748 BBPOET— 1888. 



article of tlie conference ; — ' The universal day is to be a mean solar day, is to 

 begin for all the wm-ld at the moment of mean midnight of the initial meridian,^ and 

 that they should agree to begin with that midnight which is, for us, between 

 December 31, 1888, and January 1, 1889. If this happens, but without anything 

 having been said concerning the month and year according to which the first 

 universal dav is to be dated, will that first universal day be January 1, 1889? 

 or December 20, 1888 (Orthodox Calendar) ? or the 28th Rebi II., 1306 

 (Mahomedan Calendar) ? or the 28th of Tebeth, 5649 (Jewish Calendar) ? or 

 the 30th of the 11th moon of the 2.5th year of the 76th sexagesimal cycle (Chinese 

 Calendar) ? If the first would-be universal day is all this at the same time, it will 

 ■be anythmg but universal, and so poor a result, after so many more or less 

 international congresses and conferences, as a day called universal, but belonging 

 to calendars local, national, and quite particular, and named by them, would reaUy 

 suggest what a Frenchman would say : ' Lejeu ne valait pas la chandelle.'' 



They make Russia responsible for the situation. One remark only. In 1872 the 

 Japanese CTOvernment ordered that the Chinese Calendar should be superseded by 

 our common Gregorian, and the difficulties which Japan had to encounter were 

 certainly not inferior to those which Russia may advance ; however the reform 

 was carried on in Japan without the least disturbance. Now, no one single 

 Russian would confess the impossibility for Russia to do what has been successfully 

 done by Japan. How, then, is the behaviour of Russia to be explained ? In a 

 reply to a communication recently read to the Paris Geographical Society on the 

 Chinese Calendar, General Tcheng-Ki-tong, the representative of China, gave us 

 the cue of the riddle. His reply was much more an excuse for the delay of Russia 

 than an apology for the maintenance of the Chinesa Calendar. * The Gregorian 

 Calendar/ he said, ' is far from realising the idea of what science may expect. 

 "Why, then, should we hasten to adopt a calendar which Europe will soon, in all 

 probability, be obliged to modify .^ ' 



It is this strange current rumour concerning our calendar which offers a prete:vt 

 to delays. Russian statesmen and scientific men know very weU what to think of 

 it ; they are, moreover, fully aware that England, who had too prominent a part in 

 determining Japan to adopt our calendar, would never have advised that Govern- 

 ment ' to adopt a calendar which Europe will soon, in all probability, be obliged to 

 modify.' But ultra-SlavophUes still use that prejudice for their purposes. 



Now, I have reasons for believing that Russia is far from being unwilling that 

 the last pretext of ultra-Slavophiles be publicly discussed, and that a strong current 

 of opinion should loudly call for the abolition of an incorrect calendar. I received, 

 at any rate, strong encouragements even from men of high position in Russia, and 

 a letter, bearing from its source more than a merely private character, pointed out 

 to me what Russia had done for the unification of the hour, thus giving me to 

 understand that, by supporting that unification, Russia had already taken an 

 indirect but mighty initiative in the correction of her calendar. 



Before concluding, I beg to make a general remark. The unification of the 

 calendar is only possible if urged within wise limits, that is, for purposes scientific 

 or concerning the welfare of humanity, and in inere scientific and international 

 relations. Let, then, every people be at liberty to go on itsing, in internal 

 matters, their own national calendar, provided it be a correct one. Do we not 

 use two calendars, the one lunar for our movable feasts and religious purposQp, 

 and the other solar for all other purposes ? This custom indicates the line to be 

 taken with nations attached to their calendar chiefly from rehgious feelings. 



In concluding, if, by your kind and powerful support, you were to give in a 

 few months to the unification of the calendar, within the said jvise limits, a stronger 

 impulse than the Bologna Academy of Science might be able to do in ten years, 

 neither I nor the said academy would feel envious, but only thankful, and would 

 sincerely rejoice in your well-deserved glory before the whole world. 



