The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-03-07
For THE UNION.
Where Does Sunday Begin.

publish the following article from the
pen of Mr.. w. D. Henkle, of Salem,
Ohio, in reference as to "Where does
Sunday begin -
If traveller should leave Columbus,
Ohio, at noon on Saturday and go west
ward keeping pace with the sun, he
would arrive at Columbus at noon on
Sunday. His noon would continue for
twenty four hours, and Saturday noon
would change into Sunday noon with
out an intervening night. Where would
the change occur?
If man should start from Columbus
at noon on Saturday and travel east one
degree, he would hasten the first noon
that would occur after his arrival four
minutes, but if he should travel west one
degree, he would delay the first noon
after his arrival, four minutes. Now if
two men should start from Columbus
and travel round the earth, one going
east and the other west, and should
meet each other at any point, whether
half way round or not, itwould be found
that one would have set the hands of
his watch forward four minutes for every
degree that he had travelled east and
the other would have set the hands of
his watch backward four minutes for
every degree that he had travelled west.
There being goo degrees of travel, the
sum of the the minutes of change in the
two watches would be exactly twenty
four hours. But the watches at the
meeting-place would indicate the same
hour of the day, and hence the travel
lers would agree as to the time of the
day but they would differ just one day
as to the day of the week, the eastward
traveller being day ahead. Every
additional goo travelled jointly by the
travellers would make another days
difference in the week, until they should
travel jointly twenty-eight goo and
meet on some day of February in
common year according to the count
of the westward traveller, they would
agree as to the time of day, the day of
the week, and the day of the month,
but not as to the name of the month,
the eastward traveller calling it March.
If they should travel ninety one times
goo and meet on some day of April
according to the westward traveller,
they would agree except as to the name
of the month, the eastward traveller call
ing it July. If they should travel joint
ly 245 times goo and meet according
to the westward traveller in May, they
would agree as before, except that the
eastward traveller would call it January
of the following year.
Such discrepancies might occur in
common years in dozen other ways.
For instance, for ninety-one times goo
we might also have the months Septem-
Der and December. In leap years
about sixteen such instances might be
given not going beyond $50 times goo.
If they should travel 2IoI times goo,
they would agree as to the time of day,
the day of the week, the day of the
month, and the name of the month,
but they would differ six years as to the
number Of the year of the century, pro-
vided there should be one intercalary
day between their dates.
To bring about such results, there
need be no restriction as to the time of
starting nor rate of travel. If the two
supposed travellers should not live to
carry out the plan, there would be the
same results, if the travel is finally COM
pleted by any of their immediate or
remote descendants, provided they
should retain the same mode of count
time.
Now what have been the facts as to
the emigrations of persons belonging to
nations that designate days by seven
distinct names. Starting from Europe
the emigrants to India, China, Austria
liza, New Zealand, the Society Islands,
etc., reached these countries and is
lands by eastward travel, and hence the
time used by Europeans in all these
places is in advance of that in Europe.
All of both North and South America
Except the late Russian America) was
settled by westward travel from Europe,
and hence the time is behind that of
Europe. Still more, American mission
aries travelled west in 1920 to Honolulu
in Oahu, one of the Sandwich Islands,
and thus made time in the Sandwich Is
lands slower than that in California.
The Society Islands lie between ISL and
1520 west longitude from Greenwich,
and the Sandwich Islands between I55
and 1917. Hence the difference in
time between is little more than one
day, or twenty-four hours-that is,
there has been an overlapping of the
waves of eastward and westward emf
grafton. But this overlapping is still
greater between the eastern part of Rus
sian America in long. 1902 west and the
westernmost of the Sandwich Islands.
Russian America having been settled by
eastward travellers, the time is in ad-
vance of that in Europe and Asia. The
time in the most eastern part of it is
twenty-six hours in advance of that in
the westernmost ofthe Sandwich Islands.
1t seems, then, that the first in the
world that begin to count Sunday are
the Russians of Russian America. If
the proposed traveller from Columbus
west with the sun, should be able to
call for the day loud enough for all the
persons for thousands of miles on his
right and left to hear him, after leaving
the United States the British furtraders
would answer Saturday noon" until
he arrived at long. 1902, when he would
hear the Russian answer "Sundaynoon,"
and this answer would continue from
the north for the remaining portion of
the trip, but when arriving 1902 like
answer would be heard from the Socie-
ty Islands south of the Equator. When
he arrived at 1850 he would hear from
the Sandwich Islands Saturday noon,"
but at the same time from Russian
America and the South Pacific Islands
"Sunday noon." After passing the
Sandwich Islands he would probably
hear only "Sunday noon" for the rest
of the journy. should have stated
that the traveller after reaching the