Those curious people that call themselves the children of the sun and moon, possess a mode of reckoning that carries them back to a period anterior to the creation of the world.

Then, the Greeks computed by Olympiads, or periods of four years.

The Romans reckoned by lustri of five years, the first of which corresponds with the 117th year of the foundation of Rome." "And when does our calendar begin ?" "It dates only from the birth of Christ, but may be carried back to the creation, which event, to the best of our knowledge, occurred four thousand and four years before the birth of our Savior.

This period, added to the date of the present, or any future year, gives us, as nearly as we can ascertain, the interval that has elapsed since our first parents found themselves in the garden of Eden." "Our calendar," remarked Jack, "appears simple enough; it is to be regretted that there have been, and are, so many other modes of reckoning extant.

What with the Greek Olympiads, the Roman lustres, the Mahometan hegira, and Chinese moonshine, there is nothing but perplexity and confusion." "It is possible, however," said Becker, "to accommodate all these systems with each other.