b/^'TLE OF THE NUMERALS.
Mathematical Worries That Have
Arisen with the
New Year.
The advent of the year 1900 has
brought other mathematical worries
than that regarding the relation it
bears to the twentieth century. There
is for instance a ditVerer.ee of opinion
as to how the numeral smnifving the
year shall he writte n. Several wavs of
* %
arranging the Roman nun'era Is are
possible, and the battle of the M's ai d
( s and D's may be said to be now fair
ly on. As a matter of fact the Roman
numeral has fallen largely out of use
during the century just closing, and
is now to be found chiefly in formal
documents and occasionally on the title
pages of books. The modern mind is
too thoroughly accustomed to the more
easily written and understood Arabic
numerals to pause to figure out intricate
]roblems in the Homans. The year
1000 may be regarded as 400 years after
the year 1500. or 100 years short of the
year 2000. Much depends upon the
point of view. If the year 1500 is taken
as the base of calculation, that being
the least multiple of 500, the preseut
year may be written MDCCCC, meaning
1.000 years, 500 years and 400 years, a
total rf 1900. Or, somewhat on the
same basis it may be written MDCD,
which means 1.000, 500 and a hundred
less five hundred. This, however, is an
awkward method, and might confuse
some nonexperts. Taking the years
2 00 as a basis two ways are possible,
MCM, meaning 1,000 and a hundred less
another thousand, or CMM. meaning a
hundred less than 2,000. Of these two
the weight of reason and usage lies
with the former, on the principle that
it is proper always to express the largest
possible established number, and to re
sort to subtraction only in case of the
smallest possible numeral to produce
exact definition. Should the principle
3f positive expression be regarded
throughout, the symbol MDCCCC would
stand as the correct numeral for the
year, for it involves no subtraction
whatever, At the same time it is true
that the sym?jl for 9 is always arranged
upon the basis of subtraction, thus, IX,
l pon this principle, which is carried
through the multiples, the proper sym
bol for 1900 would be similarly sub
tractive, or MCM. And so MCM is find
ing many advocates, and it may prove
that for a hundred years the world
will be divided into two rival camps,
those who persist in writing MDCCCC
and those who maintain that MCM
alone is proper. It is a relief to reflect
that with the year 2000 the controversy*
ivill cease, for there is no dispute over
the double M.—Waslj inert on Star,
our name & place of hu
STATIONERY given vou prestige.
on vou
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