SQL compare date (access97 database) : i'm trying to compare 2 date with an SQL Query,

My query is this : 

    "SELECT table.toto
    FROM table
    WHERE 
    table.date < $date"

In my table, my date is formatted like this : `dd/mm/YYYY`

unfortunately, it doesn't work like expected, it returns only one result (it's supposed to return way more results), which date is : `1312-09-15 00:00:00` but in database, the date is formatted like dd/mm/YYYY.

If someone knows how to resolve my problem, I would be thankful.

PS: If my question is unclear, please tell me 
