century must come 10 close at ~
o'clock on tho night OF December 81,
1899. He very willingly admits that he
is a "sap-head' n he Is not correct In his
version OF the matter. Time and future
events VIII soon demonstrate to this self
constituted sap hcad' the ludicrousness
of tho position he has placed himself in
before the reading public, md he will
discover that 1t is better to know that he
Is right and not be guessing when he
flies into public print. The writer does
not think that the gentleman who wrote
that letter lis "sap-head." he writes
too intelligentiy tor that although incor-
rect in his theory In allowing his zeal
and enthusiasm to oyerbalance his discre-
ton, and through his hasty decision he
would differ with the intellectual world
change the calendar and obliterate mill
oEphy and science.
The question Is simply a mathematical
question and easy OF solution and the
writer can't see that Il is question any
longer open for discussion any moro than
the question as to whether the world ia
round or fiat Us pan cake" II is
true, that in every town and neighburhood
plumbers OF individuals can be found who
dlsbelieve and boot at the Idea OF the
world being round, but these poor I'M
fortunates are 10 be pitied and not CEN
sured, because ignorance is the greatest
laF eNss.a tls..t fwtI
when he is In such condition nc is de-
serving of Christian charity In addi-
ton to few words OF explanation below,
would kindly refer this gentleman for
further Information to the children Of the
NTH and sixth grades OF the Houston
ward schools and he Will find that thay
have been taught. and rightly so, when
we write 1901 We are then on the TWEEN
tieth century. Ninety mine years eau not
make century. When standard time
struck II o'clock last night. December 81.
We had finished ninety nine years OF the
Nineteenth century and we certainly can
not stop here and say that we are in the
Twentieth century when VIC have only
completed ninety nine years OF the Nine
teenth century. II should be borne in
mind that we count the year In advance
that Is. we number 1t when we arrive at
the hrst day and keep writing that num-
Der throughout the whole twelve months
until the year Is complete. We can not
count year, like numbers, on the black
board, and then pass on. we are twelve
months counting year, though Nc num-
Der H. on the calendar the moment the
clock strikes II in.
This gentleman uSes by way Of illus
tration, hundred mile posts and saws
when he gets 10 the one huudredth mile
post he certainly could not be expected 10
90 on 10 the lOl mile post IN order TO
complete the 100 milcs; indeed. no but
suppose he had stopped at the ninety ninth
mile post ss he ia doing at the ninety
ninth year OF the century, could he have
said that he had travelled 100 miles?
His calculation is very good except that
he stops too soon on the century and
travels too far on his mile posts. The
same calculation viii apply In the compu-
tation of time from the birth OF Christ
to wit: Let naught represent the day OF His
birth, then He must live twelve months
TO complete the year A. d. THE first
year OF His earthly existence: then He
passes into His second year--the year A..
ID. 2. and we number IT the year \. d. 2
on the calendar the moment He passes
out OF the first year but He is not years
old until He has completed the whole year
a. ID. 2, and so on through the centuries,
always numbering the year in advance,
and by the same method OF computation
we have now arrived az the end OF the
ninety ninth year OF the Nineteenth cen
fury. lacking one year OF the century be-
ing full and complete. II this gentleman
can figure out that Christ was / year
old at naught. or rather / year old when
he was bornsand crowd IN two years be-
tween His birth and the year l. then his
calculation would be right. and Christ
would have been 100 years old at the end
OF the ninety ninth year. He simply gets
The year 1900 and 1900 years confused.
This lie the nineteen hundredfh year. but
not yet 1900 years until 1s o'clock at
night OF the sist OF the following Decem-
iber. chas. r. Johnson.