Smyrna times., 1875-10-20
Where Two Sundays come Together


81 know younever did, my dear, but you
may one of these days, when our ship
comes in, and we start on that round of
ours. We can't very well start until that
metaphorical vessel does arrive: can't go
out until she comes in. You see, the sinews
of war are also the muscles of peace, and it
needs a well-developed financial biceps to
enable one to strike out effectively on such
a round
"What on earth are you talking of"
said Mrs. Penn, "with such tumble of
finance and pugilism and maritime affairs?
1t strikes me that your metaphors are
slightly mixed"
"Well, you said you never"
"Yes, l was going to say that never
heard of where two Sundays came together"
. Exactly And that is what was talk
ing Of was about to explain it to YOU"
Do you mean to say that there is such
placer
"I do"
"And time ?"
"And time"
"Then l should like to know what be-
comes of the Seventh Day of the strict Sab
batarians?'
'That is theological question, my dear.
Well not meddle with it,
"But how do they make two Sundays
come together?''
''Just in that way precisely. They make
'em come together. For instance, on board
a naval vessel, say, when the officer in
charge of that duty finds by an 'observa
ton that the sun is precisely over the line
of the ships meredian Il. e., the point or de-
gree of longitude east or west of Washing
ton or Greenwich where she then is), he
knows that it is noon of that day Ito 6
landsman: to himit is the beginning of the
next day. and he reports accordingly t.
the proper officer, Eight bells, Sir anC
receives reply, Make it so, Sir usual.
with the agreeable addition, 'and pipe t.
dinner So it is that the ships officer
upon occasion, makes two Sundays com
together, or, for the matter of that, knock
Sunday out Of the week altogether, accord
ing to circumstances"
"Knocks it out altogether? Only on
Sunday in two weeks?'
Precisely He can jump from Saturda
to Monday if he will"
"Worse and worse Well, explain
please. Let me understand the 'circun
stances under which these nautical gentl
men so coolly double Sunday or drop it
"Here goes, then. We were talking
that little proposed round of ours"
"Oh yesl What rOundT'
"Why, round the world. Haven't v
been speculating and castle-building {
taking one of those through tickets for Il
vet.to-be-fashionabl tour, with lay-ov
coupons for Chicago and San Francisco al
Yokohama and Hong Kong and Calcut
and Bombay and Suez and Brindisi a
Paris and London? Well, it depends
which way we take that ticket, eastwa
or westward, whether we lose day-S'
day il NAV be as we'll as any other-or ma
one on our trip. 1t isusually on the Pac
Ocean that this gain or loss is made,
cause. Washington or Greenwich bei
the given or governing meridian fr
which American or English vessels calcul
their longitude, ii is only on that oc'
thattheyfind the one-hundred-and-eighti
deoree. or half-round the world point
which they effect the change"
ayes, 1 see that by the globe. Her
the e-hundred-and-eightieth degree v
mr. east Of Greenwich, right in the mic
% tba Pacific Ocean. Go on with J
yarn" .
HThanks to common schools and
electric telegraph, most landsmen now
derstand that e difference in longl'
makes a difference in the time of day
amessage going westward arrives at its d
nation before its apparent hour of start
or as Pat would say, it'd rache st. l.
before ye sint it from New York Orr
have taught our youngsters that as
aarth turns toward the sun, at the I
which Is fullface to that luminary it is
noon. while at one-quarter OF the ca
circumference toward the west II Is
sunrise. This difference of time Is, a
equator, just four minutes for each dc
of oflongitude-equal to six hours Ssnree