Chronologies and Calendars/Chapter 13

by James C. MacDonald

Chapter XIII.

Concluding Summary.

HAVING now surveyed in detail the practical and historical eras, it will be convenient to sum up the principal points already considered. The reader will have noticed that there is a considerable variation in value as regards chronological terms—a 'year' meaning one thing to Jews, another to Christians, and having a different meaning for non-Christian nations. Even in our own country, there are several sorts of years—the civil, fiscal, leap, and common years. For instance, the civil year in Britain and her possessions begins 1st January at twelve o'clock midnight. The fiscal year may begin from any day, as the opening of a business, but our imperial fiscal year opens on 5th April, because the old style, plus the eleven omitted days, prevails in the British Exchequer.^[1]

129. Again, the British, in common with the French, Germans, and the Americans, count a new day as beginning so soon as midnight of the previous one has struck. The modern astronomers in all countries take twelve o'clock noon (local time) as the starting point of the day.

130. In the course of a transatlantic voyage, the word 'day' presents some curious meanings:—the 'average length of the day on a twenty-knot Atlantic liner, going eastward, is twenty-three hours, ten minutes; going westward it is twenty-four hours, fifty minutes.'^[2] And the same authority points out how the 'time is changed daily; on the eastward trip the clocks are set forward four minutes for each degree of longitude, while in going to the westward, they are set backward four minutes for the same interval.' But now to return.

131. The beginning of a new day to each of the Jews, Austrians, and Chinese is sunset; and sunrise among the modern Greeks and the Persians.^[3] The expression, working day, is used as meaning either the employee's day of labour, or in contra-distinction to days of rest. The term Halcyon days, sometimes met with in ancient histories, refers to the seven days of both sides of the shortest day.

132. In Jerusalem there are at present three 'sabbaths' each week—Moslem, Jewish, and Christian. This is a startling fact.^[4]

133. Some calendars, suck as the famous Almanach de Gotha, bring down annually to date, the best known of the ancient and purely historical chronologies, giving its readers the eras of the Olympiads and Nabonassur, also to the year of Rome, the Jewish ancient era, and the Julian period. It may be urged in favour of the continuations that they arrest attention in these days of high pressure. Anything which tends to make people think should be encouraged. When a person, on opening the almanac, finds the current year of grace and historic cycles side by side, his mind is directed to the chronological transitions which have taken, place. Or observing that not one of the ancient cycles starts from the same year, he may marvel at the uncertainty revealed regarding the beginning of mundane things.^[5] He will be compelled to abandon the belief—which until recently was common property—that the world was made in a certain year, and within six specified days therein of twenty-four hours each, and when he reads the foregoing chapters he will see how futile was the belief in question, how absurd and futile for any human being, however eminent, to select some archaic date as Anno Mundi I. But on such emperical selections, chronology has too Jong been placed. The more arbitrary the date, the more abject the adulation of the thoughtless, No greater fallacy can be imagined than that of fixing the creation era in any week, month, or year. It is impossible and unnecessary. Impossible—from the unique diversity of opinions; unnecessary—because practical people see a creation evolving from day to day, and year to year.

134. Neither do other historical cycles—those which are not brought down to date in modern almanacs—alter the views which stern facts compel one to take. But these eras may be repeated in passing, namely:—the Metonic,^[6] Callippic,^[7] China's eras,^[8] and the era of the French Revolution.^[9]

135. The practical chronologies are those which hold sway over the histories, customs, religions, and laws of the nations at present. These are as follows:—

1. The Christian era.
2. Era of Hegira.
3. China's Anno Regni.
4. Jewish calendar.
5. Russian or old style.
6. Samvat era.
7. Bengali calendar.
8. Fusli calendar.
9. The indication cycles.

136. A table such as the foregoing will show how utterly insular it is—a proof also of narrow-mindedness—to claim the quality of universality for any one chronology.^[10] Even in Europe, the continent of 'light and leading,' there are four calendars in daily use, New Style, Old Style, Jewish, and Hegira. In the two Americas the Christian era is the rule, though the Jewish is an important exception. In Asia, legion is the appropiate chronological adjective for:—

A.H. and A.D.	are predominant in Turkey in Asia
A.H.	are predomi„nant in„ Arabia
A.D., A.M., and A.H.	are predomi„nant in„ Palestine
A.H.	are predomi„nant in„ Persia
Nos. 6, 7, 8 (supra), also A.H. and A.D.	are predomi„nant in„ India
Regnal year, lunar month, no week, cycles of 60 in histories, and A.H.	are predomi„nant in„ China
Regnal years and lunar months	are predomi„nant in„ Japan
A.D. (old style)	are predomi„nant in„ Asiatic Russia

137. In taking a concise survey, the population basis is best for summing up the chronological principles, as it practically includes a geographical criterion,^[11] which alone would he too arbitrary, and obviates interjected references to purely provincial calendars, Adopting the most recent statistics,^[12] a table containing the following essential calculations can be constructed:—

Continents.

Pron. of world's pop.

Predominant chronology.

Other styles current therein.

Europe

3/14th

Christian

Jewish and Moslem

Asia

8/14th

Regnal bases, fusli, etc. eras

Christian and Moslem

Africa

1/14th

Aboriginal recks:

Moslem and Christian

Australia Tasmania Oceanic Islands

1/28th

Christian

Aboriginal recks:

Polar Regions

1/28th

Aboriginal recks.

Christian

America, S. & N.

1/14th

Christian

Jewish and Moslem

1. See the imperial tax notices and vouchers.
2. Over the Ocean, p. 15.
3. Brewer, p. 334.
4. But be it remembered that the phase Holy Day varies with race and place; in Christendom it is Sunday, in Persia Tuesday, by the Nile Thursday, among the Turks Friday, and to the Hebrews it is Saturday, beginning at sundown on the Friday.
5. Chapter iv., supra.
6. See section 57, supra.
7. See section 51, supra.
8. See section 10, supra.
9. In chapter 106, supra.
10. The charge of insularity in the analogous domain of weights and measures has been levelled very recently at British commerce.
11. What a vast advance there has been in geographical knowledge cannot be better proved than by quoting the opening sentence of the Geographia, written by Pomponius Mela about 40 A.D., which reads, 'Universus terrarum orbis in tres partes dividitur, Europam, Asiam, Africam.'
12. According to Wagner and Supar, quoted in Gazetteer, p. 766.