Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-11-01

longitude. As we have seen, the time at
Greenwich is then twelve hours ahead OF
the time in the vicinity of 1905 pestern
hemisphere therefore, as it is February
2lst near midnight at the ship, it will
be February 22nd near noon at Green
wich.
Now, suppose at this same moment a
sailing ship is lying becalmed a mile from
the steamer, to the wea according to the
compass. but of course in the eastern
hemisphere. The time on board that
sailing ship will be twelve hours ahead
of Green,oich. or near midnight Februa :
ry the twenty-second, the whole of Feb
ruary 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 and in q
few minutes is alongside the sailing ship,
both being in the Eastern Hemisphere.
The steamships 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 Febru-
airy the twenty third. so that February
the twenty-second is dropped from the
calendar of the people on the steamer.
In :he morning, our passenger comes on
deck, salutes the officer of the deck, and,
being a patriotic American, asks:
do you make auy celebration of
Washing,on's birthday at sea:
Yes" replies the officer; "when 1t
occurs, we load and fire the guns, and
run the flag up
Then | suppose you will celebrate 1t
to-day
No. think not" says the officer,
as Washing,on's birthday comes on the
,wen,y-second, and this happens to be
the twenty-third."
Beg pardon says the passenger,
&" but this is the wenty-second.
1T should have been, in the ordinary
course of events, but we crossed the line
of 1902 during the night, and 1t
is now the twenty third" says the Of
t,ccr.
Our passenger, no. having thought on
this subject before, concludes TO keep his
diary by his own date, and, consequently
when he arrives at Yokohama, 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 day behind, and, Of course, ne has to
cdange his date, which he should have
done when he crossed ls0S. And
should he return to the United States by
the way of the Pacific Ocean, when he
crosses lS0 > he must call two successive
days BY the same name and date.
Therefore, it is said, we gain day com
lng from China, and lose day going
there.
Ii this is no, sufficiently clear, to any
boys or girls, let them place themselves
on the west side of table, put globe
on the table in front OF them, and light a
candle to represent the sun, placing 1t
east of the globe. Now, let them sup
pose 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. So il the evening
was the frs, halt OF the day, time must
begin at noon.
Now. let some one place the meridian
of 1902 on the globe directly opposite
the candle, or sun, having the North
Pole depressed toward the North, and
with his right hand on ibe globe, Tevolve
it from him, which is the way the earth
revolyes. 1t then will be seen that the
Eastern Hemisphere comes under the sun
first, and as each meridian rolls under
the sun, all places on tina, meridian will
have their first noon, or noon OF January
the first, year one. Likewise, when the
globe has rolled half way round, the
meridian of Greenwich will be under the
sun, making il midnight where we start
ed from, so that a person in, say. longi-
tude l79o So 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 1872 SO west
comes under the sun, person living
there will have has first noon, or noon OF
January the first. year one; but 1t now
will be seen that tie earth has only to
roll two miles more Of longitude, which
occupies about eight seconds of time, to
bring our first parsonage 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 a mile OF each other, if on differ
ent sides of the meridian of $50 will
always have different date and differ
ent day of the week. But all this, OF
course, is so only at the meridian of $50
and nowhere else.-John Keiler, an st.
Nicholas.