The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-03-27

Ocean, the American Continents o,d
the Pacific Ocean, to the same NERD
ian. So, suppose a passenger nm
steamship from San Francisco To Chr"
goes below, and I" turns inn or ooac ~
bed, at nine O'Clock on the evening nj
February 21st, the ship being then in
west longitude, and say, thirty nautical
miles this side of the meridian of 1So
degrees, and steaming at the rate of ten
miles an hour; then, at three minutes
before midnight, she will have sailed
twenty nine and a half miles. PLACING
her half mile on the east side of 1S6
degrees, according to the compass, bnt
of course, still in eOest longitude. As we
have seen, the time at Greenwich is
then twelve hours ahead of the time in
the vicinity of 100 degrees, aoestern hem.
isphere; therefore, as it is February Dist
near midnight at the ship, it will be
February I'D near noon at Greenwich,
Now, suppose at this same moment
sailing ship is lying becalmed mile
from the steamer, to the aCeSt according
to the compass, but of course in the
Eastern Hemisphere. The time on board
that sailing ship will be twelve hours
ahead Of Greenwich, or near midnight
February the twenty-second, the whole
OF February the twenty-secOnd having
passed with them; while on board the
steamship, February the twenty-second
Is just about to commence. Now the
steamship steams across the meridian
of $50 degrees, and in few minutes is
alongside the sailing ship, both being
in the Eastern Hemisphere. The steam
ships time will now be the same as the
ships (for the latter has not moved
from her position, being becalmed),
and that time is the beginning of Feb
ruary the twenty-third. so that Febru-
airy the twenty-second is dropped from
the calendar of the people on the
steamer. In the morning, our passen-
ger comes on deck, salutes the officer
of the deck, and, being a patriotic
American, asks:
DO you make any celebration of
Washington's birthday at sea?"
YES" replies the officer; " when it
occurs, we load and fire the guns, and
run the flag up"
Then | suppose you will celebrate
it to-day?"
"No, think not" says the officer,
as Washington's birthday comes on the
twenty-second, and this happens to be
the twenty-third.
g Beg pardon" says the passenger.
but this is the twenty second"
cit should have been, in the ordinary
course of events, but we crossed the
line of $50 degrees during the night, and
it is now the twenty-third," says the
officer.
Our passenger, not having thought
on this subject before, concludes to
keep his diary by his own date, and,
consequently, when he arrives at Yoke
hama. he finds he has got the wrong
day of the week and the wrong date
He proceeds to Hong Kong and finds
there, also, that he is o day behind
and, OF course, he has to change his
date, which he should have done when
he crossed $50 degrees. And should he
return to the United States by theway of
the Pacific Ocean, when he crosses 1870
degrees he must call two successive days
by the same name and date. Therefore,
it is said, we gain a day coming from
China, and lose day going there.
boys or girls, let them place themselves
on the west side of a table, put globe
on the table in front Of them, and light
candle to represent the sun, placing
it east of the globe. Now, let them
suppose that time has not yet begun,
and that they are going to mark the
very first day, which may be called
January the first, year one. We are
told in the Bible that the evening and
the morning were the first day. Sol
the eveningwas the first half of the day,
time must begin at noon.
Now, let some one place the meridian
OF $50 degrees on the globe directly
opposite the candle, or sun, having the
North Pole depressed toward the North,
and with his right hand on the globe,
revolve it from him, which is the way
the earth revolves. 1t then will be seen
that the Eastern Hemisphere comes I'M
der the sun first, and as each meridian
rolls under the sun, all places on that
meridian will have their first noon, or
noon OF January the LIST, year one.
Likewise, when the globe has rolled
half way round, the meridian of Green
wlch will be under the sun, making it
midnight where we started from, so
that a person in, say, longitude 179
deg. 80 min. east, will have spent half
of his first day.
Now, as the Western Hemisphere is
rolled under the sun, giving all places
there their first noon, it will be found
that when longitude 179 deg. SO min.
west comes under the sun, person
living there will have his first noon, or
noon of January the first, year one; but
1T now will be seen that the earth has
only to roll two miles more of longi-
tude, which occupies about eight Sec
onds of time, to bring our first person !,
age under the sun again, or to give him
noon for the second time, which must
be January the second, at noon; so that
two persons, although within mile Of
each other, if on different sides of the
meridian of $50 degrees, will always have
different date and different day of
the week. But all this, of couse, is so
only at the meridian of 1870 degrees and
nowhere else.-John Keller, IN 81. Mich.
otGS. .l.-
.EHoa