The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-14
Bets on the Century.

In The Suns opinion, the whereabouts OF
the dividing line between the 10th and
Goth century Is, In all reason, to be found
at the end Of the present year. 1900.
When. however, the subject Is approached
in the manner OF the subjoined communica-
ton, the case requires special treatment
from which mere reason or probability
must stand out:
To THE EDITOR or TIE sus-sv, The Bxraso N.
quirsr was recently asked to decide when the 10th
century began. as . sporting matter. and the answer
was this;
"As the Pope Of Rome 10 considered . better
mathematician than Emperor WILLIAM Of Germany
aud his Holiness comes out for 1901. I will stick to
him and pay of bets on his decision"
Was this decision right. and should bets be paid
on III L.R
The decision was right, but bets, which
cannot be determined by opinion or probs-
bIlity, but require certainty. must DO de-
| clared of.
The century dispute hinges on the Idea
that the number used in connection with a
certain year refers not TO the year itself
but to the year preceding. This again
comes from a notion that the first year was
the year 0. This. again, originates. per-
haps, in the fact that some astronomers,
for easier computation when the years be-
fore or after the birth Of Christ are In
volved. call a certain year o. OF this the
Encyclopaedia Britannica says:
Astronomers denote the year which preceded the
6rst of our era by zero. and the year previous to
that by l b. O. But chronologers. in conformity
with the common notion. call the year preceding the
era l B. C. the previous year 2 b. c.. and 40 on"
Not every astronomer uses a year 0, but
no astronomer looks upon the first year Of
the Christian era as other than / A. d.
A letter upon the subject found In the
London Times. contains this information:
I'm the 18th century. and long sttervard.
people used ordInal numbers with tho words
Ammo Domini. Thus they wrote Ammo Domini
M.CCL IIIIo.. not Ammo Domini M.CC.LIIIIor. II
inaccurate translat.ons, such A. In the year OF our
Lord one thousand two hunarsd and atty. four had
not come into use instead OF In the one thousand
two hundred and fifty. fourth year OF our Lord. the
controversy about the beginning Of the century
would never have arisen"
In the 18th chapter OF HERscHELL's
Outlines OF Astronomy" there are these
clear statements:
I'm the historical dating Of events there 10 no year
A. d. o. The year Immediately previous to 4. D. l
is always called b. c. 49,
THE years are ~denominsted as years current mot
a. Years elapsed from the midnight between the sist
OF Decembe and tho LIST Of January mi ediately
subsequent t, the birth Of Christ. according to the
chronological determination OF that event BY DIosr.
sIUs EXIGUUs"
"A date. whether OF a day or year. always eH.
presses the day or year current and not sldpssd."
Days, months. years and centuries are
named by numbers. Fourteenth, or IA, is
the nameof to-day. January is the name OF
the month. Nineteen hundred Ia the name
OF the year. Nineteenth. or 10, is the name
of the century. We are inthem all, not past.
The name Is given to each at its birth,
goes Immediately into common use, and
lasts throughout its life. 1, IA, 1900 would
be u common way Of dating a letter written
to-day, all cardinal numbers with an ordinal
significance. Why some people should say
that the year alone has no name while it Is
Incomplete, and that the name associated
with it is really tho title OF the year from
which We have last emerged, Is one OF the
things no fellow can find out; but there
you are.
Hence the boundary line Of the 10th and
goth centuries being, reasonably or unrea-
sonably, disputed, no bets about 1t go.