Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-02
PORTSMOUTH AND NEW

Hus arithmetic. Yet this eternal cues
ton Is simple enough.
A dozenis composed of twelve unities.
and No. II forms part of the dozen.
~ hundred is composed of 4 hundred,
unities, and No. 100 forms O part OF
the hundred. !,
Now there was no year 0.
In the Christian era the first twelve
months are called the first year or
the year l.
When Christ came into the world no
one suspected the Importance of his
coming. nor the place which the relig-
ion that he was to found would take
In the political history of nations. The
year or MS BIRTH passed unperceived by
the Romans as by the Hebrews.
Even the first century Of Christian
ity. and the second, third. fourth and
fifth had no place in the calendar.
PROPOSED BY DIoNYsIUS THE
LITTLE.
It was only in the year 522 that the
Christian era was proposed by monk
OF the Roman Church. born in Scythia
named Dionysius, who, on account of
his short statue was ncknamed Dion
ysius the Little or Dionysius Exiguus.
1t was he who constituted the Chris
tan era. That, as has been seen, was
only in the sixth century. He suppos-
ed that Christ was born IN December
%. in the year of Rome 1853. and the
year 754 of the foundation of Rome be-
caGne the first of the Christian era.
This first year was not, therefore.
even in the idea Of Dionysius. that of
the birth of Christ. Its beginning was
seven days pos;erior to his birth
FINED BY HERoD's DEATH.
The monk pionysius made in his his
torical researches a mistake of four
years, which can easily be verified, as
the date OF the death of Herod is ac-
curatcly known.
Christ was born in the year of Rome
7i9, not in 753. and died at the age of
thirty-seven. not thirty three and the
whole Christian era is four years too
young.
But 1T would certainly be incon-
venient to change it, although this mis-
take has been known for some centu-
ries. 1t is already referred to in the
dissertations mentioned, whose Chris
tan era-has been kept as it was pro-
posed by Dyonlsius the Little 1t is
suliicient II people are agreed. It is
clearly matter of convention.
THERE WAS NO YEAR, o..
But whatever date be adopted for the
beginning of the Christian era, there
was no year 0.
Therefore the first year is the year /.
The tenth year is 10, and the hun
dredth year of the first century is the
year 100.
Put in this form. the problem does not
leave a shadow of doubt In the minds
of the reader. Nothing in the world
could be simpler
When the French revolution created
new calendar it acted in the same
way. 1t did not think of a year 0. 1t
called its first year the year /.
What appears to deceive certain
minds. probably superficial at least as
far MS chronology is concerned, is The
change in the two first figures or the
century-the figures 1900 to 1880. 1899
TO l9oo' etc. In these 80 years there is
change from II to is and from is to
10. This is true, but there Is another
difference than that which makes the
change from No. . TIC No 10 and from
No 80 to No. lo0-hat is to saw. to the
completion of n decade or century.
III the decimal system decad, goes
from to 10. a century from to 100.
VARIATIONS IN DATE.
There have also been variations in the
date of the beginning IF tn. year,wh Oh
has been placed some ines Mt January
J. and sometimes at ID gcember 25. which
was more logical from the Christian
point of view, for the Circumcision is
evidently merely an incident. Some
times 1T has b en- placed Mt h concep-
ton of Christ otherwise the Annunci
alton, logically fixed by tile Church ~
nine months from December 25, sornn
times at East5r, ths stfval of the Res
direction ana of spring
On the other hand the year was
shortened by ten days in 1852 to bring
the calendar into agreement with as-
tronomy, but all this does not prevent
the Inst dnX of 19nn frn,,a l.ninc the Ia ),
or the nineteenth century
CANNOT ALTAR FACTS
1t may be seen by reading the papers
that there are still dissenters in Paris
In the provinces and abroad.
These simply complain That the first
year is called the year l, instead of the
year 0, but it was thus that the calen-
dar was drawn up.
Dionysius the Little did not put the
figure / after, but during the FRS.
year, and the first year was called
the year 1.
1t Is. therefore. on December 81, 1900,
at midnight. precisely, that the century
will end, and fall in it's turn into an
abyss OF the past to make room for
the new century.
FLANTAIARIoN.
Lengthy Guborna,orial Message.