The Portland daily press., 1900-01-20
CENTURY AGAIN.
20 the Editor of Me Press:

To the Editor Of the Press:
bad not thought would take part In
this controversy. but the illogical lllustra-
tions OF your correspondent In the RPESS
OF the 10th inst have compelled me TO
take the pen
1t 10 very true the Latin origin OF Gen.
fury means 100 and may be applied to any
thing; but practically, by common use,
we all understand IL to mean 100 years,
and that Ia sufficient for our purpose.
Is 1t possible that your correspondent
believes his ulustrAtions are analoeouss
In his cass Of the miles-stones his error
Of anology lies In the fact that each stone
10 designed to mark tho definite spot
which ends each mile, while the num-
Ter which designatss given year extends
through that entire year from Its begin
ming to Its end. When the year ends IL
Is like the milestone, but not till the end
Is reached. We are living In the year
1900, but 1900 years will have gone into
the past only when this year shall end.
When the bicyclist entered upon the
ICOth mile Of his race as We have
now entered ON the 10th year Of the
century, he was / mile short Of his
goal as We are now one year short Of
tie goal or last milestone of our
century. As, in the one case, the
mile stone IL at the end of the last mile
80 In the other case the Century mile
stone will be ut the end Of the lass year
Of the century. The differences between
our opponents and ourselves seems, evil
IDENTITY, to be In the simple fact that they
see the end Of the century at the Begin
ming of the iooth year, while We see 1t at
the end Of the same year.
The centennial celebration Of Washing
tons death, too, was eminently proper
and appropriate at its time, because 100
years had fully paused. The good "Fa-
Their Of his country" died on the 18th OF
December, 1899. but your correspondent 9
position on the century question can only
be consistently maintained by oommeIno-
rating that event at tho beginning of the
year rather than waiting sill the Tooth
year had ended; or, In other words, about
December 18th, 1898, which would be the
beginning OF the last year Of the 100.
But again, his analogy of the young
man who becomes o voter 10 faulty. The
law does not require that he shall havs
attaind the age Of 81 full years. In com
mon parlsnoe he must be- Of that age, but
the law recognizes no parts Of days In
general datea FOR instance, young
mans birth was May LIST, 1870. but for
legal voting he would be admitted to the
coils April S0th, 1891, this being the Legal
age Of 81 years. The law, too. requires
the notice of q town meeting to be posted
seven Gays, but both dates may be legal
To- ra,Eopad Tnil nnwavaP IA mot re9-
want 90 the question. / only answer your
correspondent on this point to show that
there Is q difference between legal and 40
tual time. His other illustrations may
be easily disproved but l must not take
your space.
A lutte boy recently held foot rule in
his hand with this inches distinctly mark
ed He sale ''this ruler Is Is inches long"
''How do you make 1t sof" asked.
He began at ths fret end and counted
zone" at the end OF the first inch,
two" and so on to the erd, making
.thirteen." Our friends who claim that
we have stepped across the threshold of
the new century have made the same mis-
take. They evidently are not conscious
OF this error because. to them 1t Is not
quite as clear when applied to ths last
year Of century a. In counting the first
inch OF the ruler, and yet it Is none the
less true.
/ am reading . large book. / had read
one page when ! reached Its bottom.
When turned the leaf to page 100 and
commenced reading / was on page leo but
had read only 90 pages. because only
that number had been oompist ted. At
the end of page 100 and ready to begin
l0l. had read 100 pages
Our Christian era began at certain
definits point of time which 10 correotly
represented by the nrst end Of the ruler,
or yard -stick, II you please; and the only
question arising In this discussion ID,
when have 100 years, necessary Tor . cen-
tury, or 1900 years, necessary for nine
teen centuries, gone fully into the past.
The answer is unquesttonabie In matter
of fact, When We shall begin 1901 We
shall at that moment have oompistet $500
full years. ":