The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-05-01
MISCELLANY.
-
DIVISIONS OF TIME.

Olblc1ONS tf1SS I'm H.
IAN Essay read by Rev C. s. Cverse before the Stu
dents Of the Seminary at Rii&oes, April 1sth 1875
and reported for THE REcoRi&l
One of the characteristics of a high state of
civilization is the Introduction of the results
of long course of profound thought and ex-
pertinent, into common use, into such simple
forms that the amount Of labor expended is
hardly suspected by the uninitiated. The his
tory of invention in mechanical appliances af-
fords numerous instances of this truth, for
many of the most simple articles of house
hold use are products of centuries of develop
mont. For example, the common friction
match, now sold SO cheap, that a few cents
will provide years supply, has entirely ban
ished the flint, steel and finder, the birthstone
points, and the sulphuric acid preparations
with which our grandfathers were familiar
no other blessing SO common and cheap, and
yet it has required centuries of thought to
produce them. But this truth is by no means
confined TO the sphere of material invention
1t holds equally good in many of the usages
of society that we adopt with hardly a thought
about their origin One Of these customs is
the use of dates. Every bill that passes Con-
gress or our Legislatures every newspaper
that is printed, every contract or receipt
among business men, every letter that bears
tidngs and affection to distant friends is
headed with its date-the day, the month and
the year, and the use of this date has become
second nature in this age pf educational facil-
tiles and literary habits. IL may be interest
ing as well as instructive 70 have the various
efforts men have made to&sstssk. scientific pro-
csion in their distinctions of time.
In the earliest ages of the world the neces-
sity of distinguishing one portion of time
from another must have been felt The hab-
its of life in the most barbarous communities
demand this The first distinction that was
made was that of Days. The alienation of
darkness and light is natures most prominent
provision for distinguishing one time from
another. The nicer distinctions about the
length of the day, the difference between the
siderial and solar day, &c, &C., which have
since become important in the light of modern
astronomy, were at first excluded. The SIM
pie change from darkness to light was sulfic-
lent in times of primitive simplicity. But
soon the need of larger provisions Of time
was felt, for it was too tedious to count over
and remember days when large number was
demanded The moon was next called into
service. Men noticed that there was certain
fixed interval from one new moon to the next,
and this was adopted as the second distinction
of time. 1t labored under difficulties in prac-
fopc tho o1nudc 0hcpura1 thn
heavens, but this disadvantage was not sufic-
iently serious to prevent its general adoption.
Men could now describe an action as occur
ring on such day after such day after such
new moon, giving the number of day and
moon.) But as civilization advanced history
assumed greater Importance +; men were more
interested in the events of the past, and
thought of the past or of the future demand
ed larger divisions of time than the day and
the lunar month. The changes in the seasons,
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, were known
to be caused by the sun. The sun is now laid
under contribution, and besides affording heat
and light, must serve to mark the boundaries
of years. The secret of the worlds moving
around the sun was then unknown, but on
the contrary it was supposed that the sun was
the traveller. However, for practical purposes
as a time piece this error about the SUMS mo-
ton was unimportant, for there was no diff
Guilty in approximately noting the annual re-
turn of the equinoxes and sostices and the
succession Of the seasons. Thus in the re-
hottest ages of which we have knowledge
we find the three main distinctions Of day,
month and year that still maintain their SUI
premacy !; not accurately mapped out as later
by the aid of science, but in principle the same
These are amply sufficient for ordinary use /;
they serve well their purpose for the business
relations of society, and they are sufficiently
convenient for the purposes Of the historian,
who must deal with larger periods of time
than we are personally concerned with in the
brief span of life allotted man. The artific-
ial distinctions of time which have sometimes
been introduced by historians and lawmakers
have for the most part given way to the pop
ular mode of reckoning.
The ancients assumed that fixed number
of lunar months composed the year. Twelve
was taken as the number, but twelve revolu-
tions of the moon give only 554 days--more
than eleven short of the true year. The error
was soon discovered, and various modes OF
correction adopted in different Countries
While differing in details the principle was
the same,-the throwing in of an additional
month occasionally. Seven years out of ev
cry nineteen were entitled to the extra allow
ance thus the year might contain either