The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-01-25
TWENTIETH CENTURY.
A LOGICAL DISCUSSION OF THE
VEXED QUESTION
Have You Settled the 1atter as to
Which Century You are Living In!
If not Perhaps the Following Facts
Nav Serve to Strai2hten it Out for
Norfolk Landmark. Dec 81, 1888

(NorfoIk Landmark, Dec. 81, 1872
No subject of secular discussion
could be more appropriate on the last
day OF the year 1899 than whether or
not it j. the last day of the nineteenth
century. Although The Lahdnsark
has given its views briefly in the past
apo II thi, question, it is natural that
ma ny Of our readers should have paid
little attention to the matter until the
near approach Of 1900 stimulated
th cir interest. One rarely picks up
Il paper now without seeing something
in it about the end of the century.
1t must be said at the outset that
some learned authorities contend that
the new century begins at the turn Of
twelve o'clock tonight. From the
Papal decree granting permission for
the celebration OF special midnight
mass, although the language used IS
not 50 clear as TO prevent vigorous de-
bate over its meaning, it looks as if
even the Vatican Of Rome thinks the
end Of the nineteenth century to be
upon us. Nevertheless, the weight Of
authority is on the other side. Let
II, Glance at the dictionaries, for in
stance. Webster says:
Century usually signifies divi-
sion Of the Christian era, consist NJ
Of a period Of one hundred years end
inc with the hundredth year from
which it is named; as, the first centu-
~ a. ID. 100 inclusive); the sew
cnth century a. ID. G0l-7OO); the
eighteenth century CA. ID. 17O1 1900.
With words or phrases connecting it
With some other system Of chronology
it i used Of similar divisions Of those
cra-: as the first century OF Rome CA.
/. &. / 1907.
The Standard Dictionary says:
In common usage the first century
means the year a. ID. loo; the
second century, the years A. ID. 1Ol-
2jD: and the nineteenth century, a.
ID. 1901 1900. "A century begins
with the beginning Of the first day in
its first year and does not end till the
close Of the last day in its hundrcdth
year. This mode Of reckoning is often
confused with the common mode Of
stating the age Of a person. a per
7'H p'iii at iilt VI tI-t
Christian era would be called one
year Old during his second year; that
is, during the course of the year =,
two during the year 3, forty during
the year t |. etc.
While we have not the Century Die
tionary at hand, we have seen its
dctinition.of ''century" and know that
it agrees with those just given.
Littre's Dictionary, which is the
highest authority of the kind in
France and whose author is mem
Der of the French Academy, expresses
itself as follows:
Century,. A period of a hundred
years. The present century com
menced on the first day of the year
1901, and it will end on the last day
Of the year 1900.
We do not think that there is any
standard dictionary of any language
that does not define the word in this
way.
For our own part, we can only see
one side of the question. All the
other arguments appear to be based
upon misapprehensions Of the mathe
NAUTICAL facts involved. The year 1900
is not the 1901st year; it is the 19O0th
year. Certainly the 19OOth year must
pass before we enter upon the first
year Of the twentieth century.
What puzzles people in connection
with the matter is the presence of the
Zeroes in 1900, 1900, 400, etc. An
idea is abroad that these years ought
to begin the centuries; but a century
in chronology, as in counting, must
begin with mot with 0. If the first
year of the Christian era had been the
year o, then the year SO would have
closed the first century and to-mor-
row would have been destined to be
the first day Of the twentieth century.
1t Is not reasonably conceivable,
however. that the first year of the
first century was spoken of as the
year o. Men do not reckon with
nonentities in figures or in anything
else. If anything more than that is
needed to convince one that there was
no year 0 and that the first century
began with the year |. there are on
record documents in which the older
historians have made computations
of time from dates before the opening
Of the Christian era to dates after it.
The result of their addition proves
that they reckoned with no year 0.
Here is the whole question in nut
shell: the Christian era began with the
year |, and therefore ended with the
year 100; but as the year means the
first year, so the year 1900 means the
l'ooth year and must be completed
before the century is at an end. The
new century will not be with us until
another twelve month is gone.