The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-01

WHEN THE CENTURY BEGINS.
Camille FIammarion Says January I, 1901, and
Tells Who VIII First Greet Ii.

adopt period OF 100 years as cycle In
the worlds history. Ancient peoples
counted by dynasties. generations or BY
the lives Of noted men Their cycles
closing with the Jubilee year. were
short. as mems views Of history In retro
spect were narrow Thus, the ancient
Greeks had their olympiad OF four years;
the Romans their lustrum OF Ave years,
and the Hebrews their Schemitta OF forty
nine years; the end OF each Of these cycles
was the jubilee year. 1t was not till the
general adoption of the Gregorian caleu-
dar. which was proclaimed By papal bull
in 1881, that the century became a period
OF tine by which great events in history
were classified
Since that time the change in the
numerals Of the century, from Is to 49,
from l6 TO IL. and 50 forth, has always
witnessed discussions and disputatonI
about the end OF century. and il is so
now, when the IS is about TO be changed
to 10. Such authorities as the renowned
French astronomer Camille Flammarion
have entered the arena OF the disputants.
The Frenchman comes to the same con-
slU6lOQ as tUc EnkiiSu IAOtal GpNlthS Va
Astronomers not long ago, namely, that
the twentieth century begins at midnight
Of December 81, 1900 His essay upon this
subject. recently published in the Paris
Revue, is so interesting that the salient
points viii well bear translation at this
time. Flammarion says.
"If we look back at the past we will
find documents OF the year 1893. 1899 and
1899. in which this subject was discussed
and century hence in 1899, our descend =
ants will be discussing the same old SUBJ
ject. 4 century ago the discussions were
unusually lively. and extended even TO
the iheaier In 1900 a play appeared
with the title. Dear God in What Cen
tury Are We Living? This very question
we OF today are again aelIing,
The discussions at the end of the last
century did not convert all people. Victor
Hugo. for instance, was born February 26,
1902 On this day our century was thir-
ten months twenty-five days and some
hours old. scarcely believe that ons
would aocredit two years TO child OF this
age. Despite this. the great poet, re-
ferring TO his birth at Besoncon, writea
the well-known linesi
"Ce steele await deux ans, Rome rempla,
Gait Sparte
Deja Napoleon percait sous Bonaparte,
Et du premier consul dcia par maint en-
droit
lie front de lEmpereur brisait lie masque
etroit.
(1his century had two years, Rome re-
placed Sparta,
Napoleon already became known as Bona
Ana the hrst consul already, by many
specie s
Hid the face OF the emperor behind a
broken masl.N
Despite all poetical license Victor
| Hugo would not have written this phrass
! had he not believed that the nineteenth
| century began with 1900. Perhaps poets
calculate differently from astronomers.
Francis sarcey, the renowned critic,
calls the year 1000 the dawn OF the cen
| fury
mo, The dawn OF the Twentieth CEN
fury VIII not shine In 1900, though we hear
every moment that the exposition OF 1860
is the dedication OF the Twentieth century.
The exposition Is the end. the cleaning,
SO to say, OF the Nineteenth century, aud
not the beginning OF the Twentieth.
The yoar 1900 is the eve OF the comin9
century The dawn begins to show after
midnight. Upon my desk are several
works which appeared in 1899. They arc.
i Il, Dissertation concerning the begin.
4 ming OF the next century, TO see whether
! 1900 or 1901 is the irst year.
"2. The critique of this dissertation
i 20 New dissertation concerning III,
/ next century in which Il Is proved tina
1900 Is the first year.
Disputations OF writer's concernir,
/, tho beginning OF tho next century.
% Decision of the question concerninJ
he end OF the century.
These Ave little books were printed /,
80 in Paris. They contain mostly length
In ,quisitions the arguments OF which hav
IN taken from all possible sources, 10
,g lance. from the Bible, the old dogma
Z Roman hierarchs, the big flood ct,
becomes extraordinarily confused b
70 IS reading. despite the fact that som
Ia hors, for alleged 'clearness' use geS
! trical figures 10 show how the countin
rs Inflated.
y n We also find In 1899 diyerglne view
81 corning this point and oven the the
y ~ did not give a Anal decision but Lei
- e problem to the astronomers. who In
% "a always were hut of ore opinion Jus
y, there is but arithmetic.
~ This seemingly difficult problem
- any very easy Of solution A DOZEN cor
u Is Of twelve units. This numbe- ~
pe part OF the dozen. One hundred consist
ne 100 units, and the number 100 Is a m,
= thereof. Now. 1t Is clear that there neys
1 was year 0 In Christian Chronology. III
: hrst year was No, l, or the hrst.
1 ~
Z When Christ was horn nobody thouvl
Of the Importance Of this event, nor al
anybody think that the religion which I,
a founded would have place in tho hstor
!, OF nations. The year OF His birth WI
4 given attention neither by Romans nor /
n Jews and the first century OF the chri,
n tan era. like the second, third fourth an
\ NTH, that is 800 years, passed by wltI
out being noticed IN the Christian oajer
gar. II was not until the year sag thai
CHRISTIAN chronology was proposed by
roman monk. Thls monk came frol
IL Scylhia aud was named Dlonyslus. Ina,
much as he was OF very small build \
| received the nickname Dionysit
Exignus' s''
a Thus 1t viii be seen that the chrlstia
chronology was not introduced until N
sixth century. The monk Dionysirs ,on
II for granted that Christ WAS eorn n,
eember 20 Of the year TS3 OF Roman ehror
q oiogy. Hence the year Tsl after m
If iounaing OF Rome was az the same Tim
me INST. or the year after the blrth !
Christ. This first year, even accordine
! sne idea o. pionyslus, Is not that Of Ii
10 n,r.n q christ' for It does not begin uni