WHEN DOES THE CENTURY END?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXX, Issue 139, 13 June 1896, Page 3

WHEN DOES THE CENTURY END?

xo tue liDiioß op " The .Evening Mail.' Sib— ln a fßcent issue appeared a letter in which tbe writer denied that the present century ends when 1900 is reached. I have just seen a letter in the " Weekly Scotsman," in which the writer quotes Professor Piazzi Smythe, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, in favour of tbe same view. He Bays thai, the gist ol* the Professor's reply on the subject was to this effect :— " The initial difficulty in measuring oft' a period of time lay in the fiodiog of zero— o — the starting point. But i* mußt be admitted tbat tbe Christian era commenced at the point where B.C. ends and A.D. begins, Tbis would be 12 p.m. 31st December, B.C. Then the lirst yeur would end at 12 p.m. 31b$ December, A.D. 1 ; the first decade at 12 p.ni. 3.lst December, A.D. 10 ; and the first century at 12 p.m. Slst December, A.D. 100. Therefore the 18th century ended at 12 p.m. 31st December, 1800, and the 19th century would begin immediately thereafter on the Ist of January, 1801." Now, Sir, with all deference to the alleged ' opinion of the Professor, it seems to be a questionable statement to say that the first year of our era ended 31st December, A.D. 1. Did it not end rather with 31st December, A.D. 0 ? Do we not begin with zero, and only say 1 when the period is oomplete? But according to the Professor we should say 1 when the period is only beginning. Now what ia the analogy of other things ? V\ hen the mercury has risen a complete degree from its starting point, zero, we say ldeg.; when we have travelled 8 furlongs, the mile-stone says 1 mile ; when tbe minuto hand has travelled 60 minutes, tbe clock says 1 hour; when the child haa lived 12 months, we say 1 year. So when the clock strikes 100 A.D., do we not mean that 100 ye.rs lio behind üb,— a oomplete oontury ? And by analogy, when tho clock strikes 1900 A,D., does uot that mean the end' of the 19th century ? ; If I am wrong, then perhaps some of your learned readers might inform us how IP our reckoning 'of years, and centuries we depart from tbe analogy of ordinary reckoning?—l am, etc, • , ■ * , . , '>■ /.' * Chbonombteb. Riwaka..