THE NEW CENTURY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—May I point out that the question of the "close of the century" is not one to be settled by arithmetic as you seem to suppose, but depends wholly upon the conventional meaning attached to the designation " Anzio Domini " ? If this simply means the Christian era, then its first year would naturally be numbered one, and you are right. If, however, it designates the human age of our Lord counted from his birthday into this world, then the new century, the 1901st year of the Lord, began on Monday, and the German Emperor is right and you are wrong. I see no way of deciding between the two views, but the latter appears to me at least as natural as the former, and to fall in with our tendency to connect new epochs with changes in numeration.—I am, Sir, &c.,
JOHN TENNA.NT.
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